Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
LG, Samsung unpack new smartwatches
LG Electronics released Thursday the G Watch R, its second-generation smartwatch, with a classic circular design. The G Watch R will make its debut at the IFA consumer electronics conference in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 5. / Courtesy of LG Electronics
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Samsung Electronics unveiled the Gear S, its sixth smartwatch, with a curved Super AMOLED display, Thursday. The Gear S has Tizen OS, which does not pair with other Android OS smartphones. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
LG Electronics unveiled Thursday its second-generation smartwatch, the G Watch R (The R), with a classic circular design.
The G Watch R will make its debut at the IFA consumer electronics conference in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 5.
“The G Watch R is more focused on design, with a classic circular display. We hope LG can take a leading role in the wearable market with the innovative premium design,” said Park Jong-seok, president of the mobile communications division at LG Electronics.
The watch faces fierce competition with other smartwatches, as Samsung Electronics also unveiled the Gear S on the same day. Motorola’s circular designed smartwatch, the Moto 360, will reportedly make its debut on Sept. 4. Apple is expected to unveil its iWatch on Sept. 9.
LG’s G Watch R has an Android Wear operating system, and comes with a 1.3-inch Plastic OLED (P-OLED) full 360-degree display. LG said the watch is the first wearable to which the P-OLED is applied. P-OLED is more suitable for thin display than other materials.
The R also comes with an improved battery compared to its former square one. It has a 410mAh battery which lasts about a day and a half on a single charge in “always-on” mode.
On top of its impressive circular display, the R may attract consumers who place great importance on the latest fashion and trends. Unlike other existing smartwatches, the R comes with a 22 mm interchangeable leather strap.
Gear S
Samsung also introduced its sixth wrist-worn device, the Gear S. It has a curved display just like Gear Fit, but the Gear S is more like full-fledged smartwatch, while the Gear Fit is focused on fitness tracker features with a few smartwatch functions.
The Gear S runs Tizen OS, so it doesn’t pair with other Android OS smartphones. Currently, only the Gear Live runs on Android OS.
It has a curved square display with 360x480 resolution, and 3G connectivity.
Both Samsung and LG didn’t disclose prices.
LG plans to sell the R early in the fourth quarter of this year and the price may be higher than the previous model’s 269,000 won price tag.