LG G Watch R Release Date and Price: Coming to US 'Soon After' November Launch in Europe

Oct 23, 2014 04:45 PM EDT

LG G Watch R
LG G Watch R with optional leather band. Photo: Fone Arena

LG has announced that its new G Watch R wearable device will be available for purchase as soon as next month.

The Korean tech giant released a statement today announcing the global roll-out plans for the new G Watch R. France, Italy, Spain, and the UK will see the round wearable device go on sale in early November, while key markets in North America, Asia, and the former Soviet Union will see the watch "soon after."

This press release from LG was thought to be issued in response to news that the G Watch R would go on sale in the UK starting tomorrow. The price is listed as £187.49 in the UK and is expected to be $250 in the US.

British mobile tech site Clove shows the G Watch R listed at that price with a note reading, "First stock due 24th October with orders shipping from Monday 27th October."

The LG G Watch R, first announced at August's IFA 2014 consumer electronics show, features a 1.3-inch circular OLED display with 320x320 resolution. It's run by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor and 512 MB RAM. It comes equipped with a heartrate monitor, barometer, and bluetooth connectivity.

The G Watch R is LG's second wearable device of 2014 (the first being the square G Watch), but it's the first in the classic round design that makes it look more like a watch and less like an attempt at strapping a smartphone to your wrist.

TechRadar calls the G Watch R "the best smartwatch you'll see all year" in the site's review of the device, citing its great design and strong screen as two major selling points. 

"The presentation of the new round-faced Android Wear device was showing that a watch can be many things to many people - fitness tracker, fashion item, heirloom - but it still needs to look decent," the review states.