Questions for Moto 360 (2014) users

[jojoe42]

Hi there,

I've always wanted the Moto 360 (2015) but the price tag in my currency (NZD) is way too expensive to justify buying it, so I'm considering picking up either a Pebble Time Steel or the OG Moto 360 to go with my Nexus 6P on pre-order. This will be my first smartwatch anyways so I thought it'd be a nice opportunity to try out Android Wear on a round-faced wearable (I love round faces) on the cheap. The PTS is great except I really like round faces, and AW seems to have more useful features. But first, I have a few questions for owners of the OG Moto 360:

I've been reading up in other threads that the most recent update (5.1.1) has brought most OG Moto 360s to a standstill in terms of reliability (crashing) and performance (super slow and lagging a lot). Can anyone clarify/comment on this? Is the performance still alright for daily use?

Is the battery life good enough to make it through a solid day of usage? I usually chuck my traditional watch on my bedside table every night so it won't matter in terms of multiple days, just as long as it's good enough to get through a 12 hour day at least

Also, I've heard about some issues with the latest Wear app and updating. Is this a big issue/is it fixable?

Lastly as an owner, would you recommend buying the 2014 Moto 360 for $230 (local currency), even though there are other options available such as the Pebble Time Steel ($400) and the new Moto 360? ($600)

Thanks a lot guys,
Josh.

 

[SpookDroid]

Hi there! I'm still using mine and I can tell you I'm not even considering upgrading to the 2015 model. As for your concerns/questions, here are my takes from my personal experience:

1) Not at all! If anything, it's now snappier, has more features, and lasts A LOT longer than before. However, it's not always such an easy feat. Most every time it's been updated, my battery life drops like a steel ball above a mega magnet. One watch factory reset later, and everything goes back to normal or improves.

2) Battery life, originally I could get 24 hours out of my watch with normal use, 48 if I only used it to tell time... now I can get 48+ with normal use and have stretched it for 4 days if I just tap it to tell time every once in a while!). With heavier use (replying to texts a lot, using voice commands, actively using navigation, etc.), then it barely makes it until bed time, but makes it.

3) Like I said, you might want to reset your watch when it updates in case you notice anything weird. Not such a bad thing like wiping a phone, but still a PITA that you have to do it. If they haven't been able to 'fix it' on Android phones, I doubt it'll be gone soon in Android Wear.

4) Yes. 10 times yes. Especially VS Pebble. No comparison. With the 2015 model you could at least argue a few things, but unless you HAVE to have the latest and greatest, this still works just as well. And it's a head turner. Honestly.

 

[808Mobi]

Ditto to everything said above. Mine is going strong and I have no plans nor need to upgrade.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[myriad46]

Same here. Still loving mine, too.

 

[jojoe42]

Thanks guys for the responses, I got to try on the 360 from a co-worker and it seems sweet! What about the cracking issue with the plastic backs? It seems quite widespread and doesn't seem to have been fixed with later production runs (back edges are still curved). I was hoping to use a metal band with this thing

 

[Lefank]

I just got it a month ago and love it!

 

[mindshadow]

Thanks guys for the responses, I got to try on the 360 from a co-worker and it seems sweet! What about the cracking issue with the plastic backs? It seems quite widespread and doesn't seem to have been fixed with later production runs (back edges are still curved). I was hoping to use a metal band with this thing

Yeah the cracking has been an issue and is caused by tension if you wear the watch too tight constantly, this may show as cracks . Metal bands actually caused the back to crack easier aswell so if you can avoid them, it would give you more of a chance

I definitely think the watch performance was terrible until 5.1.1 by which it got a massive speed increase. Prior to that is was really sluggish. How they improved performance and added all those extras such as wrist scrolling I will never know! It still is slower compared to other watches but it's barely noticeable with the latest update and still totally useable

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[ETPhoneHomeT]

I've never experienced the cracked back and I purchased mine with the stock metal band. I also have multiple leather, silicone and other 3rd party metal bands that I've swapped between. The stock Moto metal band comes with little plastic spacers that were designed to reduce the chance of cracked backs. I believe most of the people that experienced cracked backs were using 3rd party metal bands and the stock leather bands that didn't come with these spacers. Also, I purchased the SteelConnect M180 adapters that virtually eliminate any chance of cracked backs and makes it easier to swap between different watchbands.

I'm perfectly happy with my OG Moto 360 and have no plans to update to the new one. Although I charge my watch every night, after taking the many software updates, I'm now going to bed each night after 16 to 17 hour day, usually with 50 to 60% battery life remaining. Watch performance is as good as it's ever been.