Comparing the Apple Watch With the Moto 360, Side-by-Side

by Don Reisinger

The Apple Watch and Motorola’s Moto 360 have much different designs. The former comes with a squared-off display, while the Moto 360 comes with a round screen. It’s, therefore, up to the consumer to decide whether the round screen offered in the Moto 360 is more or less desirable than the rectangular screen found in the Apple Watch.

There’s a major software difference when comparing the Moto 360 and Apple Watch. The former comes with Android Wear, Google’s open-source wearable operating system. The Apple Watch has a modified version of iOS that works with both touch and a dial on the side to scroll through items. The two couldn’t be much different.

While Motorola customers can only choose a single device, Apple has decided to go with three models. The first is the standard Apple Watch. The company is also offering the Apple Watch Sport for those who plan to use it for health-related activities, and the last is the Apple Watch Edition, which is the most stylish model featuring a gold finish.

Both the Apple Watch and Moto 360 offer accessories and options for customizing their smartwatches. The Apple Watch comes with various finishes—aluminum, stainless steel or gold—and a wide range of straps that can be attached to it based on use. For the Moto 360, Motorola is offering a handful of straps, depending on usage. Straps are truly at the center of all smartwatch customizability, if Motorola and Apple are to be our guides.

Don’t just think that you can go around town with a wearable device and not need to have anything else on you to get the full experience. Apple’s smartwatch requires an iPhone to be connected to the device in order to handle most features, while the Moto 360 requires an Android-based device running Android 4.3 or higher. It’s unfortunate, but the smartwatches are not stand-alone products.

No surprise here, but both Apple and Motorola have made their wearables full health devices. They can both track fitness and activity level, and some health care companies are currently testing ways to use the iPhone, in tandem with Apple Watch, to deliver relevant health information to doctors via the company’s HealthKit. Health and fitness go hand-in-hand with wearables and smartwatches.

The Moto 360 comes with a slightly different charging model than the Apple Watch. Motorola’s device allows users to wirelessly place it on a charging station. The Apple Watch, on the other hand, comes with sensors on the rear panel that connect to a wired charger. Both charging methods are designed so users can still use the device and see their screens while charging, but whether either option is really ideal, remains to be seen.

Two different technologies are used in the Apple Watch and Moto 360 to deliver the same result: screen protection. The Moto 360 comes with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 technology, which is extremely strong. The Apple Watch, however, comes with a sapphire covering for its screen. Apple says that sapphire is superior to glass technology because of its hardness. Either way, it’ll be tough to break the screens on either device.

Although both Motorola and Apple are somewhat coy about their expectations on battery life, consumers shouldn’t expect more than a day of use for either watch. Motorola says that its Moto 360 offers an “all-day battery,” while Apple says that its Apple Watch will need to be charged each night. That’s all code for having your charger on the ready during days of heavy use.

The Moto 360 was immediately popular, and demand for the device spiked. The smartwatch goes for $250. Customers who want the dark metal case with a black leather band will need to wait a bit to get their hands on one—as whenever they come in, they quickly sell out. The light metal case with a stone leather band is available. Apple is planning to launch its smartwatch early next year for a starting price of $349. The company hasn’t yet released full details on its smartwatch’s pricing and availability.