Moto 360 2nd Generation Release date 2015: Next-Gen Motorola Smartwatch Leaks, Notorious 'Black Bar' Still Present

By Jomar Endriga
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Leaked photos of the unannounced second-gen Moto 360 hit the web.  Gerrit Godecke on Google+

Motorola's updated Moto 360 model has already been spotted multiple times in the past months. Now, alleged photos of the popular round smartwatch's next-gen version has once again hit the web. This time the images give us a closer glimpse into the unannounced wearable tech.

The leaked photos are courtesy of a Google+ user named Gerrit Gödecke who recently posted them publicly on his account. Gödecke's curiosity was apparently triggered by a fellow passenger wearing a mysterious smartwatch while riding a commuter train in Chicago. He excitedly captioned the photos with "Did I just see the Moto 360 2 in the wild...?"

If the device portrayed in the photos (see above) is the real thing, then they look almost entirely as expected. One of the pictures show the second-gen Moto 360 still rocking the strange black bar at the bottom of the circular display. It is also touted as the "flat tire" design is intended to hide the original Moto 360 model's sensors.

That black bar is something of a deal-breaker, depending on who you ask. For some users, it's not a big deal given that the watch delivers a user-friendly interface. However, some believe that Motorola should ditch the black bar altogether since other device makers like Huawei and LG already managed to release similar smartwatch design that fully utilizes the round screen.

Furthermore, these purported photos support earlier leaked images of the next-gen Moto 360 showing a round metal casing. Those photos indicated that the new smartwatch's physical button is moved to the 2 o'clock position and that a microphone hole is drilled into the left hand side of the case.

The next iteration of the Moto 360 is predicted to become available in two size variants. One will be a smaller 38mm model with powered by a 270mAh battery while the other will be a 46.5mm version with 375mAh battery.

While we may already know a lot about the device's exterior hardware attributes, we still have scant information about its specs under the hood. Numerous sources previously speculated that the upcoming wearable will feature a 1.56-inch LCD display with 360X360 resolution. It might be equipped with a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 chipset coupled with a 450 MHz Adreno GPU. 512MB worth of RAM is expected as well as 4GB of built-in memory.

If those details aren't enough, then this next leak is something that may interest eagerly waiting fans. It turns out that the second-gen Moto 360 has been posted by an online retailer in Sweden. According to the listing, the larger model will cost SEK 3,800 (approx. $460) while the smaller variant with stainless steel watchstrap will cost SEK 2,900 (around $350). This may be more expensive than expected but keep in mind that electronic devices in Sweden tend to be pricier compared to other markets.

All of these mounting evidences suggest that the next generation Moto 360 is not far off in the horizon. Apart from these rumored photos and specs, the device has also reportedly passed FCC certification, further signifying that a launch is coming soon. Motorola is expected to announce the second-gen Moto 360 during the IFA 2015 event in Germany next month, exactly one year after launching the original Moto 360 in 2014.  

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