LG itself might have been keeping a bit mum on its upcoming smartwatch, but one of its regional offices has practically spilled the beans. Its branch in France was reported to have said that the Android Wear-based LG G Watch will be coming in June to the tune of 199 Euros.
Should this date turn out to be true, it would put LG’s smart timepiece right in time for Google I/O. Considering how Google loves to give freebies during its annual event, this might spark some idea or hope that the G Watch will be the gift that the tech giant will be handing out to attendees. Of course, it’s also possible that the honor will be given to the Moto 360 instead, which would be an interesting choice given its rather unusual smartwatch shape.
The G Watch is shaping up to be quite the poster boy for Google’s newly revealed Android Wear platform. Recent teasers put an energy-efficient always-on display, with changeable straps, and a conventional boxed watch face design. Specs are still unknown but rumors would have us believe that it will have a 1.6-inch screen with either 280×280 or 220×176 resolutions.
Perhaps one thing going against LG’s smartwatch is the price tag. According to LG France, the G Watch will sell for around 199 EUR, which roughly translates to $275. This roughly matches the 180 GBP or $300 retail price reported earlier. However, $300 might be a high price to pay, especially for a relatively new breed of devices. Samsung’s smartwatches do cost as much, and they haven’t been warmly received. If there’s any part of the G Watch rumor that we wish weren’t true, this would be it. That said, if LG does end up with that figure, we hope that the device and features they reveal in June will make it worth the cost.
VIA: SlashGear
European und US pricing often translates 1:1 since prices in Europe include VAT (which is also comparatively high, usually between 15 to 20%). So 200 in France minus 20% VAT are 160 Euros, around 230 USD currently. Given the differences in warranties (Europe 2 year min.) and other costs (localization in Europe for more markets / countries with lower volumes) etc. it could well be that the sticker price in the US translates more to 199 than 275.