LG Watch Urbane review

The LG Watch Urbane is a beautiful timepiece but it's twin, the LG G Watch R is pretty much identical. Knowing this, it's tough to outright recommend the Urbane for anyone other than the fashion obsessed.

We liked

The battery life of the Urbane isn't ideal, but it's far better than most other Android Wear smartwatches. The design of the wearable is also a head turner, with its classic circular face and simple timepiece feel.

The on-board Android 5.1.1 software felt like a huge perk at first thanks to its improved interface and new features, but it's since rolled out to the rest of the Android Wear community.

We disliked

That same elegant design is also a bit irritating on another level - it's far too large. Sure, there are plenty of massive analogue watch faces that we're all used to seeing.

But, if a smartwatch is going to be marketed to both men and women, it would be wise to offer multiple size options, or at least something closer to a middle ground. The Urbane is also the most expensive Android Wear watch to date, but it doesn't exactly stand out from the G Watch R apart from its fancier looks.

Final verdict

The LG Watch Urbane is the watch you should get if you want a premium looking LG G Watch R. You'll basically be breaking out $349 (£259, AU$459) for a smartwatch you could have for $100 less.

Again, there's no doubt that the Urbane is a lovely-looking wearable, but with Lollipop 5.1.1 on all other Android smartwatches, there's not much incentive to pay such a hefty chunk of cash.

That said, if you're looking for a polished equivalent to the Apple Watch, the Urbane isn't a bad Android Wear smartwatch. However, you might be better off waiting for the next LG wearable.

Having made it this far, LG's next could hit the sweet spot with an appealing design, affordable price point and perhaps a killer feature to really stand it out from the wearable crowd.