Google has teamed up with LG in a Nexus-style partnership to produce the first devices powered by Android Wear 2.0: the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style.
The two companies will unveil these smartwatches on February 9 — at an event for the platform’s official launch — and begin selling them in the U.S. the next day, according to marketing material shared with VentureBeat.
The rollout will continue to other regions through February and March, with the watches given prominent placement at LG’s booth at Mobile World Congress, which starts on February 27 in Barcelona.
This project was first reported by Android Police way back in early July of last year, and the mockups published shortly afterwards closely resemble the shipping products. The 14.2-millimeters thick Watch Sport will come in titanium and dark blue, while the 10.8-millimeter thick Watch Style — with its swappable straps — will be available in titanium, silver, and rose gold.
Of the two models, which both feature circular, plastic OLED displays, Watch Sport is clearly the flagship device. Besides its larger, higher-resolution screen (1.38 inches and 480 x 480, versus Style’s 1.2-inch, 360 x 360 face), the Sport also contains more RAM (768MB versus 512MB, although internal storage is 4GB across the board), and a larger battery (430mAh versus 240mAh).
Both timepieces feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and the Sport model throws in cellular connectivity (with both 3G and LTE data) as well as GPS and NFC radios. This latter component allows the watch to take advantage of Android Wear 2.0’s Android Pay capability.
Along with iOS compatibility, the two watches also share another commonality with the Apple Watch: a digital crown button that serves to facilitate navigation. The displays are touch sensitive as well, and boast handwriting recognition.
Other notable features include Google Assistant integration and water and dust resistance (IP68 and IP67 certifications for the Sport and Style, respectively). Furthermore, the Sport contains a heart rate sensor and, thanks to its cellular components, is capable of untethered telephony with the same phone number as a user’s primary handset.
In addition to being preloaded on these and other upcoming smartwatches, Android Wear 2.0 will also be pushed out as an upgrade to select legacy watches already on the wrists of consumers.
