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LG Watch Urbane 2: Meet the LTE Android Wear
In the dawn of smartwatches, the convention of tethering the device via bluetooth or Wi-Fi to a smartphone is very familiar concept to many. LG Watch Urbane 2 wants to change all that. It’s the first standalone smartwatch that can run without a smartphone.
Breaking away from the conventional smartwatch setup, the LG Watch Urbane 2 LTE Edition ditches the smartphone for a more mobile smartwatch experience. Unlike most of the competitors in this niche, the Urbane 2 works on a cellular network without the use of a bluetooth or Wi-Fi connected smartphone. Android Wear 2.0 is still to be released later this year but the Urbane 2 is apparently the first one to use the software from Google.
The Urbane 2 is avalaible for the following carriers:
- AT&T
- Without contract: $359.99
- With 2-year contract: $199.99
- Monthly data payment: $10.00
- Verizon
- Without contract: $499.99
- With a 2-year contract: $429.99
- Monthly data payment: $5.00
The benefit of a cellular connection on your watch means that you won’t worry if you forgot your phone at home. Urbane 2 will stay smart and still connected to a network by using your chosen carrier’s signal to enable the smart features whenever you’re not in the Wi-Fi or bluetooth range of your smartphone. This means voice search, notifications, messaging and phone calls can all be done on the watch.
In terms of build quality, the Urbane 2 is thicker, larger and heavier than its circular watch competitors. The Motorola 360 and the Huawei Watch are slimmer next to the LG smartwatch. The sharp display sports a 1.38 inch full round display with a screen resolution of 480×480 pixel. With a 348 PPI pixel density, this is the best display you can get from any smartwatch in the market today.
