The future is now! We’ve got highly intelligent phones, ASIMO is getting smarter by the day and performing increasingly difficult tasks, we’ve uploaded the mind of a worm into a simple robot and even managed to send a decent rover over to the Red Planet.
If we were to put all of our eggs in one basket when it comes to the future of technology, smartwatches would be our number one choice. These things are taking off like nothing we’ve seen before and developers are coming out with more and more options for us, the public. Apple released the Apple Watch this fall; a very smart and beautiful watch that is selling like hot cakes. Moto 360 is a sleek and round smartwatch that looks like something from a Sci-Fi movie. They can track your steps and help you control your smartphone without needing to actually touch your phone. Smartwatches may be at the beginning of their journey, but we’re certain it’s going to be an impressive journey that is going to lead us to somewhere quite spectacular.
ASUS and Smartwatches
ASUS is a Taiwanese electronics hardware that was founded in 1989. The company’s slogan is In Search of incredible and the ASUS ZenWatch is ASUS’ first stab at smartwatches. Personal computers are the company’s moneymaker, but after the ZenWatch, smartwatches could be, too.
The ASUS launched their first smartphones in the summer of 2014, so they’re pretty new on the smartphone market, too. The ASUS Zenfone 4, 5 and 6 were launched in July of this year and they’re all Android phones. You can pair up the ZenWatch with any other Android smartphone, naturally, but if you want to get the best of your wearable device, we recommend you pair it up with a Zenfone.
Here is what ASUS had to say about their ZenWatch in the press release that followed the announcement of the smartwatch:
ZenWatch brings the luxury tradition of fine watchmaking to Android Wear, with an elegant, detail-focused design and use of high-quality materials. It is designed for supreme comfort, with a soft genuine stitched-leather strap and quick-release clasp. The 2.5D curved glass increases usability with a smooth and responsive touch experience. ZenWatch comes with a selection of instantly-changeable software watch faces, allowing users to customize ZenWatch easily to match their style. ZenWatch is much more than a sophisticated timepiece.
If you’re planning to get the ZenWatch after reading our review, then we recommend you also take a look at the Zenfone, maybe it will catch your eye and you’ll end up being a faithful new ASUS client.
Now, let’s take a look at the new ASUS ZenWatch and see some of its technical specifications, its features and how well this new smartwatch from ASUS performs. Here is our review and presentation of the new ASUS ZenWatch!
Technical Specifications
In the tech spec department, the ASUS ZenWatch is up to par with all the other smartwatches out there on the market. It boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with a speed of 1.2 GHz. With 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal Flash storage, the ASUS ZenWatch is powerful enough to keep up with you and your smartphone. It has a stunning AMOLED 1.63’’ touch display with 320×320 and 278 pixels per inch. The cover lens is a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which is pretty much the best type of glass you can find on a smartwatch right now.
When it comes to sensors, it’s where the ASUS ZenWatch really excels: it has 9 axis sensor and bio sensor that perform flawlessly. The ASUS ZenWatch is equipped with Bluetooth V4.0 and has Micro USB on charging cradle, a built-in microphone and a polymer 1.4Wh battery. It has a water resistance of IP55 and it comes in silver and rose with a brown leather strap. The smartwatch itself weighs 1.7 oz (50 grams) and the strap, 0.8 oz (25 grams). Its dimensions are as follows: 50.6 x 39.8 x 7.9-9.4 millimeters (LxWxH). It runs the Android Wear operating system, the most advanced OS for wearable devices.
Performance
Well, now that we’ve seen what the ASUS ZenWatch has under the hood, it’s time to see how all those specification come together and perform for us. We’ve had the watch for a week and we must say that we’re impressed with its performance. Everything is quite fast and responsive and during this week in which we’ve tinkled with it, we can safelu say that we have not experienced any dropped frames or lag. Sure, the smartwatch itself doesn’t have a lot of functions to slow it down or confuse it, but the features it does have run smoothly.
Another feature that we love and consider it to be quite great is voice recognition. To be honest, we didn’t expect it to perform as well as it does. Google Now is your best friend with the new ASUS ZenWatch.
Another thing we really like about this watch is the fact that the heart rate sensor isn’t on the back of the device, but behind the bezel, underneath the screen. This gives a much more accurate reading and we believe that ASUS really nailed it with this one!
The only place where the ASUS ZenWatch delivers poorly is in the battery department. It only lasts around a day, and when compared to LG’s G Watch R (which lasts a bit more than two days), this pales in comparison. The charger is also pretty bulky and we think that ASUS could very well improve a lot in that area.
Android Wear
Android Wear was designed for smartwatches and other wearable devices. It was announced on March 18, 2014 with a preview, which pretty much knocked the socks off a lot of tech-savvy folks. The gist of it is that it gets paired up with smartphones running Android and you receive notifications from your smartphone on your watch, you get to answer calls, make appointments and send texts and mail. Android Wear also integrated Google Now and has the ability to download apps from the Google Play Store.
ASUS ZenWatch joins Motorola Moto 360, LG G Watch and G Watch R, Samsung Gear Live and Sony Smartwatch, as the latest smartwatch to feature Google’s latest operating system for wearables, Android Wear.
Although far from being perfect, many believe (us included) that Android Wear is the best operating system for wearables.
Smart Features
Aside from looking quite elegant, the ASUS ZenWatch has some pretty nifty apps that will help you out, more than you would think. It’s not just pretty, it’s smart, the ASUS ZenWatch! Here are a few features that the smartwatch proudly boasts and that have won us over!
