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When LG announced a new smartwatch running Google's Wear OS, the LG Watch W7, we were thrilled. It has been approximately 20 months since the LG Watch Sport's release, which debuted alongside what was called Android Wear 2.0 at the time, and it was packed with all the bells and whistles. Our excitement quickly waned after we learned more about the new watch; it's quite the opposite of the Watch Sport. The Watch W7 is light on features, but it carries a high $ 450 price tag. LG deserves some praise for thinking outside the box, but while it looks stylish and has a unique mix of analog and digital, this hybrid smartwatch may be one of many will want to skip.
Mix of analog and digital
The spotlight feature of the Watch W7 is that it has mechanical watch hands powered by a quartz movement. It's why LG is calling the Watch W7 has "hybrid smartwatch." The silver mechanical watch hands sit above the wear OS watch face, but the watch is still a touchscreen you can interact with. It's a neat implementation of bridging the analog and digital watch world. LG said it worked with a Swiss watch company, Soprod SA, to get this quartz movement right in the watch.
You might be thinking, "Will not the watch hands block the content on the digital screen?" You're right. Aim LG thought ahead: The top button on the right side of the watch. The goal is to get the job done. This is a smart way to get around the problem, but it's just going to be easy to get rid of – just take away the simplicity of just glancing at your watch.
The watch faces are unique to this watch, because of the fact that they are wearing the W7. The ones we saw were a hands-on briefing looked good, but there was only one in the demo unit we used (there may be more hidden away). We'll have to confirm this in the full review, but it's likely to come to the fore with the digital watch hands.
The W7 is not a watch for people with skinny wrists (unless you like big watches).
The 1.2-inch screen is big enough for viewing notifications, and it looks colorful and sharp, thanks to the 360 x 360 resolution. It's an LCD screen, so you're not going to get it with OLED watches, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Fossil Q Venture HR. Do not expect sapphire crystal protecting the watch face, which is disappointing considering the price.
The Watch W7 looks more like an analog watch than a smart variant, especially when compared to LG's last year's Sport Watch. The black stainless steel case is wrapped by silver lugs that extend out quite a bit. It looks very sporty and masculine, with hour marks around the bezel, and another bezel with minute tick marks around the screen. The watch is quite lightweight and feels comfortable on the wrist.
Unfortunately there's only one size option: A 44.5mm case. That's positively big, and this is not a watch for people with skinny wrists (unless you like big watches). We would have liked to see a smaller size option as an alternative, and perhaps another color for variety.
The watch uses 22mm straps, and they're interchangeable. The default one that's included is silicone and it's thick, but it feels high quality.
Light on features
The Watch W7 runs Google's Wear OS, but it's the new and improved version of the operating system. The update just started rolling out to other Wear OS watches, and it dramatically improves the usability and simplicity of the interface. Google Fit health-tracking app; traffic delays, and more. You'll be able to interact with notifications right from the watch too.
But the W7 is powered by Qualcomm's 2100 processor with 768MB of RAM (and 4GB internal storage). This is a two-year-old processor, and while performance is in full swing, Qualcomm just announced the Wear 3100 processor that will deliver much better battery life, better performance, and stronger fitness-tracking features. It's a shame we're not getting any of that with the W7.
There are two other buttons on the right edge of the watch. The middle crown can be used to open the app drawer, but you can also rotate it to scroll through the interface. The bottom button LG's launches "Master Tools," which accesses the altimeter, barometer, stopwatch, timer, and compass directions. What's neat is the mechanical watch hands when you try to use these features. For example, launch the compass and the mechanical hands will move to wherever points north.
While we do like the mechanical watch hands, we do not think the design and basic fitness-tracking is worth the high price.
The only other software change from LG is to elongate the W7's battery life. LG claims a standard battery life of up to two days, which we're skeptical of, given the small 240mAh battery capacity. Aim LG said an "analog mode" lets the watch stay alive for a few days, and then there is a separate "mechanical watch-only mode" that turns off Wear OS and keeps the watch ticking for 100 days. That's impressive if it all works, but we did not get to see it in action yet.
So, what does not the watch have? There's no heart rate monitor or built-in GPS, so you're getting very basic fitness-tracking. There is no NFC for contactless payments with Google Pay. As nice as the mechanical watch hands are, it's a little ridiculous you're not getting these standard features considering the price.
Price and availability
The LG Watch W7 costs $ 450, and pre-orders start October 7 through Best Buy. Official retail sales kick off October 14.
LG is propping the W7 as a watch, but while we like the mechanical watch hands, we do not think the design is worth the high price. That's subjective, though, as a watch design heavily revolves around personal preference. If you're completely enamored by the W7's design and are fine with the limited functions, then you should shortlist this watch. But it's a shame the watch is so big with no other size options, because that eliminates a group of people that do not want big watches.
We'll be spending more time than usual, whether the limited features impact its usability, and if there is anything we discover to justify the price.
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