Here is where LG's smartwatch strategy gets a bit confusing. The LG Watch Urbane is designed to be a more high-end smartwatch, but it still runs Android Wear.

The Urbane LTE is a very different device with extra features. Crucially, this watch doesn't use Android Wear; it's LG's own mobile OS, which is loosely based on WebOS.


That means that to use the Urbane LTE, you'll need to have a companion app installed on your Android phone. That's interesting, because it could also mean the watch could work with the iPhone and other devices. LG has only announced support for Android at this time, though.

The watch is designed to look good, but also to last a full day on a single charge. That's impressive, because it has built-in 4G, along with a constant heart rate monitor. You can tell when you hold it that the watch is heavier and bulkier than the regular Urbane, but it still looks great.


The idea of the 4G is quite cool. What it allows you to do is maintain notifications from your phone via the cloud, so if you were out on a run, you could take your watch and still get notifications from your phone.

Of course, the Urbane LTE also has its own mobile service and a phone number on which you can be contacted. It's clever, but it does mean you need another contract to use it. Which means more monthly costs.

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The watch also has a selection of apps. Because this isn't based on Android Wear, and because LG isn't looking for developers, the apps are just what the company has decided is useful. Even so, there are apps for cycling, golf, trekking and even to translate between English, Chinese and Japanese just by speaking into the watch.

LG has also built in a push-to-talk type app, which allows you to send brief voice messages to friends or groups of friends. This is another advantage of the LTE, clearly. There is also built-in NFC payment too, so you can buy things or pay for the bus. Again, this needs wider support to be useful in the UK.


LG couldn't tell us when the phone will come to other markets like the UK. The watch will launch first in Korea, after which it may come to other countries.

It does need agreement with the mobile networks, though, so without one UK provider showing an interest, it's unlikely the Urbane LTE will make it to the UK.