New Moto 360 Fashion comes in large and small sizes, GPS-equipped Sport model coming later (hands-on)
Motorola's new Android Wear smartwatch incorporates design elements more commonly found in traditional watches.
I took off my smartwatch this weekend when I attended a family wedding. I tend to opt for a bare wrist or a traditional watch at formal events. It's this kind of thinking that Motorola is looking to change, and it just might with the redesigned Moto 360, which is also being referred to as the Moto 360 Fashion.
Motorola's original Moto 360 smartwatch, released in September of 2014, was the first to feature a premium stainless steel body and a circular display. It went on to be the most successful Android Wear watch to date. The company -- a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenovo since late 2014 -- is now building on what made the original model so popular and incorporating new design elements more commonly found in traditional watches.
The Moto 360 Fashion will be available in two different sizes. There is a 46mm watch with a 22mm band, which is slightly larger than last year's 45mm standard model, and a smaller 42mm model with a 20mm band. Motorola also designed a special women's collection model that features a 42mm face and a slim 16mm strap.
Prices start at $300 in the US, which is a $50 premium over what the original model went for, and go up to $430, depending on the model and band you choose. International pricing and availability wasn't confirmed, but the US price converts to £195/AU$430 and £280/AU$610, respectively.
Design and features
The new Moto 360 looks nearly identical to the original model. It still has a circular display with that odd black bar at the bottom and can display customized Google Now cards and notifications from your iPhone and Android device.
The big change is the addition of traditional watch lugs, which makes it easier to swap out the strap for a new one. The lugs also make the watch more flexible, which in turn means it's a lot more comfortable to wear. The crown has also been relocated to the top right, around two o'clock. But make no mistake, this isn't like the digital crown on the Apple Watch. It doesn't spin and you can't use it to scroll through apps. It's just a button that you use to light up the display and access the app menu.
Last year's Moto 360 (left) next to the 46mm Moto 360 Fashion (right).
Many of the changes in the new Moto 360 are ones you can't see. The processor has received a significant boost, which should improve many of the performance issues users experienced in the original model. The new Moto 360 is equipped with a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. It's a bit disappointing that the processor isn't the more recent Snapdragon 410, but these are the same specs found in other Android Wear watches like the LG Watch Urbane and Huawei Watch.
Inside there's also a gyroscope and accelerometer for tracking your steps throughout the day, while an optical heart-rate sensor sits on the back. The watch has a water-resistant rating of IP67, which lets you wear it while washing the dishes or taking the shower, but you won't be able to wear it in the pool.
Battery life has been improved slightly, but it may still be a problem for some people. The 46mm model will get about two days of usage, while the 42mm models will last up to a day and a half. The watch charges the same way as the original -- wirelessly with a special dock. I'm happy to see that Motorola stuck with this solution. It makes it easy and convenient to charge the watch each night.
There's no question about it -- this is a beautiful smartwatch. It feels good in hand and more importantly looks great on my wrist. I could see myself wearing it at a wedding or two, but the Moto 360 faces the same problem as other Android Wear watches -- it doesn't bring anything new to the table. There's Wi-Fi on board, but no NFC for mobile payments like the Apple Watch has and no cellular capabilities like the Samsung Gear S2.
The 42mm Moto 360 Fashion looked good on my wrist.
The second problem I have with the Moto 360 is the display. It's not a complete circle. The display is partially blocked at the bottom with an unsightly black bar. This is where the ambient light sensor and other display drivers are located. Motorola defended the black bar, which was one of most common complaints from the original model, noting that it resulted in a much smaller bezel and more screen real estate.
Lead designer Jim Wicks claimed that most users didn't notice the bar. I can tell you from my experience with the original model: that simply isn't the case. You will notice it when the watch face you have installed is cut off at the bottom and you will notice it with any background that isn't black. I may be nitpicking, but the newly-announced Huawei Watch managed to make a beautiful and true circular display that sports an even higher pixel resolution (400x400, compared to 360x330 on the 46mm model and 360x325 on the 42mm).
Two of the women's collection of Moto 360 Fashions next to a 46mm model and a 42mm model.
Moto Maker
One way Motorola is hoping the Moto 360 will stand out is with the company's Moto Maker software. This lets you customize the watch to your liking. While you can't add any additional hardware, the Moto Maker software lets you choose the color of the watch casing, the color of the bezel, the bezel treatment, the type of band and any pre-installed watch faces.
Want to have a gold watch with a silver bezel? Why not? How about a silver watch with a gold band? Go ahead. According to Motorola, there are more than 300 options to choose from.
Moto 360 Sport
As an avid runner, I was initially disappointed that the new Moto 360 didn't include GPS. To my surprise, however, the company also announced the Moto 360 Sport. The watch is designed to appeal to runners, cyclists and anyone who lives an active life.
The Moto 360 Sport is equipped with all of the same features as the Fashion model, but it also adds two important features active bodies will like. The first is GPS for tracking pace, distance and speed when running or cycling. Motorola also included a new display technology called AnyLight that makes it easier to see the screen in any environment, which is important when working out on sunny days or at night time.
The Moto 360 Sport is only available in the 42mm size and comes with a silicon strap. The battery will last up to a day and a half without using the GPS, which is pretty bad considering most running watches can last a couple of weeks on a single charge. The company didn't disclose how long the battery would last with an active GPS signal or with light usage. I was a bit disappointed to see the Sport included the same water resistance as the Fashion model (IP67). Running watches from Garmin and Polar tend to feature a rating of 5 ATM, which allows you to swim with the watch.
Pricing and release information for the Moto 360 Sport wasn't announced. The company has said it will reveal more details in the coming months.
The Moto 360 Fashion, meanwhile, is available now for pre-order from Google Play, Best Buy and Motorola's website. The watch is slated to arrive in-store and online in late September.
For more of the best of IFA 2015, see CNET's complete coverage.