Why trust GreenbotUpdate, 2/10/17: The two watches are now available for purchase. This article has been updated with links to the stores where they are sold.
At long last, the first Android ar 2.0 watches have arrived. Rumored for months subjected to endless leaks, they are indeed a collaboration between , but if you’re looking for a “xel watch” or even a “Made by ” seal of approval, you might be disappointed.
The new watches, which will be available for purchase tomorrow, are watches through through. The box may say they were “designed with our friends at ,” but you won’t find the “G” logo anywhere on it. And if you’ve been keeping up with the rumor mill, there won’t be many surprises.
tch this space: The new Android ar watches may technically be a collaboration, but we’re still waiting for a true Made by or xel watch. These aren’t even really Nexus watches, since the OS is the same across all Android ar devices, but they should set the tone for future Android wearables. Circular faces are certainly here to stay, but it’s also likely we’ll start seeing crowns, dedicated app buttons, NFC sensors in future watches as takes another big swing at bringing Android ar mainstream. There’s a lot of ground to cover to catch up with Apple, but this launch should serve as kind of a reboot for ’s wearable platform, injecting a bit of excitement turning an eye toward the future.
Big bold
There are two sizes to choose from, Sport Style, with the latter geared toward slighter wrists. The larger model features a 1.38-inch OD screen with a 480 x 480 resolution 348 ppi, while the smaller variant sports a 360 x 360 1.2-inch OD with 299 ppi. Both watches feature a 1.1GHz Snapdragon ar 2100 chip 4GB of storage.
/ The Sport model of the – watch packs a ton of sensors chips, but it is extremely thick.
They also both include built-in -Fi Bluetooth, as well as an accelerometer gyroscope for fitness tracking, but the Sport model packs a ton of extra functionality into its rather thick body, including G, E, NFC, a heart rate sensor. That means the smaller Style model won’t be able to do much of anything without having a phone nearby, even when tethered it still won’t be able to take advantage of Android y, one of the marquee features of Android ar 2.0.
Besides the extra sensors chips, adding to the Sport’s 14.2mm thickness is a 430mAh battery, versus 240mAh on the Style model. The Sport also includes more RAM (768 vs. 512), I8 water dust resistance, besting the Style’s I7 rating.
Sense of style
The two watches are available in a variety of colors, with the Sport coming in titanium dark blue finishes, the svelte Style dressed in softer silver, titanium, rose gold hues. Additionally, the Sport model includes a “high performance elastomer strap,” while the fashion-geared Style is paired with “snap–swap 18mm leather silicone bs so you can quickly switch bs to match your look or the occasion.
/ The straps on the Style watch can be swapped out to change the look.
Additionally, both watches will include a rotating power button, akin to Apple tch’s Digital Crown, for scrolling, accessing apps, summoning Assistant. Furthermore, the Sport watch includes two hardware buttons dedicated to launching Android y Fit.
Both watches will be available Feb. 10 in the online Store (the only way to purchase the dark blue Sport variant), the $250 Style (the Rose costs $30 extra) will also be sold at Best Buy. The E-enabled Sport model will cost $350 be available at Verizon AT&T stores as well, says the watches will be coming to Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE, U.K.in the coming weeks.
It takes 2.0
As previously announced, Android ar 2.0 is a major revamp of ’s wearables OS, with interface navigation tweaks throughout, a hful of new features. The two watches are the first devices to run Android ar 2.0, but it will be coming to a slew of existing models, including the AS Zentch 2 & 3, Huawei tch, tch R Urbane, Moto 360 2nd Gen Sport, many others.
/ The extra buttons on the Sport watch will launch the Fit Android y apps.
Among the improvements to the platform are better watch face personalization with third-party app integration new fitness tracking for pace, distance, calories burned, reps. There’s also a new on-watch ay Store for installing apps without needing to pick up your phone (or install a phone app), as well as tighter integration with messaging apps. Now, you will be able to exp notifications as they arrive, “tap to respond by dictating, typing or hwriting your answer, or drawing an emoji.”
The new update also brings Assistant to the wrist for the first time. ke the xel phones, it will initially only be available in English German on Android ar, but promises an expansion to other languages in the coming months. And the button functionality won’t be limited to the phones. As explains, Assistant can be summoned by saying “OK ,” or by holding down the power button on your watch, so presumably it will be a requirement for watch makers.
y to play
so coming with the new update is support for Android y. l watches fitted with NFC chips will be able to pay at checkout counters by holding their watches next to a credit card terminal. has already updated its ay Store listing with the relevant info, but currently the only watch to support mobile Android y is the Sport. However, new supported watches should begin hitting shelves soon enough.
/ The Style watch doesn’t include an NFC chip for mobile payments.
Right on cue, VentureBeat has posted a photo of the upcoming ZTE Quartz, which has just received its Bluetooth certification. Based on the pictures, there’s just a single power button on the watch, so it’s unclear whether other phone makers will build dedicated buttons to access Android y like has done. But NFC Android y is sure to be a stard feature of all new models being released.
