LG Timepiece will launch soon (Update: Korea launch expected in June, global release to follow)

Update 5/9/2018 at 4:01 A.M. EST: Yonhap News has cited industry sources as saying LG plans to initially release the new smartwatch in Korea in June and that an international release will follow. The article suggests that LG plan to market the watch alongside the upcoming LG G7 ThinQ.

Update 5/7/2018 at 4:58 P.M. EST: We still haven’t heard anything from LG about the LG Timepiece watch mentioned below. However, the announcement must be imminent as a new listing on the FCC website gives us details about an upcoming LG watch, which is likely the LG Timepiece. The information is mostly regulatory filings, but you get a look at a rendering of the watch face on the page.

Keep your eyes open for an announcement from LG very soon!

Original Article: Android Authority calls the LG Watch Sport “the best smartwatch you can buy right now” in our smartwatch roundup, so it’s very exciting news that LG will likely announce a new smartwatch on Monday: the LG Watch Timepiece. However, almost all the alleged information on the device already leaked to Android Headlines, so we can tell you almost everything you need to know right now.

The only two things Android Headlines didn’t share about the new watch is a photograph (the one attached to the breaking news article is of the LG Watch Style) and the price. But hopefully, we can’t paint a picture in your head of the LG Watch Timepiece with the leaked info.

The most interesting thing leaked about the LG Watch Timepiece is that it will likely feature analog watch hands installed over a 1.2-inch circular LCD panel. This hybridization of an analog watch and a typical digital smartwatch adds some cool potential features to the way the device operates.

For example, if you wanted to use your watch face as a compass, the analog watch hands could automatically move over the screen to create the look of an analog compass. A barometer app could function the same way.

However, this feature could be annoying if you’re using a typical Wear OS app, as the watch hands would obstruct your view of the said application. Still, it’s an interesting approach that will set the LG Watch Timepiece apart from the rest of the smartwatch crowd.

Speaking of Wear OS, this new LG device will likely be the first from the company to ship with Google’s re-branded operating system out of the box (formerly known as Android Wear). This will give it access to all the latest apps and also ensure regular updates from LG’s new updates hub.

If you’re looking at this device as an activity tracker, it will likely be IP68-certified, guaranteeing resistance to dust and water, just like the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport. It will also probably feature swappable watch bands, compatible with both LG-branded versions as well as third-party products.

It doesn’t look like the watch will have NFC or GPS, which is disappointing. However, judging from the specs below and the analog/digital hybrid aspects of the device, it seems LG is looking for a “missing link” between the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport. As such, the LG Watch Sport is likely to remain our top choice for a smartwatch after LG officially announces the LG Watch Timepiece next week.

Does this hybrid smartwatch sound interesting to you? Let us know in the comments!

NEXT: LG says the G7 ThinQ will have ‘brightest and most vibrant display’ on the market