Although the round display and stainless steel construction does make it attractive, the Moto 360 separates itself from the competition with Moto Maker customization. Motorola provides prospective buyers with tools to design their own smartwatch just as they can with the Moto X Pure Edition and Moto G (2015). The value of buying a Motorola device is greatly improved due to Moto Maker. For the Moto 360, Moto Maker allows you to change the smartwatch's size, bezel, case, band, and watch face. Changing these pieces on other smartwatches, Android Wear or not, to this degree is impossible.
We're going to take a look at what you can do with the Moto 360 and Moto Maker.
Head over to Motorola’s site and find the pre-order button on the Moto 360’s page. Or you can go directly to the smartwatch’s Moto Maker studio.
Before getting started, know that the base price of the Moto 360 is $299. Certain changes and additions to your configuration will increase the price.
The smartwatch shown on the left is what your smartwatch will look like throughout the process of using Moto Maker. The panel on the right is what you are able to modify. You can always check the price of your current configuration at the bottom right corner.
The Moto 360 comes in two variants, designed separately for men and women. Men are offered 42mm or 46mm sizes while women are only able to choose the former. In terms of specifications, the two sizes differ in display size/resolution and battery life. The display jumps from 1.37 inches to 1.56 inches and the battery gains an extra 100mAh on top of the 42mm's 300mAh.
The benefit of sticking with the smaller size is that you don't have to pay an additional $50 from the start.
Think of the bezel on the Moto 360 as the trim surrounding the display. The base bezels, which simply look like brushed stainless steel, for men and women are chamfer and peak, respectively. And the premium micro knurl and micro cut looks will set you back $20. It comes down to the look and shaping of the cut you prefer.
Men:
- Chamfer: Silver, Gold, Black
- Micro Knurl: Silver, Gold, Black
Women:
- Peak: Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
- Micro Cut: Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
The Moto 360's case comes in the same colors as the bezel. The price will only increase by $30 if you choose the Gold or Rose Gold color options.
The real differentiation between your Moto 360 and the next person's is the band. Do you choose leather? Or do you go with the more expensive metal band? If the latter, are you going to match the case and/or bezel? Testing out how the various bands look with your Moto 360 is very fun, especially because just about every combination ‘looks good'.
Men:
- Leather: Cognac, Black
- Metal: Silver, Gold, Black
Women:
- Leather: Stone Gray, Blush
- Double Wrap Leather: Blush
- Metal: Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
Motorola gives you the chance to have your Moto 360 start with a particular watch face, but you will still be able to change it at any time.
Now you’re done! Motorola will show you what costs (if any) have been added to the base price of your Moto 360.
Notice two things before you complete the checkout process:
- Moto Care: Motorola offers two years of accidental damage and extended mechanical coverage for the Moto 360 for less than $50. The benefit of Moto Care is huge considering the company will immediately ship you a like-new smartwatch even before your damaged smartwatch is sent to them. Each claim has a deductible of $39.
- Pricing options: You can pay up front or spread the cost of the smartwatch over six, twelve, eighteen, or twenty-four months using a Motorola Credit Account. Depending upon your credit history and the length of the financing, Motorola will accept monthly payments until the smartwatch is paid off.
Motorola will get right to work on making your Moto 360 as soon as you enter your billing and shipping information. Motorola is working as quickly as possible to assemble phones and smartwatches, so you should expect a wait a few weeks. Different designs have different expected arrivals; however, the Moto 360's availability seems better than the Moto X Pure Edition's at this time. To me, getting a customized and personalized smartwatch seems very much worth the wait.
