LG Reveals The World’s ‘Most Luxurious’ Smartwatch

LG is attemtping to bring a bit of style to the smartwatch market with the revealing of what it says is the world’s most luxurious wearable.

The LG Watch Urbane, set to be revealed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next month, will feature an all-metal body, gold and silver finishes and an optional natural leather strap.

Running Android Wear, the device is also able to measure a wearer’s heart rate and average pulse during exercise thanks to an in-built photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor.

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Described by LG as, “the perfect device for wearers looking to add both style and high-tech flare to their everyday live”, the new Watch actually takes a lot from its predecessor, the LG G Watch R, which was launched last October.

The Watch Urbane comes with the same 1.3in full circle P-OLED display as its older brother, but features a narrower bezel that gives it a slimmer face and build.

Powered by a 1.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, the 410mAh battery should offer all day life, helped by an ‘Always-On’ ambient mode, which shows the time on the display at all times in dimmed mode, saving battery life.

“The LG Watch Urbane’s classic design and smart features make it the perfect smartwatch to complement our G Watch and G Watch R, which were designed as more casual and active devices,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG’s mobile unit.

“LG Watch Urbane is an important part of our strategy to develop wearable devices that are worn and viewed as everyday accessories, not electronic gadgets.”

The LG Watch Urbane looks to be one of several new wearables launching at Mobile World Congress, with recent reports suggesting that both HTC and Huawei will be launching devices in Barcelona, with likely updates coming from Samsung as well.

Recent research from analyst firm Juniper Research predicted that the number of smartwatches worldwide is expected to pass 100 million within the next five years, as the range of devices on the market increases dramatically.

Currently, 2.8 million people in the UK own a wearable, according to YouGov figures, with that figure predicted to rise to 6.1 million in a year’s time as the adoption rate rises from 6 percent to 13 percent.

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