Asus may have its first round smartwatch in the pipeline dubbed ZenWatch 3, as suggested by leaked images of the wearable.
The smartwatch was originally spotted in a listing by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Now, latest photos of the purported Asus offering have now been leaked from China's National Communications Commission (NCC). Reports suggest that the Chinese agency may have forgotten to ask Asus if the company wanted the images to stay confidential.
If the leaked images of the ZenWatch 3 are to be believed then it could be the first Asus smartwatch with a round dial. Previous versions of the ZenWatch were available in different sizes, but they all had rectangular dials.
The leaks from FCC revealed that the ZenWatch 3 will have a stainless steel body, which has been re-affirmed by the NCC leak. Latest images show that the Asus wearable will have three buttons on the side. The ZenWatch 3 will not support contactless charging as the leaked images show two pins at the back of the wearable, which would be used for charging the device via a charging dock.
The ZenWatch 3 is expected to support Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz). It is likely that the next Asus smartwatch will run on Android Wear 2.0.
Wearables with a round form factor have attracted many customers. A number of smartwatches such as Motorola Moto 360, Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 and more have round dial. However, Apple Watch, which is one of the most popular smartwatches available in the market has a rectangular dial.
Asus revealed the original ZenWatch during the 2014 IFA. The successor of the wearable — ZenWatch 2 — was announced at the 2015 IFA. Given the launches of the previous ZenWatch models, it is highly likely that Asus will confirm the next-gen ZenWatch 3 at the upcoming 2016 IFA that kicks off in early September.
Just like the ZenWatch 2, the ZenWatch 3 may also be compatible with iOS and Android devices. The ZenWatch 2 enables users to get 50 percent charging in just 36 minutes. ZenWatch 3 customers should expect similar or faster charging capability of their smartwatch.
At launch, the ZenWatch 2 had a price tag of about $150 in the U.S. Customers will hope that the ZenWatch 3 has similar pricing as its predecessor.
Asus has not confirmed any details of the ZenWatch 3, which means customers should take rumors with a pinch of salt. Wearable fans will have to wait for about a couple of weeks to find if Asus officially launches its next smartwatch at the IFA.
