In a few days Google is expected to take the wraps off Android Wear 2.0 and LG will unleash two new smartwatch products just to celebrate the occasion.
It’s a strange time to start selling a smartwatch with the older Android Wear versions onboard, but be that as it may, New Balance’s new RunIQ intelligent timepiece has just been unleashed upon the world.
The fitness-centric wearable is available for purchase from the New Balance website, as well as from Amazon for $299 a pop (it’s listed as Temporarily out of stock).
For this money, sport lovers will get a device with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display with 400 x 400 resolution and an Intel Atom processor under the hood. There’s also 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage to keep things going running.
Like its name indicates, RunIQ is a watch especially designed for people with an active lifestyle. That’s why the wearable offers the option to connect to your Strava online account, which keeps record of all your runs.
Apart from that, the intelligent timepiece comes packing an optical heart rate sensor and a built-in GPS. Don’t worry about occasionally splashing it with water, as the RunIQ is water resistant at up to 5ATM.
Like most smartwatches, the New Balance one can relay notifications for calls, message and social media to your wrist. It can also allow you to connect to Google Play Music and download playlists via the MyNB app.
Because most of us prefer to listen to music while going for a run, New Balance invites us to pair the RunIQ with the PaceIQ wireless Bluetooth earbuds which have been optimized to work with the watch and have been developed in a partnership with Jabra. They are available for an additional $109.99.
No word whether the New Balance RunIQ smartwatch will receive the Android Wear 2.0 update at some point in the future. So unless you are a sports fan, you might want to hold off before buying this product.
After all, the LG Watch Style will soon launch. The wearable will cost $249 and will come with a few features you might want to have around like the Google Assistant.
The wearable should make it out with a 1.2-inch display with 360 x 360 resolution, 512MB or RAM, 4GB of internal storage and IP67 certification.
The other Android Wear 2.0 watch, the LG Watch Sport will have additional Android Pay support and IP58 certification – but will be a bit more expensive.
