While Motorola was once one of the first pioneers within the Android wearable scene, the company has somewhat taken a backseat with its wearable portfolio over the years. That in mind however, Motorola is looking to make a comeback with the new Moto Watch, a simple but feature-packed wearable which does manage to cover pretty much all the essentials. Motorola says that it’s also partnered with wearable expert Polar for its latest device.
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In terms of design, Motorola isn’t setting out to drastically revolutionize the market with the Moto Watch—you get a fairly standard-looking 47mm watch with a round face and chassis, along with a fairly sizeable bezel that adds a bit of design flair for a more premium look. Available in a “PANTONE Volcanic Ash” colour version, it’s designed to be durable as well with IP68 rating for dust and water protection and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the display. Speaking of the display, the Moto watch features a touchscreen that measures 1.43 inches, with an OLED panel as well.
It’s worth noting that the Moto Watch doesn’t run on Google’s Wear OS platform unlike competing devices from OnePlus and Samsung, for example. Instead, the device comes with a custom operating system which features exclusive apps and services from Motorola. On the plus side, this enables the device’s battery to last longer compared to most Wear OS-powered watches, with up to 13 days of usage all on a single charge.
As with most smartwatches these days, the Moto Watch comes with a variety of sensors designed to keep track of a users’ health and movement. Under the hood you get a gyroscope, PPG sensor, accelerometer, an e-compass and an ambient light sensor. The watch lets users track their physical activity with a variety of workout modes, and features such as sleep insights, heart rate and step tracking, and more. Other features include Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity, as well as a built-in speaker and microphone.
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As for availability, the new Moto Watch is expected to arrive on 22nd January for buyers in North America. It will go head-to-head with devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 series, the OnePlus Watch line, as well as Google wearables such as Fitbit and the Pixel Watch range.
