Asus has unveiled the predecessor to its positively received Asus ZenWatch, the predictably named ZenWatch 2, at Asia's Computex on Monday, and the new device is proof that Asus has a much better grasp of how it's like to develop smart devices that people want to wear on their wrist.
The Taiwanese smartwatch maker is on top of its game when it comes to design, with the ZenWatch 2 taking after the square, stainless steel watch body of its predecessor. This time, however, the ZenWatch 2 comes with a couple of refinements, more choices and, yes, a thing or two it learned from the launch of the Apple Watch.
Most obvious is the metal watch crown that Asus decided to add in an effort to "provide a new way to interact with the watch." Also, this is the first Android Wear smartwatch to be offered in two versions, one with a 37 mm body with an 18 mm band for smaller wrists and another with a 41 mm body with a larger 22 mm band, similar to the two sizes for the Apple Watch.
Asus is also offering a plethora of choices for customers, with the stainless steel body coming in silver, gunmetal and rose gold and the straps available in blue, orange, red and taupe rubber for a more casual look, brown, gray, blue, orange and khaki leather for something more refined, and silver, gunmetal and rose gold metal bands for those who want something more luxurious. And for some dose of opulence, buyers won't get the ZenWatch 2 in gold, but Asus has partnered with Swarovski for a leather strap embossed with sparkling Swarovski crystals embossed in a diamond pattern.
Beyond its looks, the ZenWatch 2 features an AMOLED display protected by a slightly curved piece of Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by a Qualcomm processor, but Asus declined to specify which one. The older ZenWatch runs on a Snapdragon 400, so it is likely that the new smartwatch does not run on anything older than that. The ZenWatch 2 is also IP67 water and dust-resistant, and ASUS says the user can wear his smartwatch at all times, even in the shower or during exercise.
Charging also gets an improvement, with Asus putting in a new magnetic charging cable in place of the old snap-on plastic cradle for the first-gen ZenWatch. Asus says the new technology will offer "dramatically improved battery recharge times," but that still needs to be put to the test. Also, buyers who get the larger, 41 mm watch get an extra bonus of being able to use their ZenWatch 2 as a power bank if their smartphones run out of juice, although Asus is not yet offering any details as to how they can do this.
The ZenWatch 2 runs on the latest version of Android Wear and, like the recently announced LG Watch Urbane, offers all of the new features Google offers on its platform. It also features Wellness, Asus' "comprehensive solution" to managing all the user's health and fitness information, as well as an enhanced Remote Camera, which lets users use their watch as a viewfinder when taking pictures with their smartphone.
