LG Expected To Unveil Circular Smart Watch Called ‘G Watch R’ At IFA 2014 To Take On Moto 360

LG Electronics Inc. (KRX:066570) is expected to soon unveil a smart watch with a circular dial in an effort to take on Motorola’s Moto 360. The new smart watch, dubbed “LG G Watch R,” will be the company’s second wearable device to be powered by Google’s Android Wear.

On Sunday, LG uploaded a teaser video showing off glimpses of its latest smart watch, which will be unveiled at the IFA 2014 in Berlin next week. The teaser shows a logo with the letter “R,” which serves as another indication that the device could be made available with the name “LG G Watch R.”

The video also shows several interfaces, including a compass and a step counter. The use of terms such as “round the bends” and “perfect circle” also suggest that the device will come with a circular design, possibly to counter the Moto 360, which is claimed to be the most popular smart watch among three Android Wear-powered devices -- the other two being the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch -- introduced at Google’s I/O conference in June.

The Moto 360, which is expected to be released in early September, is rumored to sport a 1.5-inch circular LCD display with a resolution of 320x290 pixels (205 ppi), according to a Best Buy product listing that reportedly leaked details about the device’s specs last week. Other likely specs of the Moto 360, which measures 1.8x1.8x0.4 inches in size, include a Texas Instruments processor and 512MB RAM.

In addition to LG, other manufacturers such as ASUSTEK Computer Inc. (TPE:2357), HTC Corp (TPE:2498) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KRX:005930) are also expected to introduce new smart watches in the coming months. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is also said to be working on its smart watch, dubbed the “iWatch,” which is widely rumored to be ready for a launch later this year or early next year.