You can use many adjectives to describe the Watch Style:- Simple. Basic. Modest. Streamlined.

Or you can just cut to the chase and call it what it is; Cheap. Not inexpensive, mind you, just cheap. While LG has positioned the Style as a smaller, more affordable alternative to the Sport, the two models couldn’t be more different. With the Sport, you’re getting a lot of watch for your money. But the Style cuts way back on the bells and whistles for the sake of fashion. And while it may cost $100 less than its bulky, bulbous big brother. The Style still feels overpriced, despite its fashionable, dinner-party demeanor.

Checking Substance

When you get the first glimpse at the Style nestled in its plastic tray. There’s no denying that it looks like a watch that should cost $250. A slim stainless steel bezel encircles the 1.2-inch display. The leather strap adds sophistication, giving it the look of a classic timepiece.

But the illusion begins to fade once you take it out of the box. At just 46 grams and 10.8mm thick, the Style is substantially lighter and thinner than the Sport. But even with less mass bulk than last generation’s standard bearer Huawei Watch. It doesn’t feel like a substantial piece of jewelry. Flipping it around reveals that it doesn’t have a heart rate sensor. A feature you can find in fitness brands for half the price. In its place is a flimsy plastic backing, which severely devalues the case. Aluminum or a higher-quality polycarbonate would have gone a long way here.

That said, strapping on the Style feels good, especially after spending a few days’ breaks in the stiff leather band. The digital crown sticks out more than we would have liked. The buckle is so thin it feels like it’ll break with too much force. But overall, the Style is comfortable enough to wear every day. Alerts, notifications, and vibrations were dull compared to the Sport. Since Android Wear still needs to offer a way to increase the intensity. You’ll need to stay tuned to your wrist or download a third-party app.

A Mode pin on the back of the band lets you easily swap out compatible straps, though any old 18mm spring bar band will fit. And the watch is plain enough that any color or Style of the band will look good. Although it will pick up dings and scratches on its brushed bezel.

Battery Blues

The Style was built with LG’s friends at Google. But it’s hard to see what the Pixel maker contributed to it. While the Sport is a valid showcase for the phone-free features of Android Wear 2.0. The Style functions mostly like the last generation’s wearables, lacking NFC, Heart monitor, or Google Pay. Be assured that you will always have to keep your phone around.

These decisions may have been made in the interest of battery life. With a 240mAh battery and barely any on-watch functionality. There should be plenty of power to get through a day of notifications, fitness tracking, and light use. But mileage varies considerably. On days when I treated like a passive device, glancing at it when alerts came in or check the time. It quickly made it till nighttime. But once I did something relatively strenuous on the watch. Like start a workout or download a few apps, there was a noticeable loss of juice. On one cumbersome usage day, it shut down after about 8 hours, but generally, it was suitable for around 12.
The watch comes with a magnetic induction charger puck, but you don’t get the cradle that comes with the Sport. That’s not a huge loss since it’s flimsy, but you’ll need to ensure the watch affixes to it properly. We haphazardly connected to charge it once and found the watch hadn’t charged.

Coming Up Short

The entire reason for the Style’s existence is Android Wear 2.0. It was unveiled when Android’s formally launched the new OS. More than a month later, the Sport and Style are still the only watches running it.
That’s a plastic back on the Style, which means no heart-rate sensor. And it’s also missing NFC.
But Android Wear 2.0’s premier feature isn’t even represented here. Without an NFC chip, the Style can’t take advantage of the new Android Pay functionality. With or without a phone nearby. Payments are a long-awaited feature on Android Wear watches. Apple and Samsung have had them for a long time. So to not have it on one of the two flagships Android Wear 2.0 watches is downright bizarre.

Equally odd are its fitness capabilities. With the new Fit app, your watch can do much more to track your exercises. Android Wear, like counting reps, monitoring stair climbing, calculating distances traveled on foot or by bike, etc. But the most remarkable feature of the Fit app, Strength Training, isn’t available on the Style. While the watch will keep track of your sit-ups, push-ups, and squats. It only does so if you tell it what kind of exercise you’re doing. 

Strength Training in the Sport automatically recognizes what exercise you’re doing. It tracks, making it an indispensable tool for gym rats. But the Style has the necessary sensors, like the speed and the gyroscope. Presumably, it’s another battery-fueled decision, but it’s just one way that the Style is limited. And swimmers should note that it’s also not as water resistant as the Sport (I7 vs. I8), so you should probably keep it out of the pool.

Sharing Out Its Welcome

Android Wear 2.0 is a definite improvement over its predecessor, but it’s far from perfect. While things like messaging and fitness have certainly improved. All throughout the interface are little annoyances that aren’t specific to the Style. But highlight Android Wear’s immaturity. Android Wear 2.0 app launcher aligns apps in a circular pattern, but the setting options are straight. Why?

Navigation has dramatically improved. Much of it is due to the new crown that aids in scrolling. While it certainly owes a debt of gratitude to Apple here. The implementation isn’t quite as good as it is on the watch OS. With just one button on the Style. I assumed pressing edit would bring me back to a screen until I reached the watch face. That was wrong, and while pressing edit on the watch screen brings up the app selector. Pushing it anywhere else returns you to the watch face. I lost track of how many times I instinctively pressed edit to go back to a screen. Only to have to start whatever process I was doing all over.
And when you’re on the watch face, the dial is also confusing. If you swipe the dial-up, you’ll bring up the notification panel. Swiping downward doesn’t lower the quick settings menu. It would be best if you still swiped down. The app selector screen is formatted to hug the contours of the face when scrolling. The different settings screens put their options straight down the middle. But it doesn’t affect the experience all that much. Still, it creates a sense that LG hasn’t paid attention to enough details to make using Android Wear 2.0. A pleasurable as it should be.

Should You Buy It?

Android Wear 2.0 has launched upgrades to other watches that still need to be made available. Still, its two main cheerleaders need to do more to pump up the crowd. On the one hand, the Sport does everything, but it’s a behemoth of a watch. The far-more-svelte Style is crippled in functionality, so a user probably be better off getting a Huawei Watch on clearance.
Be aware of its good looks. The Watch Style is not worth the price of admission.
The message sent with the Style watch is that it’s a fashion-first accessory. And only used for the most basic smartwatch needs. But at $250, the Style isn’t exactly an impulse buy. You should at least expect NFC and GPS for that kind of money.
The Style could get away with its price if it was supremely luxurious. It feels cheap to be taken seriously. It would be a no-brainer if it came in at about $100 less. But there aren’t many gadgets you couldn’t say that about. Mostly, the Style is a forgettable product that misses that mark. And doesn’t do anything to move the needle on Android Wear.
And maybe you need more time to find a watch that will.