LG Watch Urbane Available, G Watch Off Google Store


The newest Android Wear device, the LG-made Watch Urbane, is available to order from the Google Store starting today, April 28, for a price of $349. This follows up on a leaked document from a few days ago that the smartwatch would appear at Verizon stores for that very price on that very day.

Interestingly, the arrival of the Watch Urbane has resulted in some changes to other products on the Google Store. For starters, the original G Watch, the blocky smartwatch that was one of the first devices to run Android Wear, has been removed from the site completely. Meanwhile, the G Watch R, LG’s round-faced follow-up, has received a $50 price cut to make it $249. And the Moto 360, Motorola’s buzzworthy Android Wear device, has also had its price cut to $179, a $70 price cut.

That means a few things, namely that Google is clearing out its inferior products to make room for flashier, more capable hardware offerings. The G Watch barely registered as a blip on most fans’ radars, mainly because it felt more like a prototype than an actual product meant to be worn on people’s wrists. The Moto 360, meanwhile, didn’t earn the greatest reviews, especially when compared with the hype that surrounded its initial release.

Rumors have swirled lately that a follow-up to the Moto 360 was being tested. With Google I/O right around the corner this summer, it seems pretty likely that Google wants to make sure it only has the most exciting, flashiest Android Wear devices available to better compete with the Apple Watch. The Watch Urbane is definitely looking like a contender in that department, especially since it’ll run the latest, updated version of Android Wear right out of the box.

If you were waiting for Android Wear to get a little better before taking the plunge, your wait might be over very soon, indeed.