ASUS is just one of the few that has announced its new smartwatches which shall be featured in the IFA conference in Berlin. As the device was teased a week ago, everyone was somehow expecting that the company will formally unveil the wearable in such a well-attended event as the IFA.
At the beginning of the year, ASUS made mention that the company plans to venture into the smartwatch market in order to compete with popular contenders such as LG, Motorola, and Samsung. ASUS stresses the uniqueness of its device when it comes to design and features. In its initial mention of the smartwatch, the company reiterates that it has something that was never seen before on a smartwatch such as gesture based controls.
The ZenWatch by ASUS has a case made of steel which gives it a high quality look and feel. The glass display follows the growing trend of curved glass panel found in several gadgets today. It also has a quick-release clasp which can be taken on and off easily. Just like it was announced at Google I/O in the beginning of summer, the ZenWatch is said to run on Android Wear.
For the specs geek, the ZenWatch boasts of a curved 320x320 AMOLED display of 1.63 inch. It also features 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, RAM of 512MB, storage of 4GB, Bluetooth 4.0, waterproof design of up to IP55 rating, and a bio sensor for measuring one's heart rate. With all these specs, the ZenWatch easily competes with the Moto 360, LG G watch, and the Samsung Gear Live. Design-wise, the ASUS ZenWatch could just be the best designed smartwatch among the rest.
Other features of the ZenWatch include a battery of 1.4Wh, Bluetooth 4.0, and a microphone. A separate cradle can be used for charging the smartwatch. Moreover, its waterproof capacity makes it an ideal companion when doing a gym workout, taking a shower, or having an exhilarating walk under the rain.
The ZenWatch is also built with a slew of customized apps that cater to security, health, and photography. The ZenUI Wellness app allows users to keep track of a bunch of wellness statistics such as the number of steps taken, the amount of burned calories, heart rate, activity duration, intensity of an exercise, and level of relaxation. Users can easily customize the app to help them achieve their personal fitness goals while tracking their progress at a glance.
The ASUS ZenWatch is set to carry the $260 price tag. It is scheduled to hit the store shelves in the third and fourth quarter of the year.
