It might have been announced a little while ago back in September last year, but the Moto 360 gen 2 has now officially landed in Australia, and it goes on sale next week on the 13th.
You might think it has been a while between drinks for Motorola in the Android Wear space — and it has been — but it pays to remember that there hasn’t been an awful lot of new releases in Android Wear since IFA 2015; there are some new ones on the way, but they’re not here yet, so we’re still enjoying last year’s tech mainly. Huawei’s Watch is one of the best Android Wear watches on the market in Australia, but the Moto 360 gen 2 might just knock it off. It just feels … nicer.
Motorola says that the Moto 360 (first generation) was the first Android Wear watch that actually looked like a watch. They’re right, it did, kind of, but many watches that came after did that too, and arguably did it a little better. Well, the Moto 360 gen 2 does it better still. Featuring stylish lugs, more easily replaceable bands, and formats designed for men and ladies (wider and narrower bands respectively), the new range really is quite a bit more stylish.
We all know what Android Wear does by now, but the Moto 360 has a few points of differentiation:
- Bluetooth and Wifi, so it can stay connected to your phone from anywhere
- Always-on display with night clock, so the watch doubles as a great clock on your nightstand
- Easily removable / interchangeable bands
- Moto Body, to help you keep active, measure your steps, calories, and more
- Up to two full days of battery life, depending on usage (we’ve tested, it’s realistic)
Here’s the full details:
| Motorola Moto 360 (Gen 2 46mm) | Motorola Moto 360 (Gen 2 42mm) | Screen size | 1.56-inch | 1.37-inch | Screen technology | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | Resolution | 360 x 330 | 360 x 325 | PPI | 233 | 263 | Chipset | Snapdragon 400 | Snapdragon 400 | Core config | 1.2 GHz x 4 | 1.2 GHz x 4 | Ram | 512MB | 512MB | Storage | 4GB | 4GB | MicroSD | — | — | Battery | 400 mAh | 300 mAh | Charging method | Wireless (Qi) | Wireless (Qi) | Cellular | No | No | NFC | — | — | Speaker | — | — | Android OS | Android 6.0 | Android 6.0 | Dimensions | 46 x 46 x 11.4 mm | 42 x 42 x 11.4 mm | Weight | — | — | Colours |
|
| Build materials | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Band colours |
|
| Band materials |
|
| Band swappable | Yes | Yes |
|---|
The Moto 360 Gen 2 goes on sale at Harvey Norman on 13 July, with 46mm Cognac Leather straps (designed for the men) and a 42mm Silver Metal straps (for the ladies), though if we’re being honest with you, either variant could easily be worn by either sex depending on your preference.
Both models will go on sale from $479, and you’ll be able to buy them from motorola.com.au too from 15th July.
