Motorola Moto 360 Release Date Delayed: Features and Price Make It Worth The Extra Wait Max Bonto Aug 02, 2014 11:45 AM EDT

Motorola's bid for the smart wear market, Moto 360, will be facing some stiff competition from Samsung's Galaxy Gear and LG's G Watch, and as it stands, the Moto 360 has been delayed in its release date to sometime in September of this year.

Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Gear and LG’s G Watch, which are priced at around $200 a piece, the Moto 360 will probably run the consumer around $250-300. This should come as no surprise as Motorola is fitting the device with some impressive hardware.

The Moto 360 features a round face type display, completely different from the square face display of the two aforementioned devices.

Beyond that, Moto 360 will be able to charge wirelessly, have an ambient light sensor, and remain damage proof with its Sapphire glass.

Motorola’s device comes with the standard Android OS with all its included functional features. Apart from that, the Moto 360 is also has an orientation free design, which means that it can be worn on either the left or right wrist.

Since the device is a watch, it is less protected than a smart phone device that remains in a pocket or handbag when not in use. This consideration prompted Motorola into using Sapphire glass, instead of Gorilla glass, as it is four times harder, and in turn, increased the price of the device just a touch.

For charging, the Moto 360 has no USB micro-port, but instead uses magnetic induction to recharge its battery. This might be the famed “Qi charging” method. Only a handful of devices use this feature and it puts the watch at a distinct advantage over the Galaxy Wear and G Watch.

Lastly, the watch saves energy by using an ambient light sensor. This enables to watch to change the brightness of the display depending on the light levels of the environment. This saves the user from having to manually change the brightness setting every time it gets too dark or too bright.

Motorola’s delay in releasing their Moto 360 watch might be worth the wait after all, especially when the features it possesses distinctly set it apart from its competitors. That being the case, Motorola might have to wait for the iWatch to be released to find a worthy opponent in the smart watch market.