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LG G Watch R

Alex Colon
 & Alex Colon Executive Editor, Reviews

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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The LG G Watch R is the best Android Wear smartwatch yet, but it's expensive and we still aren't fully sold on the operating system. - Wearables
3.5 Good

The Bottom Line

The LG G Watch R is the best Android Wear smartwatch yet, but it's expensive and we still aren't fully sold on the operating system.

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Pros & Cons

    • Gorgeous design.
    • Improved battery life.
    • Sharp, vivid screen.
    • Nice watch faces.
    • Expensive.
    • Still bulky.
    • Battery still isn't great.
    • Android Wear still underwhelms.

LG G Watch R Specs

Display Size 1.3
Display Type P-OLED
Estimated Battery Life 24 hours
Fitness Features Accelerometer
Fitness Features Heart Rate Monitor
Phone OS Compatibility Android
Processor 1.2GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
Separate App Store
Watch OS Android Wear
All Specs

The LG G Watch R is a study in contrasts. It's the best-looking smartwatch yet, but it's still comically large. It has better battery life than the competition, but you'll still need to charge it once a day. And Android Wear, though recently updated, still doesn't feel ready for primetime. For $299, it's also $50 more expensive than the already-pricey Moto 360. This is definitely the best Android Wear watch I've seen yet, but if you have a few months, it's probably still worth waiting to see what comes next.

Design and Display

The biggest difference between the G Watch R and its predecessor, the G Watch, is a physical one: The G Watch R is round, like a traditional timepiece. It's the best-looking smartwatch I've seen yet. I'm not against a squarish form factor if a good case can be made for it, but I've yet to see one. And let's face it, most watches have been round pretty much forever, in part because that's what looks good.

View All 8 Photos in Gallery

Final Thoughts

The LG G Watch R is the best Android Wear smartwatch yet, but it's expensive and we still aren't fully sold on the operating system. - Wearables

LG G Watch R

3.5 Good

The LG G Watch R is the best Android Wear smartwatch yet, but it's expensive and we still aren't fully sold on the operating system.

Get It Now

Buy It Now

About Our Expert

Alex Colon

Alex Colon

Executive Editor, Reviews

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s executive editor of reviews, steering our coverage to make sure we're testing the products you're interested in buying and telling you whether they're worth it. I've been here for more than 10 years. I previously managed the consumer electronics reviews team, and before that, I covered mobile, smart home, and wearable technology for PCMag and Gigaom. 

My Areas of Expertise

  • I’ve written hundreds of reviews of cell phones, fitness trackers, robot vacuums, smartwatches, and various other products.
  • I’ve also edited thousands of reviews and articles on consumer electronics technologies and products. 

The Technology I Use

I’m writing this bio on my 24-inch blue iMac, which I initially bought for personal use, but quickly decided to use for work instead of my tiny, company-issued ThinkPad (sorry, IT team). The screen is big, bright, and sharp, and the speakers are surprisingly good considering how thin the machine is.

The other big screen in my life is a 65-inch LG C9 OLED TV. If you’re wondering whether OLED is worth the premium over LCD, I’m here to tell you that it is.

I’d be doing my beloved LG C9 a disservice if I didn’t have it hooked up to a capable sound system, so I have a Sonos Beam sitting on a media console underneath the TV, and two Sonos Ones set up as rear channels for surround sound. If you’re a Sonos user, I highly recommend adding the Sonos Sub to your setup. It’s definitely a little more expensive than it should be, but it's truly money well spent.

Of course, as an editor, I also do plenty of reading that isn’t related to work, and I love to sit down with a good, old-fashioned, paper-and-ink book. But when carrying a book isn’t convenient, I break out my first-generation Kindle Paperwhite, which is still working just fine nearly 10 years in.

With 15 years of experience in tech, Alex guides PCMag's product testing to help you decide what's worth buying and how to get the most out of it.

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