LG Watch Urbane LTE hands-on

If the LG Watch Urbane wasn't enough for you to think about, then you'll be glad to know that LG also announced a second smartwatch, but rather than being powered by the Android Wear platform, it's actually based on webOS. Who knows why the decision was made to name this smartwatch as the LG Watch Urbane LTE, especially when its sibling is running Android Wear. There might be a little confusion, but as its name implies, it features LTE connectivity – making it an independently working smartwatch.

Visually, this one is totally designed differently, as it exudes a more ruggedized construction, which becomes apparent when wearing it. For starters, the metal casing itself is undeniably sturdy – further accentuated by the substantial rubbery strap that's fastened more securely onto our wrist. Along the right size of the LG Watch Urbane LTE, there are three buttons that turn on/off the watch face, launches the connectivity options, and a final one that acts as the back button.

Rather than having the sophisticated look similar to its sibling, the LG Watch Urbane LTE feels like something that an outdoor enthusiasts would wear – so if you're into hiking, running, and being in the great outdoors, this is surely being marketed to you. Unfortunately, though, it uses a fixed strap, so there's no replacing it.

As for the software powering it, like we said, it's "based" on webOS. Being an independently working smartwatch, one that doesn't necessarily require a smartphone to function, it means that users can send text messages, emails, and even make phone calls through the smartwatch. From the looks of it, the LG Watch Urbane LTE is preloaded with an abundant set of health and fitness apps, but the biggest concern at the moment is going to be how quickly and frequently we'll see other apps developed for it.

Interacting with the interface is done through the 1.3-inch 320 x 320 POLED display, which is exactly the same one in the Android Wear powered one – while the buttons on its side are used to navigate as well. As for the internal components, it features a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, 700 mAh battery, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS, accelerometer, barometer, and a heart rate sensor. LG claims that it'll deliver roughly a day's worth of battery, but it'll be interesting to see how it really performs – more so when there’s an LTE connection with this.

Based on what it features, it’s really tough to imagine the LG Watch Urbane LTE sporting an easy price point, especially considering that it boasts several phone functions. We can still dream about something marginally affordable, right? Well, LG is keeping a tight lip regarding its pricing and availability at the moment, but hopefully we’ll hear more in the coming months.

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