LG quickly forgets its failed Android smartwatch: Plans to debut a round model next week

If you need further proof that LG’s first Android smartwatch was basically just a boring prototype, consider this teaser for its next flagship smartwatch.

Only a few months after the company unveiled its G Watch, LG is preparing to unveil a new, round-faced smartwatch next week at the IFA conference in Berlin, according to a video unearthed by Engadget.

Dubbed the G Watch R (likely for “round), the new device will compete directly with Motorola’s much-anticipated Moto 360 smartwatch, a round Android Wear device which will also launch next week. The video gives us a glimpse at a round screen with a few traditional watch faces (all of which look more intriguing than what’s on the current G Watch). There also appears to be a button on the side of the watch, which makes it look more like a normal wristwatch.

The G Watch R and the Moto 360 show two very different approaches to tackling a new gadget platform. You can either put something out quickly to make sure you have a presence when the platform launches, like LG’s G Watch, or take Motorola’s route and focus on developing something more refined a few months later.

Given just how lackluster the G Watch was, I can’t imagine it benefited LG in any way. Motorola, meanwhile, managed to build up anticipation for the Moto 360 by showing it off when Android Wear was first announced earlier this year.