What’s Next App
This simple, yet incredibly useful application keeps your world running every minute of the day, as the promo puts it. It feeds you only useful information when you need it the most, such as GPS data and it also reminds you when you’re running late and even helps you notify your contacts, so you don’t keep them waiting. It’s a basic need for any wearable device, to be able to sum up all the important and vital features/notifications of your smartphone and the What’s Next App does exactly that.
Unlock Phone
This cool feature allows you to unlock your phone easily. You see, when you’re wearing the ZenWatch, you no longer have to type in passwords, make puzzles or connect dots to unlock your phone. Because when your smartphone senses you’re wearing the ZenWatch that is paired up with it, it unlocks your phone in a split second. Quite a useful feature, if you think about it. No more fussing about on your phone when you’re in a hurry!
Cover to Mute
By far, our favorite smart feature of the ZenWatch is the Cover to Mute feature. If someone is calling you at a wrong time and you can’t silence it because it’s not in your reach, then all you need to do is cover your ZenWatch with you hand and your smartphone will be silenced. How awesomely cool is that?! Your phone will remind you to call them back later, naturally!
Find My Phone
We’ve all spend a good amount of time searching for our smartphones, right? But, with the Find My Phone feature on your ZenWatch, your wearable device will let you know when it moves too far from your smartphone. You will find your phone around the house and office in a matter of seconds. We absolutely love this feature and it will save you a lot of time that is usually spent searching for your home and asking other to call you so you can place it in space.
ASUS Remote Camera
Another nice smart feature of the ZenWatch is the ASUS Remote Camera. You can control your smartphone camera remotely with the touch of your watch. This opens up a plethora of new opportunities! Don’t think about spying on people, although that’s where our minds went at first!
Activity Tracker
The Wellness Manager is very cool also! The Activity Trackers keeps tracks of your steps, charts your burned calories, heart rate and exercise intensity level. Paired with your smartphone, the ZenWatch can bring you daily and weekly reports from your wellness apps presented in summaries and timelines.
Price
The ASUS ZenWatch has plenty of pluses and almost no minuses! Almost doesn’t count, does it?! But to be honest, the best thing about this smartwatch, by far, has to be the price. The ASUS ZenWatch costs only $199.99, which makes it one of the most affordable Android Wear devices of the moment. Keep in mind that the LG G Watch R costs around $300 and while it does look a little bit more classic and cooler, it features the same Android Wear and almost the same specifications.
ASUS ZenWatch Vs the World
So, maybe you’re wondering how the ZenWatch compares to the rest of the Android Wear smartphones that are out on the market? Well, to be honest, it does hold its own. From an esthetic point of view, the ASUS ZenWatch is a beautiful device, as are the rest of the smartwatches that are on the market at this moment. From this point of view, what we really don’t like about the ZenWatch is the fact that it only comes with one single strap! I mean, is this the early 90’s, when we took things as they come without asking too many questions?! When you buy a wearable device, you pretty much want that device to be as customizable as possible. Yet, the ASUS ZenWatch, as smart as it is, it’s not pretty customizable, design-wise. The Moto 360 smartwatch is, in our view, the most attractive, esthetic-wise, smartwatch available on the market, because of its round shape, but that comes down to personal preference, in the end. The Apple Watch comes in second, just because it’s got all those strap/design options! We agree with Apple, in this respect, if you’ve made a smartwatch, make it as customizable as you can, because the general audience loves being able to change their watch design in order to match different styles.
Our biggest advice for ASUS: folks, if you want to put out a smartwatch, then give it a nice, round and classic display and many customizable options.
5 Reasons to Get the ASUS ZenWatch
If, after reading our review and the technical specifications of this device, you still need a reason why you should get the new ASUS ZenWatch, then we’ve got 5 of them! Here are five reasons why you should get the ASUS ZenWatch for yourself or your friends or family:
1. The Price
We’ll admit it! The price of the ASUS ZenWatch is the number one reason why you should buy this device and wear it proudly. It’s $200, people! It’s an Android Wear smartwatch that will track your steps, measure your heart rate, silence your calls, act as a remote for your camera and presentations and give you many more other funky features. It’s an affordable smartwatch, which is something that we need more of!
2. Its Design
It may not have a rounded, classic design, but the ASUS ZenWatch is quite sexy looking! It’s sleek, light and smart. Even if it only comes with one single strap, you can rest assured that it’s going to match pretty much all of your outfits. We’re absolutely sure that if you plan on gifting the ASUS ZenWatch for Christmas, you’re not going to get any complaints!
3. Its Features
As we mentioned before, the feature that is pretty much the most awesome feature to come out of 2014 is the Cover to Mute one. Just imagine the possibilities! Silencing your smartphone by simply covering your watch?! That is completely brilliant, gentlemen!
4. Android Wear
Apple, hold on to your high horse, because we’re not going to say this twice: Android Wear is the most advanced operating system for wearable devices in the world. Even if you adore iOS, you’ll be blown away by Android Wear!
Conclusion
The ASUS ZenWatch is an intelligent smartphone with a great design and lots of great new features. Android Wear performs splendidly and we highly recommend it. The bottom line is that if you want a smartwatch, the ASUS ZenWatch is a great wearable device, especially if you’ve never owned a smartwatch before.
The tech specs of the ASUS ZenWatch are quite impressive, but so are the tech specs of all the other smartwatches on the market, so if you’re going to buy the ASUS ZenWatch for any other reason than the price, it’s going to be because it’s a very attractive and sleek smartwatch.
We’re going to jump ahead of ourselves and say that ASUS has quite a success on their hands!
Do you like the new ASUS ZenWatch? Are you planning to get one? Do you already own one? What are your thoughts on it?
