We’ve reviewed and rounded up all of the biggest and best new smartwatches, including the Motorola Moto 360, LG G Watch R and Samsung’s Gear Live, to see which one is best for you.
Sony SmartWatch 3 vs Samsung Gear Live vs Motorola Moto 360 vs Asus ZenWatch vs LG G Watch R: At a glance
Sony SmartWatch 3 | Samsung Gear Live | Motorola Moto 360 | Asus ZenWatch | LG G Watch R | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Design | Squared | Squared | Rounded | Squared | Rounded |
Screen |
1.6-inch IPS LCD (320×320 pixels) |
1.63-inch SuperAMOLED (320×320 pixels) |
1.56-inch LCD (320×290 pixels) |
1.63-inch AMOLED (320×320 pixels) |
1.3-inch P-OLED (320×320 pixels) |
Size |
5.1mm, 38g | 8.9mm, 59g | 11.5mm, 60g | 9.4mm, 75g | Unknown |
Processor | 1.2GHz | 1.2GHz | TI OMAP 3 | 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 | 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 |
RAM | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB |
Storage | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB |
Battery | 420mAh | 300mAh | 320mAh | 380mAh | 410mAh |
Changable straps | Yes |
Yes |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
Features | Waterproof, NFC, GPS | Waterproof, heart rate monitor | Waterproof, heart rate monitor | Waterproof, heart rate monitor | Waterproof, heart rate monitor |
Price | €229 (UK price unknown) | £169.00 | £199.00 | €199 (UK price unknown) | €299 (UK price unknown) |
Sony SmartWatch 3 vs Samsung Gear Live vs Motorola Moto 360 vs Asus ZenWatch vs LG G Watch R: Design
All of these stainless steel smartwatches rock a different design, so you’re bound to find one that suits your personal needs.
If you don’t mind a big, chunky watch face, the Asus Zenwatch and Samsung’s Gear Live are good-looking ‘traditional’ smartwatches, packing a thick and solid rectangular build. You can bag either with a smart-looking leather strap, but all the watches here can have their bands swapped out so you’re not stuck with one design for life.
If you fancy something that looks more like an actual watch, the LG G Watch R or the Motorola Moto 360 are better bets. They both have rounded faces, although they’re also quite chunky affairs, so don’t expect svelte, slimline fashion accessories.
LG’s G Watch R (left) is a gorgeous piece of kit, and the Motorola Moto 360 (right) rocks a similarly rounded face, although both watches are rather chunky.
Alternatively, while the Sony SmartWatch 3 isn’t paritcularly stylish, the colourful rubber straps are fun and should appeal to a range of ages, while it’s also the lightest watch here so feels great on the wrist.
All five watches here are water resistant, so they can survive a short dunking in around 1.5m of water.
Sony SmartWatch 3 vs Samsung Gear Live vs Motorola Moto 360 vs Asus ZenWatch vs LG G Watch R: Interface and features
All five smartwatches here run Google’s Android Wear OS, so they have almost identical menus and features. You can call up Google Now quickly and easily to issue voice commands to your phone, while a flick of your finger brings up all of your notifications. You also have a choice of watch faces for each device, which are displayed when the watch is hibernating.
You can also install standard Android Wear apps onto each phone, to expand their features.
One of the many watch faces you can rock on the Samsung Gear Live. All of the watches here come with a selection of hibernation faces.
However, there are some additional features tucked away in a couple of the smartwatches. For instance, the Sony SmartWatch 3 is the only watch here to pack in GPS, so you can use it to track your motions without your smartphone sat in your pocket, and you can even pack your music onto it. See the ‘fitness and exercise’ section below for more info.
Read next: Android Wear features and hints & tips
Sony SmartWatch 3 vs Samsung Gear Live vs Motorola Moto 360 vs Asus ZenWatch vs LG G Watch R: Fitness and exercise
As mentioned, the Sony SmartWatch 3 is the only wearable here to rock built-in GPS, which makes it a great way to track your run without having to cart your phone around too. There’s 4GB of built-in storage and Bluetooth support as well, so you can hook up a wireless headset and still enjoy some motivational tunes. Plus the rubber silicon band makes it feel more of a fitness device than the leathery options here.
However, if you’re keen to track your pulse during runs, you’ll have to look elsewhere. The other watches here all feature built-in heart rate monitors, although the ZenWatch’s is a little fiddly, requiring you to push your finger against the frame. The others use sensors built into their rear plates, which take a reading from your wrist.
Sony SmartWatch 3 vs Samsung Gear Live vs Motorola Moto 360 vs Asus ZenWatch vs LG G Watch R: Battery life and convenience
With most of the smartwatches here, you can expect roughly a day of use between charges, so you’ll be plugging the wee buggers in every night alongside your smartphone.
However, the Moto 360 reportedly underperforms compared with its smartwatch brethren, often dying well before the day is done. That means you may find yourself carting around the irritating dock that the Moto 360 needs to charge up, so you can boost the power at work.
In fact, all of the watches here except for the Sony SmartWatch 3 need a dock to charge. When you’re always on the move, the whole docking station design is far from ideal, so kudos to Sony for allowing you to just plug a micro USB cable direct into SmartWatch 3.
Sony SmartWatch 3 vs Samsung Gear Live vs Motorola Moto 360 vs Asus ZenWatch vs LG G Watch R: Verdict
We love the design of the LG G Watch R, but that rather steep price is a little off-putting and makes us lean towards the Asus ZenWatch instead – as long as you don’t mind them big and chunky.
Of course, for pure convenience, the Sony SmartWatch 3 is an excellent choice. Not only can you track your exercise without carting around your phone as well, but the SmartWatch 3 charges without a fiddly, annoying dock.
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