LG Watch Urbane 2, The First 4G Android Wear Smartwatch

A smartwatch with a SIM card and the ability to make and take phone calls with being tethered to a smartphone is something that’s been around for a while, the best one I’ve used so far is the Samsung Gear S which was released in November 2014.

However, an Android Wear smartwatch with its own SIM card still hasn’t come along, until now.. A standalone Android Wear smartwatch is good news, but as it’s coming in the form of an LG Watch Urbane 2nd edition the news is even better!

The LG Watch Urbane 2 packs a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 4GB which is standard for Android Wear smartwatches, but instead of the normal 512MB RAM, the new Urbane has 768MB. It has also increased the battery size from 410mAh to 570mAh.

Along with the upgrades to the RAM and battery the new Urbane has 2G, 3G and 4G LTE connectivity and an onboard GPS. However, the network radios and GPS are built into the strap making the Urbane 2 an all-in-one unit, i.e, no swapping straps.

The only Android Wear smartwatch so far with an onboard GPS is the Sony Smartwatch 3, although that’s soon to be joined by the Moto 360 2 Sport.

The design of the Urbane 2 is similar to the original which arrived back in May. The new edition has more of a Sports look, it has three buttons rather than one, and it’s quite a bit thicker.

The Urbane 2 has a 1.3″ P-OLED display that goes full circle, unlike the Moto 360 2 which is still hampered by the Flat Tire at the bottom. It has a resolution of 480×480 (348 ppi) which makes it the highest resolution smartwatch so far surpassing the 400×400 display of the Huawei Watch.

The Urbane 2 features a built-in heart rate monitor and one of the side buttons gives you quick access to LG’s Health app, along with GPS capabilities and the Android Wear ecosystem this could be the smartwatch of choice for training enthusiasts.

The recent Android Wear for iOS app by Google means that you can use the Urbane 2 and other Android Wear smartwatches with the iPhone, although the features are limited compared to an Android smartphone. The new app also brought tetherless wi-fi capability so you can connect to a network without your smartphone.

The Urbane 2 has a battery life of 1.5 – 2 days depending on usage, which is no improvement over the original despite more mAh. It has water-resistant rating of IP67 so it should be able to handle a shower, although I think I’d find the energy to take mine off beforehand.

The release date hasn’t yet been confirmed, although the uttering through the grapevine suggests it could be as early as November. So far the price is also remains unrevealed.

With its own SIM, tetherless wi-fi and GPS the LG Watch Urbane 2 will almost certainly become the number 1 most wanted Andorid Wear smartwatch upon its release.