Everything You Need To Know About Google's New Smartwatches

Whaddya know! Google still makes smartwatches. After nearly three years of incremental software updates to a small fleet of wearable devices, Android Wear 2.0 is finally available on two new watches — the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport — designed specifically for the refined software. Existing supported watches, like the Moto 360 2 and Asus ZenWatch 2, will be able to download 2.0 in the coming weeks.

You might be wondering: Why is Google continuing to invest resources in wearables, a D-list gadget category that it isn’t doing so hot right now? Operations at Kickstarter darling Pebble shut down in December 2016 and the company folded into Fitbit, which recently cut between 5% and 10% of its workforce after disappointing holiday sales. Intel-owned Basis had to recall its devices when they began overheating and melting their own chargers. Jawbone is reportedly winding down its fitness-focused wearables business. Even the number of smartwatches sold by the industry’s two leading manufacturers, Samsung (with 800,000 watches) and Apple (with 5.2 million), pale in comparison with those companies’ smartphone sales (77.5 and 78.3 million, respectively, in the last quarter of 2016 alone). Furthermore, compared to Samsung and Apple, Google has struggled to gain traction in the smartwatch category.

Well, Google, it seems, wants its core suite of software services available in as many form factors as possible, from smart speakers to routers. There are many ways one can "google" something and, if smartwatches are your thing, the wrist is another place where you can do just that. Google's hardware is merely a vessel for its software — and Android Wear is no different.

The new Android watches designed in partnership with LG were clearly made to prioritize Google’s software, and don’t have some of the more premium hardware features that its competitors do, like the Samsung Gear S3’s multi-day battery life or the Apple Watch Series 2’s swimproof-ness. The new update most notably includes access to Google Assistant, the “smart” voice-activated personal assistant that can send messages, set reminders, or make restaurant reservations. It’s also compatible with Android Pay, a mobile tap-and-go payment platform.

In my week of testing the first Android watches slated to ship with 2.0, I found that while the new update will most likely satisfy longtime Android Wear loyalists, if you’re not sold on smartwatches, the LG Watch Sport and Style aren’t going to be the ones that convince you otherwise. Here are some of my first impressions:

This is the size of the LG Watch Sport on my wrist. It is Not Good. The watch is 14.2 mm thick, which may not sound like a lot but it is, especially when you’re trying to jam it through a fitted sweater.

The Sport version of the watch has cellular LTE data, built-in GPS, NFC for mobile payments, a heart rate sensor, and a battery to support all of those energy-draining technologies crammed underneath its 1.38-inch diameter display. It’s water-resistant in up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, which is good for running in the rain but wouldn’t survive a swim. The device feels heavy too, like a metal paperweight strapped to your wrist, though those with thicker, stronger forearms might disagree. Those 89.4 grams start to feel like a burden after all-day wear.

The slimmer, more lightweight Style is more my speed, but it doesn’t have any of the features I mentioned above. It’s essentially a step counter with a display for apps, notifications, and Google Assistant.

A new feature in 2.0 is being able to download apps right from the Google Play app store on the watch. But searching for and installing apps while squinting and hunching over an itty-bitty screen, even with its surprisingly phenomenal typing experience, is a huge pain. You can’t change the order of the way apps appear on the app list or tell the Play Store to download the corresponding watch app from your phone — which, let’s be honest, is a superior mobile device in every way.

To adjust the watch’s settings, the phone app is basically useless. Say you want to adjust the display brightness or font size. The only way to increase or decrease both of those things is to do it on your watch. The Android Wear app doesn’t give you the option to do any customization on the phone.

The Fit Workout watch app has three new settings: a push-up, sit-up, and squat challenge. The watch takes you through a guided “proper form” tutorial and counts your reps, which is handy. The challenge is to increase your number of reps every day.

It’s a nice touch, but other third-party Android Wear apps, like StrongLifts and Seven Minute Workout, offer much more robust fitness guidance. StrongLifts creates a weightlifting circuit and tells you how much weight you should start with based on your skill level, height, and weight. Seven Minute Workout creates a full-body workout and guides you through the different exercises as you complete them.

This device really does not want you to shut it down. And there are many times when shutting it down would be useful, like saving battery or forcing yourself not to look at a screen during dinner. You’d think that the one big button on this watch can also turn it off. Press and hold it for a short time, and you activate Google Assistant. Press and hold it for a long time, and you restart the watch.

I tried telling Google Assistant “power down” and — I kid you not — the result I got was an article on “How to Turn Off an iPhone.”

REAL SUBTLE, GOOGS.

They’re not the best. They’re not the worst. They fall somewhere in between.

The watches are just fine at putting notifications on your wrist, which is why you'd buy a smartwatch in the first place. They work best with Android, and if you switch to iPhone, you'll be able to use a limited version of the devices (you wouldn't be able to respond to iMessages and the Bluetooth connection might feel slower). Android Wear is a decent smartwatch OS for people who have an Android phone and rely heavily on Google apps like Gmail and Calendar.

But the new LG watches don't feel like the premium luxury devices one can expect of Apple or Samsung, and there are some key things missing from the Android Wear mobile app, like being able to install the watch version of apps and optimize settings. Having cellular data so that the device can run independent of the phone sounds like the ideal smartwatch, but right now, because that data also drains battery like crazy, it also means having to lug around a heavy metal paperweight on your wrist. That won't work for most people.

Luckily, Android Wear 2.0 is rolling out to a number of smartwatches of various build qualities and prices: the Asus ZenWatch 2 & 3, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch, Casio Pro Trek Smart, Fossil Q Founder, Fossil Q Marshal, Fossil Q Wander, Huawei Watch, LG Watch R, LG Watch Urbane and 2nd Edition LTE, Michael Kors Access Smartwatches, Moto 360 2nd Gen, Moto 360 for Women, Moto 360 Sport, New Balance RunIQ, Nixon Mission, Polar M600, and TAG Heuer Connected.

On Feb. 10, the LG Watch Sport will be available for $349 at the Google Store, AT&T, and Verizon, and the LG Watch Style will cost $249 at the Google Store and Best Buy.