Motorola Moto 360 (2014) Smart Watch Quick Review

Motorola Moto 360 (2014) Smart Watch Quick Review

Brief:  Old but still achingly attractive.

Price:  Seemingly from £113 and upwards.

Specifications:  Display 1.56” 320 x 290, 205 ppi, Backlit LCD IPS, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3, Watch Case Dimensions, 46 mm diameter x 11.5 mm high, Weight 60 g (without strap), Battery 320 mAh  Wireless charging with charging dock included, Processor TI OMAP™ 3, Memory 4 GB internal storage with 512 MB RAM, Connectivity Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, Wi-Fi, Sensors Pedometer (9-axis sensor), Ambient light sensor, Optical heart rate monitor (PPG), Water Resistance IP67

Accessories:  Charger, micro USB cable and its wee dock.  Ebay has screen protectors and replacement straps but its proprietary strap attachment makes them more costly than normal ones.

Build Quality:  Lovely.  Design flaws aside the thing is a feast for the eyes and to the touch, its clearly been lovingly put together.  Looks and feels quality.

Comfort/Fit:  Well I don’t love leather straps I like metal bands and I like them a bit slack.  I could change it if I really cared but on the whole it’s a watch, a fractionally biggish watch but if you get along fine with other watches this will be fine too.

Aesthetics:   Oooooooh sooooooo pretty.  It was widely hailed as the best looking Android Wear watch on launch, I’m inclined to say that’s still true.

UI:  Well there is a reason books and TV’s aren’t round.  Sure I know it’s pretty and for the most part it’s not completely disruptive but the basic fact that a rectangular screen is more functional is a just a cold hard fact.  For the most part swiping up, down, left, right all was easy, obvious and natural.

Functionality:  For all its heart rate sensor and activity tracking things.  (Though why anyone would pick the pretty 360 with a leather strap to then exercise and get sweaty escapes me.)  Where its heart really lies is beneath a shirt cuff that can elegantly notify you that your 2:30 meeting is running late so is now scheduled for 3.  It’s there to be pretty and to give you pertinent info in a discreet and attractive fashion.  It does that beautifully well. 

Battery:  Well there is no way around the fact that the screen just destroys the battery.  If you set it to ambient, always on, so you can just glance at it (exceedingly handy) then it just rips through the battery.  You will absolutely need to charge the thing every night if not in the middle of the day too.  The battery I get why it’s the size it is but damn, when the screen lights up it just absolutely hammers it.

Connectivity:  Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy as you would expect but it also has Wi-Fi too.  That is so that you can be out of Bluetooth range of your phone and still get notifications over the internet via Wi-Fi.  Which in theory that’s cool I’m not sure what if any practicality it has.  Other than to further pound that battery into oblivion.

Value:  Now with its replacement on the way its price has fallen.  You get all the pretty and almost identical spec and functionality over the new one which is more than double the price.

Pro’s:  Achingly good looking.  Screen looks stunning.  Price slashed.

Con’s:  Battery life.  No continuously visible screen unless you opt to further destroy battery life.