Asus has recently unveiled the new Asus Vivo Watch, but it's not the first smartwatch to come from the Taiwanese manufacturer.
In fact, Asus has made quite a name for itself in the wearable industry with last year's introduction of the Asus ZenWatch, one of the remarkable new pieces of technology running on Android Wear that can be considered comparable with the most popular smartwatches running on Google's platform, namely Samsung's Gear Live, Moto 360, and LG G Watch.
If you're planning to buy an Android Wear smartwatch, the ZenWatch should be up there as one of your top choices, but what about the Vivo Watch?
Asus has not released full details about its new device yet, including information about product release in the U.S. We do know, however, that the Vivo Watch will sell for £120 in the UK, where it is set to launch first, and that translates into approximately $180 in the U.S.
Based on the information we now have about the Vivo Watch, it's set to be a very different device from its brother. So while the $200 ZenWatch may have made a small following for itself, the Vivo Watch will likely be able to hold its own. Which device should you get? Is it time to get yourself a ZenWatch or should you hold out for the Vivo Watch? Let's take a closer look.
Design
The ZenWatch is considered one of the best-looking Android Wear smartwatches out there. Taking a different path from Motorola and LG's circular route to laudable design, Asus decided that a squarish display somewhat similar to the Apple Watch is the way to go. It's not a straight-edged square, but it's not a full-blown circle either. Instead, the brushed steel bezel ends in square edges that round out at the corners. Completing that premium look is a tan leather strap that feels soft and comfortable on the wrist.
The Vivo Watch also appears to adopt its older brother's square-circle display, although the bezel appears to be thinner than on the ZenWatch. Asus says it has a standard 22 mm replaceable strap that, from the looks of it, appears to be made from some kind of black synthetic material. It's not leather like the one on the ZenWatch, that's for sure, but users can easily swap out the strap for something else if they want. You can also change straps on the ZenWatch. The only thing we find amiss on the Vivo Watch is the not-so-subtle Asus logo sitting dead center of the top of the screen.
Battery Life
Few smartwatches ever make it past one or two days of battery life without needing a recharge. The newly launched Apple Watch needs to be charged every night, and most of the Android Wear devices won't last two days on a single charge. The ZenWatch, with its 369 mAh battery can take you to day two under certain conditions, such as if you use it minimally or if you turn off the always-on display, a feature that makes it work like a regular watch. However, you'll still need a recharge by the middle of the second day if you want your ZenWatch to get you through to bedtime.
This is where the Vivo Watch wins over the ZenWatch. Asus claims that its new smartwatch will last a full 10 days on a single charge. That's not impossible, considering other smartwatches such as the Pebble Time, Fitbit Surge, and Garmin Vivoactive all tout a much longer battery life. However, you're sure to see some major compromises on the Vivo Watch to get it to last that long.
Most noticeable among these trade-offs is the low-power 128 x 128 display covered by Gorilla Glass 3, compared with the 320 x 320 AMOLED display on the ZenWatch. Asus did not say if the Vivo Watch will have an e-ink display, but all other smartwatches boasting long battery life have traded bright LCD touchscreens like the one on the ZenWatch for e-ink.
Apps and Usage
The ZenWatch is an Android Wear smartwatch, and if you've seen any Android Wear smartwatch, you've seen them all. This device can connect to any smartphone running on Android 4.3 or higher and can do pretty much all of the things an Android Wear device can do, such as unlocking your phone with your ZenWatch, muting calls and alarms by covering the watch with your hands, and controlling music on your Android phone with your watch.
You can also track a few basic fitness stats on your ZenWatch, such as the number of steps taken and your heart rate. However, it's not just the leather band and the steel casing that makes the ZenWatch unfit as a fitness device. It's mostly the inaccurate stats you would get on the smartwatch.
Asus seems to be making up for its gaffe on the ZenWatch with the Vivo Watch, which appears to be a full-on fitness-focused device with a host of sensors for things such as heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking. It has also IP67 water resistance, a UV sensor, and a Happiness Index, which gauges how happy you are based on your sleep and activity levels.
On the other hand, the Vivo Watch is not an Android Wear device, and you're not likely to enjoy some of the more advanced features on the ZenWatch on a Vivo Watch.
Which One is For You?
Obviously, the Asus ZenWatch and the Asus Vivo Watch are two very different smartwatches with very different uses. The ZenWatch, with its handsome steel-and-leather design is an Android Wear smartwatch you can wear during regular days at the office, running errands, or even at night during an office party or a swankier event.
The Vivo Watch, on the other hand, is more a fitness tracker than an all-around device. The ZenWatch is not exactly known for accuracy in tracking basic fitness metrics, and that is where the Vivo Watch comes in. Still, it's best to hold out for the full details of the Vivo Watch before making up your mind.
