By 
Earlier today we heard that the LG G Watch will be given away at Google I/O as a reference device. That’s just the most recent of a long list of things we’ve heard about this upcoming smartwatch. One thing that has evaded us is the actual specs of the device. Thankfully today we finally have some information on what makes up this wearable.
The G Watch has a 1.65-inch TFT LCD display, 4GB of storage, and weighs 61 grams. Sensors include ambient light, touchscreen, pedometer, and accelerometer. The big question many people have with these devices is how good the battery life will be. The G Watch boasts 36 hours of standby time with a 400mAh battery. Will that be enough to make most people happy? We will soon find out.
We imagine most of the first few Android Wear devices will boast similar specs. The G Watch and Moto 360 will be shown off at Google I/O, and there is a very real possibility of seeing more. Do these specs meet your approval? Are you interested in the G Watch or some other smartwatch?
[via @upleaks]
Thanks Mark!
That’s pretty bad, if true, about the battery. The only thing that makes the issues I have with my Pebble tolerable is that I only have to charge it once a week.
This does concern me a little, because LG is usually one of the better OEMs when it comes to the battery life of their devices. I’m not expecting a smartwatch with the functionality these will have to last a week, but I was expecting a little more standby time.
LG doesn’t innovate in terms of battery technology. Motorola does that. LG makes giant phones with giant batteries that keep said phones charged. This is a tiny wristwatch.
Disagree. It was reported last year that LG was developing a “stepped” battery technology, among other approaches. Perhaps it simply isn’t ready for primetime.
Motorola is already using that technology, which was my point. LG, thus far uses giant batteries in giant phones.
Ok, but my original point was that 36-hours of “standby” time seems inadequate, even for a tiny wristwatch.
No, your original point was “LG is usually one of the better OEMs when it comes to the battery life of their devices.” I just stated that they’ve achieved that thus far by using big batteries. They’ve had no precedent proving such proficiency with tiny batteries.
I’d prefer to take no issues and charging every day, over “issues” and charging once a week.
That’s assuming the device launches with no “issues” – lol
“Issues,” are completely relative. I currently have a Moto X, which I have no issues with. I also have a Nexus 7, which I have no issues with. I own, MANY items…televisions, headphones, dvrs, electronics, etc… of which I have “no issues” with. If I were to get the LG G Watch, and did have multiple issues with it, I’d want to get rid of it, and I certainly wouldn’t keep it, withstanding those issues if the battery life was longer.
That doesn’t make any sense. For something that costs around $200, we can demand both.
It makes perfect sense. I’m saying, charging every day is not a problem for me, so I would never “settle” with a device like the Pebble if I had multiple “issues” with it, just because I only have to charge it every week. One can make demands all they want, all day long, but it doesn’t mean they’ll get it. $200 or less is not an exorbitant amount to expect some magical battery mojo in a tiny plastic smartwatch. It’s not like LG is charging $500.
Hopefully the battery is better. But really how long do we need a watch battery to last?? Especially if we will be interacting on it like we do our smartphones!!
If you think about it this way:
Self Propelled analog watches lasted infinitely long as long as you moved your arm few times a day. Electronic watches last about 6months on a single charge….
you do the maths
I don’t personally wear my watch while I sleep, so plugging it in at night isn’t the end of the world, but wireless charging would certainly make things easier.
This is a device where I can see wireless charging being ideal. I don’t want that for my phone simply because I often use it while it’s being charged so wireless just isn’t practical. Being able to take a watch off and just set it on a charging pad sounds very convenient though.
With a 36 hour standby time, you’d better hope for microUSB charge ports, as you are extremely likely to get caught with no juice when away from your wireless charger. Granny or your co-worker probably won’t have a wireless charge pad.
Given those pins on the bottom of the G Watch, I bet it’ll charge in a cradle or have something snap on to it like the Gear 2.
36 hours on ‘standby’ means you’ll probably get less than a day if you use the device heavily (speech recognition, read a lot of texts on it, etc). It’s bad enough having ‘charge anxiety’ with a phone, never mind adding another device to the list of things you have to think about.
We should “probably” wait until confirmed specs are announced, and the device is actually released, and people use it in the real world, before we talk about what daily battery life will “probably” be.
If someone reports a leak, people will comment on it.
