Price watch: Moto 360 smartwatch may be cheaper than expected

Moto 360 watch price
Sophisticated without breaking the bank

The Moto 360 watch may be as stylish as it is affordable, according to Motorola's own words that peg the wearable at just US$250 ( AU$271).

This cheaper-than-expected price can be found within the official rules of a Motorola contest that asks anxious Android Wear fans to design a Moto 360 watch face.

One grand prize winner will receive the Moto 360 for free, notes the the legal documents that claim it has an "average retail price" of US$249 (about AU$270).

But really, we're all winners already because this dapper-looking smartwatch won't cost nearly as much as some have estimated.

Moto 360 cheaper than prior estimates

Moto 360 has previously been rumored to cost as much as US$340 (about AU$365), which is a price estimate converted from a French source that cited a €249 (AU$369) price tag.

That's awful steep for a tethered device that can't make phone calls on its own, especially when compared to the similarly fashionable Pebble Steel costs US$229 (about AU$244).

The Moto 360 would naturally cost a little bit more thanks to nifty features like a circular watch face and newly confirmed wireless charging via magnetic induction.

Expect to hear more about the Moto 360 and rival LG G Watch next month, as Motorola's watch face design contest ends and Google IO 2014 begins.

Matt Swider