LG has announced the circular G Watch R smartwatch

Of the three Android Wear smartwatches introduced at Google’s developer conference in June, the Moto 360 was by far the crowd favorite; its circular watchface gives it a classic, elegant look, and a stark contrast to the squarish Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch. It turns out that LG wasn’t very excited about its first Wear watch either: It’s going to introduce a round-faced sequel, called the LG G Watch R, next week in Berlin, shortly after Motorola officially launches its new timepiece.

Android Wear isn’t even a year old, but LG is already ramping up the hype cycle for its second smartwatch based on Google’s wearable software platform. The design for the new device centers around a circular face, a trick that Motorola is pioneering with its Moto 360 smartwatch, which should ship in early September, but which is one of two default screen configurations for Android Wear built-in natively by Google. The LG watch appears to be looking to one-up the Moto 360 right now, with a perfectly circular face that, at least according to the teaser, emphasizes the fact that it doesn’t have to leave a small window at the bottom that makes one hard, flat edge, as does Motorola’s wearable. The design also looks to feature a more traditional case with external lugs, vs. Motorola’s design, which might be more appealing for those looking for something that more typically resembles your average, innocuous Timex or Casio.