Motorola’s original Moto 360 was the poster child for Android Wear, a circular smartwatch that aimed to mimic an actual wristwatch, rather than take the ‘easy’ route and stick to a square display. The execution didn’t quite match the concept however, with battery life, an overly large design and some questionable choices regarding customisation holding back what was otherwise the best looking wearable around. Motorola addressed almost all of these problems last night when it revealed the 2nd generation Moto 360, and now that the IFA show has opened its doors we can finally bring you some first impressions.
Most importantly, the Moto 360 is no longer a one-size-fits-all watch. There are now two separate screen sizes and three different models; a Men’s version, Women’s version and Sport version. This article concentrates on the Men’s and Women’s watches, but expect some early impressions of the sport version soon.
2nd Gen Motorola Moto 360 Design
Customisation and choice were Motorola’s two main influences in redesigning the Moto 360. The 46mm circular watch face returns in the Men’s model, but the watch is now available with a smaller 42mm face. It’s available in silver, black and gold, with matching stainless steel straps available as well as leather bands. The black metal version in particular looks very sleek, with the repositioned crown now in the 2 O’Clock position rather than the 3 O’Clock position.
The women’s version uses the 42mm face, available in silver, gold or rose gold colours, and has smaller 16mm strap mounts. The smaller size should mean anyone with smaller wrists can wear a Moto 360 without it looking ridiculous.
Both versions have visible quick-release pins, which is a massive improvement over the original model’s hidden lugs. You won’t need to dismantle your watch if you ever want to change the strap. There are now over 300 possible combinations of bands, colours, bezels and sizes available through Moto Maker, meaning the Moto 360 should be one of the most customisable smartwatches around.
2nd Gen Motorola Moto 360 Hardware
The design has improved, then, but so have the components inside. Upgrading to a more energy efficient Snapdragon 400 processor should mean the watch is able to last up to two days between charges - double the typical lifespan of the original Moto 360, despite the battery capacity not actually increasing. The wireless charging dock remains unchanged from the original, meaning you’ll still need to bring it with you when travelling for more than a day at a time.
The screen resolution has been bumped slightly, but Motorola is sticking with LCD technology rather than moving over to power-sipping OLED. While notifications look reasonably crisp and text is easy enough to read at arm’s length, it remains to be seen how legible the LCD will actually be in direct sunlight. At least brightness isn’t an issue, but you of course trade off battery life as a result of boosting the backlight levels.
The signature ‘flat tyre’ also makes a return in the new model, if only because Motorola claims it lets the company make the Moto 360 the smartwatch with the highest screen-to-case ratio. It also hides an ambient light sensor for automatically adjusting the screen brightness.
2nd Gen Motorola Moto 360 Software
Unsurprisingly, given Google’s iron rule over what manufacturers can do with Android Wear in terms of customisation, the 2nd generation Moto 360 feels very similar to the original watch in everyday use. Notifications still appear as they arrive on your phone, and you can interact with them or dismiss them with a swipe, or hide them for later. Apps are still on the right, accessible with a swipe, and everything is integrated with Google Now.
Motorola’s only major change is the addition of ‘Live Dial’ watch faces, which can be set to display battery levels, step counts or app shortcuts without obstructing the time, or any visible notifications. This is just another degree of the deep customisation available, but it’s also a welcome way to make at-a-glance information more useful to your personal preferences.
Because the Moto 360 runs the latest version of Android Wear, it will play nicely with iOS devices as well as Android smartphones. You still pair with a phone over Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi is available for tetherless notifications when on the same wireless network. The Sport edition also has GPS for route tracking when exercising without your phone.
2nd Gen Motorola Moto 360 Price, release date & early verdict
The 2nd generation Moto 360 will be launching in the UK later this month, with customisation available through Moto Maker on Motorola’s website. Prices will vary by design, but the range should start from £229 - a significant bump over the original model’s current price.
There’s no question Motorola has answered many of the criticisms that arose following the launch of the original Moto 360. The second generation model looks sleeker, is easier to customise, and has longer battery life. However, since the original’s introduction, the Apple Watch has shown what’s possible on a competing platform. Samsung looks set to reveal its own circular smartwatch later today as well, and it has the potential to cram in far more features by using Tizen instead of Android Wear. We’ll have to wait until the end of the week to see which wearable OS will come out on top.