All those pictures featuring it with metallic body and strap might have been misleading

Aug 1, 2014 09:14 GMT  ·  By

So far, all the news, reports, and updates, official or otherwise, about the Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch have been positive, even glowing in some cases, but we suppose it was inevitable that something might break that trend at some point.

We only wish it didn't happen in this particular fashion: a certain report has arisen that says all those pictures of the Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch were misleading.

Not in regards to the watch faces or the overall shapes, or the hardware encased within. It is the outer shell and strap that may be disappointing.

You see, ever since the first images leaked about the Moto 360, it looked as though this would be a nice, sleek, shiny metal wearable electronic. The metallic finish was pretty blatant in every photo released to the web, directly or indirectly.

The new report, however, says that the Moto 360 might end up being encased in plastic after all, like every other smartwatch on the market or on the way.

And that isn't even the only issue with the watch. The Moto 360 will supposedly be visibly bigger than the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live and most other watches as well.

The thickness is another thing. Due to the integration of wireless charging support, the hardware needed more room, so Motorola reportedly settled for a 13.5 mm thickness. Compared to the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch, which measure 8.9 and 9.9 mm, respectively, that's quite a bit more bulk.

Still, the plastic construction will be the biggest letdown if it turns out to be true. The larger watch face isn't necessarily a disadvantage after all, especially since the Moto 360 will have a round one, not rectangular.

Also, the OLED display technology basically assures a better image quality and lower power draw than on any other wrist-mounted wearable gadget of this type.

Still, between all this and the customizable watch faces controlled by Android Wear, it will be a real shame if the frame and strap really were made of plastic instead of metal. It would ruin the device's status as “luxury wearable.”

Then again, maybe we should have seen this coming since two weeks ago, when the report about the integrated ambient light sensor emerged. The strap in the photo (which we took the liberty of embedding above) looks definitely made of plastic, rubbery even. The main body was still metallic though, so we overlooked it (also, we hoped it was leather).

Maybe Motorola will at least offer the option of a metal strap, if nothing else, even if it will add a bit to the €249 / $249 price.