Everything we know about the Motorola Moto 360
The Motorola Moto 360 has already been officially shown off, but many unanswered questions still surround the round-faced Android Wear smartwatch.
Although a Moto 360 release date has been tentatively pencilled in for ‘later this summer’, many of the watch’s specs are yet to be finalised. Latest leaks, however, have already seen the wearable make premature appearances on retailer websites.
Set to rival the likes of the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, the Moto 360 has already captured consumers’ imaginations – thanks in large to its stunning, round design - and will become the third device to run Google’s new Android Wear operating system. According to latest reports, however, the Moto 360 could be a bit on the chunky side.
What's more, recent leaks have shown that the Moto 360 will feature both an optical heart rate sensor and an inbuilt pedometer, two additions yet to be discussed by Motorola.
We will be updating this page with all the latest Motorola Moto 360 release date details, leaks, news and rumours as new information emerges. Bookmark it now to ensure you are kept in the loop on all things 360.
Motorola Moto 360 Release Date
The Motorola Moto 360 release date is still the big unknown. Previously tipped for a July release, this speculative launch window has come to pass with no sign of the Moto 360 edging any closer to retailers’ shelves. Further details had been expected during Google I/O in June until Google glossed over Motorola’s smartwatch, only backing up the device’s vague summer launch window.
With the end of summer an especially vague time frame, we would expect to see the Moto 360 release date held around late September or early October.
Any later in the year would likely see the watch touch down within a similar period to the heavily rumoured, but still unconfirmed, Apple iWatch.
With a Moto X smartphone replacement – the Moto X 1 – expected later this year, claimed insider sources have tipped the two devices to touch down together. What’s more, there is even talk that the two will be made available as a cut-price bundle package.
Motorola has backed up these claims by confirming it will hold a product launch event on September 4. In an invite sent out to media (above) the Moto 360 has been shown as one of four new devices heading for a big unveil. Expect a release date to follow later the same month.
Like the G Watch and Gear Live, it is expected that the 360 will originally be sold through the Google Play Store, with pre-orders to open up a week or two prior to the device being made available.
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Motorola Moto 360 Price
Like its planned arrival, concrete details on the Moto 360 price are still few and far between.
With the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live having both gone on sale significantly under the £200 marker (£159 and £169 respectively), there is much pressure on Motorola to follow suit with the Moto 360 UK price.
Undoubtedly the move to adopt a round display is sure to add something of a premium to the Moto 360 price. As will the use of more high-end materials – metal and leather as opposed to plastic. However, it is widely believed the Moto 360 price will just about squeeze under this all important £200 price point.
Adding to the mass speculation, retailer MobileFun is claiming that the Moto 360 price will see the watch come in at a fraction under £200.
"We recently named the Motorola Moto 360 the most anticipated smartwatch in the world, even beating out Apple’s expected iWatch in terms of media attention," the retailer stated in a blog posting. "That’s why we’re happy to announce the first UK price for the Motorola Moto 360: £199.”
MobileFun isn’t the only one teasing the Moto 360 price. Back in May, Motorola itself teased the watch’s price, suggesting the 360 could be a lot lighter on the wallet than first expected.
Leaking the 360's price in the small print of a competition page, the manufacturer, has teased that the “approximate retail value” of the 360 will be $249. This fee has been echoed by a premature listing by US retailer Best Buy.
Although a direct exchange sees this US fee convert to just £147 in British currency, taking into account the customary price hike when bringing electronics to our humble shores, we would be surprised if the Moto 360 price wasn’t set at £199.
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Motorola Moto 360 Features
Running Android Wear, many of the Moto 360’s key features will be dictated by the capabilities of Google’s wearable OS.
Featuring the same, tile-based, swipe-navigated interface, the 360 will offer a near identical user experience to the G Watch and Gear Live, albeit on a round as opposed to square screen. One area where the 360 will set itself apart from the competition, however, is through its watch faces.
One of the few areas where individual manufacturers can stamp their mark on the Google Now-utilising Android Wear, Motorola opened up the 360 watch face designs to the public. Letting designers submit their ideas, the manufacturer has selected a number of public designs for inclusion.
Although remaining coy on exactly what its own smartwatch will have to offer, Motorola has been quite outspoken on rival devices, branding all existing smartwatches ‘crappy’.
Speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews recently, Mark Randall, Motorola’s Senior Vice President of Supply Chain, stated: “Moto 360 is a really cool device that we think solves a lot of problems that no one else has solved in the wearables space.”
He added: “We look at the 360 and we look at what everyone has done in that space. To be honest we think they are all pretty crappy.
“We think people just don’t want to wear a lot of the devices that are out there today.”
Unlike some smartwatches – we’re looking at the Samsung Gear 2 here – the Moto 360 will be compatible with a mass of Android handsets from a variety of manufacturers. Given its Android Wear foundations, the wearable will be compatible with all manner of low-energy Bluetooth 4.0 equipped handsets.
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Motorola Moto 360 Specs
Although we have seen a number of Moto 360 pictures, we don't actually know what lies behind the screen. Dozens of Moto 360 pictures have shown off the watch from the front, or from a top-down view. These have left us salivating at the design genius that has pieced this device together. The few shots showing the 360 from the side, however, tell a very different story.
From the side the 360 looks chunky, seriously chunky. Exact dimensions have yet to be given but this added bulk could rule the watch out for those of you with more dainty wrists.
Latest reports have suggested that the Moto 360 could be considerably fatter than its existing Android Wear rivals. According to claimed insiders, the Motorola watch will line up at 13.5mm thick. The Gear Live is 8.9mm thick and already quite sizeable.
With a range of design options to be made available, the Moto 360 will come with a number of metal and leather strap options. The watch's body, however, could be made from plastic, not metal as previously expected.
Retailer Best Buy has tried its best to reveal the full array of Moto 360 specs, prematurely listing the watch in its online store.
The retailer has claimed the Motorola wearable will pair a 1.5-inch 320 x 290 backlight LCD display with a Gorilla Glass 3 protective coating and water resistance up to 3.3 feet for 30 minutes.
The watch will reportedly weigh just 2.1 oz.
Although some have pegged the Moto 360 to feature a sapphire glass panel in order to fend off unwanted scratches and scuffs, we can’t see this coming to fruition. The premium still associated with the extra tough sapphire glass would further bump the watch’s price tag. Instead, we think a Gorilla Glass coating is far more likely.
What we do know for certain is that the Moto 360 battery will benefit from wireless charging capabilities.
Motorola UK manager Philip Worth recently let slip that the 360 will make use of wireless, magnetic induction charging standard although the device’s battery life on a single charge is still unknown. Hopefully it will siginificantly better the staying power of the Gear Live and the LG G Watch.
What's more, recently leaked images (above) showed off the back of the device, with a list of specs circling the device's back. According to the teased image, the Moto 360 will pair IP67 water resistance with an inbuilt optical heart rate sensor and an inbuilt pedometer. This collection of innards is largely similar to those of the Samsung Gear Live.
Stay tuned to TrustedReviews for all the latest on one of the most exciting wearables of the year.
