LG has revealed why it decided to give wireless charging the cold shoulder for the LG G Watch and it’s all about keeping its smartwatch cheap and compact.
Speaking at a Q&A at an event to launch the LG G Watch in the UK, Andy Coughlin, Head of Mobile in the UK and Ireland pinpointed two key reasons why the Korean company opted against including wireless charging support for the LG G Watch smartwatch.
Coughlin stated that pricing of the LG smartwatch played a big part in the decision explaining that, “Number one, we are trying to keep the cost down on wearables”.
He also added that the issue of watch size and the challenge to keep hardware bulk down to a minimum was also another reason.
“I think it’s really important to keep it as compact as possible and there would have definitely been a size impact if we included wireless charging.”
He didn’t however entirely rule out the prospect of new features being added in the future suggesting that the company's smartwatches “will get much more functionality as this segment evolves over the next couple of years.”
The LG G Watch is currently on sale in the UK for £159.99 and joins the Samsung Gear Live and the Moto 360 as the first round of smartwatches to run on Google’s new Android Wear operating system designed specifically for wrist-worn devices.
Like the Gear Live and the Moto 360, the G Watch uses its own proprietary charging cable and is estimated to deliver a battery life of around 36 hours or a day and half of use.
This is LG's third attempt at making a smartwatch after launching the Bluetooth-enabled LG Prada Link watch and LG GD910 watch phone back in 2009.
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