I’ve had an LG G Watch since September 2014 – being a sort-of-early adopter. Overall, it’s been great – both as a wristwatch and as a phone accessory; getting notifications through to your wrist is brilliant.
But not all is good.
A few months after having the G Watch, I noticed that one of the five gold-coloured charging contacts on the reverse had started to turn silver. I thought nothing of it – just normal wear and tear. But let’s fast forward to June 2015 – now. I noticed a red mark on my wrist that wouldn’t wash off. It just happened to line up with the charging contacts on the G Watch. Switch the watch to my other wrist and the same redness appeared within a few minutes, along with a tingling sensation.
Having done some research, it appears that many people have adverse reactions to nickel. Could LG have perhaps used nickel for the charging contacts, plated with copper/bronze? This looks like what has happened here – poor quality plating of the contact has worn off, resulting in an adverse reaction with my skin.
Although this was LG’s first smartwatch, I did expect something better. I shall be contacting Amazon regarding the issue, but will likely elect for a refund rather than a replacement – the issue will just repeat itself.
Update: Amazon have issued a refund for the G Watch – though they said that normally a replacement order would be created, but they were out of stock so couldn’t do so.
Now I just have to find my replacement smartwatch… torn between the Pebble Steel & something like the ASUS Zen Watch