Everything we know about the Motorola Moto 360
Finally Motorola has resolved the many unanswered questions which have been surrounding the Moto 360 smartwatch for a number of months.
With a Moto 360 release date having been confirmed for next month in the UK, Motorola has lifted the veil of mystery from its eagerly awaited Android Wear smartwatch.
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 latest device to run Google’s new Android Wear operating system. Sadly though, the Moto 360 is a little bit on the chunky side.
As with many wearables, the Moto 360 is as much a fitness gadget as a dedicated smartphone companions. With an optical heart rate sensor and an inbuilt pedometer, the 360 with compete with the likes of the Samsung Gear S when it makes it to retailers' shelves.
We will be updating this page with all the latest Motorola Moto 360 release date details, 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
A precise Moto 360 release date is still the big unknown. Previously tipped for a July release, this speculative launch window came to pass with no sign of the Moto 360 edging any closer to retailers’ shelves. Again 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.
Now, although Motorola has confirmed a UK Moto 360 release date will be held in October, a more precise launch window has yet to be revealed.
Despite an Apple Watch release date being pencilled in for early 2015, an October Moto 360 release will still see the round smartwatch face some still competition at launch.
With the Samsung Gear S and Sony SmartWatch 3 both also being lined up for an October release, the LG G Watch R will round off an extremely busy month for the smartwatch sector.
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.
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Motorola Moto 360 Price
While a release date is still up in the air, the Moto 360 price has been set in stone and its not cheap.
With the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live having both gone on sale significantly under the £200 marker (£159 and £169 respectively), there has been much pressure on Motorola to follow suit with the Moto 360 UK price.
Undoubtedly the move to adopt a round display is sure to have added 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, Motorola has managed to squeeze the Moto 360 under the all important £200 barrier, just.
The Moto 360 UK price has been confirmed as £199.99. This premium fee will see the device come boxed with a wireless charging dock.
Although now confirmed by the American manufacturer, the Moto 360 price had been predicted prior to announcement.
"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," retailer MobileFun stated in a recent blog posting. "That’s why we’re happy to announce the first UK price for the Motorola Moto 360: £199.”
MobileFun wasn’t the only one teasing the Moto 360 price. Back in May, Motorola itself teased the watch’s cost, 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 think the £199 fee is pretty reasonable.
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Motorola Moto 360 Features
Running Android Wear, many of the Moto 360’s key features are 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
With just weeks to go until the 360 goes on sale, Motorola has finally given us an idea of exactly 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.