Past experience shows that manufacturer battery life claims are usually optimistic.
Except the manufacturer has not made any battery claims, which was my original point.
Yeah, but we are talking about a leak of manufacturer claims. It’s ok, you can come back and tell us how great a 36 hour standby is when they are confirmed.
And we all know that “leaks,” are ALWAYS accurate.
One week before the product is unveiled (at Google I/O in this case), they usually are ;)
“Unveiled at Google i/o” ALSO a leak. :)
I want the Moto 360 and have the Galaxy Gear 2. The Gear 2’s battery, I can easily go 48hours on stand-by. Actually have gone 48hours on basic usage, always linked to BT… Not sure if it’s LG or Android Wear but I hope for the 360 that it’s LG.
That’s pretty bad for battery life. I’ll have to charge it every 1-2 days? Not cool.
How can people be commenting and making judgements on the battery when it hasn’t even been tested in the real world environment yet?
I charge my gear 2 every other day usually. But I can easily go 3
I charge my pebble every week or so
I charge my stomach every few hours or so..
Yeah, same here – I get through a working week on one charge and charge it at weekends. Battery life is critical to a smartwatch, nobody will tolerate having to charge mid day, which is what a 36 hour ‘standby’ time suggests will happen. All phone makers should be aiming for three days of average use between charges, so a watch that will need nightly charging is laughable.
Ya but your pebble has a lot less to it then these sites art watches. That display takes very little power.
I charge my Neo every 3 days, every 5 days when I hardly use it.
Definitely getting the Moto 360. Possibly interested in the LG G Watch. Daily charging while not preferred, is certainly not a problem to me. As long as it lasts from waking to sleeping.
36 hours on _standby_ – so that’s a day and a half if you don’t use it at all.
Yes. I know.
Bah!! Smartwatches are just one more thing I need to add to my surge protector. I’m running out of space. =.P
That Moto 360 need to come out already so I can purchase it.
I’m not going to lie, I am a bit saddened at 36 hours of standby.
The screen is always on, right? Makes sense to me. These people will be annoying in movie theaters!
If the price is right daddy have might have to pick one up!
This looks like the watch for me. I will hold out and see if the Sammy made Android Wear watch has a square face. Square just seems to make more sense for text and pics. The Moto 360 is nice looking, but I’m not feeling the round face with those bezels. As far as battery life, if the watch last all day long is it really that hard to charge while you sleep? Or do people not sleep anymore? If a phone, smartwatch, or tablet can last from the time I get up till the time I call it a night that’s fine by me. I’ve never understood the need for a device to last days on a single charge.
Two main reasons:
1) Sometimes you forget to plug your device in for a night. It should survive the next day. Be forgiving of user error.
2) If it can last only one normal day for me, it won’t last a heavy day. I normally have light usage, but if I’m at a conference or walking around some foreign city (which I do quite often) I can kill my battery just with obsessive Twitter and GPS usage. That’s par for the course for such environments for me. So three “normal” days equals one “walking around Prague and keeping track of where the rest of my conference buddies are” day (to use an actual example for me from last year).
I agree about forgetting to charge. On occasion I have also plugged my phone in only to wake up to dead battery because the plug came out of the wall outlet. I should have been more specific when I said “all day.” I’m a power user so if it last all day through my usage I’m satisfied.
I’m probably in the minority here, but I would prefer to charge it every night than once every 2 or 3 nights. If I have to charge it every night, I get into the habit and will just charge it along with my phone. If it’s once every 2 or 3 days, I’ll probably forget and wake up to a dead watch.
If it lasts 3 days on a charge, there is nothing stopping you charging it every night. In fact, it’s usually better for LiPo batteries if you keep them topped up.
Wow.
When the Gear 2 posted usage time of 2-3 days which I get easily, Forums posters went crazy slamming it praising the G Watch and 360 even before anything was announced.
Now “I don’t mind charging my watch every night”
But no, with the Original Galaxy Gear that just wouldn’t do.
Hate all you want, just be consistent.
if features and function is better, then charging it every night serves its purpose
36 hours of standby? Dead in the water
DOA
Yeah a watch I have to charge, my current watch needs a battery every 5 years or so, so this new type watch is a huge step forward now isn’t it?
Hoping that HTC and Google also have smartwatch presentations. Those are the 2 im most looking forward to.