When Google revealed its Android Wear smartwatch operating system in March, LG announced its Weared-out G Watch would offer a “low barrier to entry for developers”—a statement one might interpret as, “We’re going to hit the low end of the smartwatch pricing scale.”
Now the French website Les Numeriques says it has confirmed from LG that the G Watch will sell in its region for 199 euro in June. The timing is certainly right, as the entire world is anticipating the G Watch to be a big part of Google’s I/O developers conference keynote on June 25. But 199 euro currently converts to a touch above 275 U.S. dollars, and that’s not a particularly “low barrier” price in today’s smartwatch market.
Some context: In the U.S., Samsung’s high-end Gear 2 currently costs $299, whereas its lower-end Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit go for $199. The Pebble Steel sells for $229, and the Sony Smartwatch 2 is priced at $199.
Of course, that 199 euro quote from Les Numeriques may not be correct. We’ll post a confirmation from LG as soon as we get it. And it’s also important to note that European pricing and U.S. pricing often don’t match. It’s likely LG will follow the lead of Samsung, which sells its new Gear wearables for about a $100 premium outside of the U.S.
If you’re smitten with everything you’ve seen in Android Wear, then you’ll have some tough decisions to make once all of Google’s partner smartwatches begin rolling out. The Moto 360 with its circular display should be right on LG’s tail, and looks to be a more expensive, luxury-skewed product.
Decisions, decisions. June can’t come soon enough. Want to learn more about Android Wear? Check out the video below.
