Asus ZenWatch Review

The company Asus joined in the slander for wearable devices on Android with a “smart” watch with a bold design, although for it was chosen a rectangular dial, and materials and appearance that can compete with Apple Watch. In this case, ZenWatch is not at all a clone, at the same time standing out from a cohort of wearable android devices. Asus has made one of the best wearable devices, which means that sometimes you can wait a bit and evaluate the market.

Main characteristics:

• 1.63 ”display (41.4 mm) 320 × 320
• 51 x 39.9 mm body
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz processor
• 4GB memory, RAM 512MB RAM
• IP55 water resistance, Gorilla Glass 3
• Recommended price: $ 199.99

pros

• Great design
• The best strap from the bundled Android watch

Minuses

• Big for small wrists
• Wide frame

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Design

Attractive and unique - the metal case of polished stainless steel and brushed rose gold. Slightly rounded Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects the flat display. Strap with an easily detachable buckle.

Watches look like retrogadzhet, which could fit into the style of the series "Mad Men". The rounded edges of the rim smooth out the overall look of a rather large dial, and it already looks not so big on the wrists of medium and large size. There are small flaws - the square screen is almost lost in the black frame, and still the clock turned out to be too big. But as a result of appearance, they successfully declare themselves.

Build quality is uniquely high. Even the back of the case looks good. Matt rounded surface pleasantly touches the wrist.

Cradle for charging proprietary hours. Keeps the watch well, while removing and inserting it is easy. It is a pity that there is no micro USB charging, like the Sony Smartwatch 3.

Properties

Everything that we love wearable devices on Android is present. Here you have messages from your smartphone, integration with Google Fit, and voice input of commands and search.

There is its own companion application offering additional features, including custom dials. They are grouped by the amount of information displayed, and allow you to customize not only the visual elements, but also what information will be on the screen. A good balance between a fully customizable system, difficult for beginners, and a fixed set of useful features.

The application allows you to track the battery and offers several interesting features: when an incoming call, covering the dial with your hand, you turn off the sound; watch search; notification of a forgotten phone when Bluetooth is disconnected. Among the tools are a compass, dial highlighting and an SOS call, which sends messages to selected contacts in emergency situations.

Asus has made a good selection of the features that are needed for the Wear platform. The user himself could find and install these applications, but it is more convenient to manage them from a single console.

Speed ​​performance

The clock copes well with its tasks, voice recognition works well. The muted display allows you to see the necessary information, while maintaining battery power. The screen is legible, although the individual pixels differ with the eye.

The clock has a pulse meter. Other devices place it on the back of the case, and for correct measurement, the watch must be worn on a tight-fitting strap. Asus went the other way, and placed the sensor directly below the screen. To measure the pulse, you must attach a finger to it.

Battery life expectancy does not set records - it lasts for a day with a little, unlike, for example, from LG G Watch R, which promise more than two days of continuous work. However, the duration of work is comparable with similar devices Android Wear.

Total

Asus shares first place in the ranking of Android Wear devices with G Watch R. The design of the favorites differs dramatically, so they are likely to appeal to different audiences. View ZenWatch is more suitable for those who are committed to business or business casual, and externally dials look better by default than LG.

As a result: if you care first of all about the appearance, take Asus. If you are interested in an extra day on a single charge, then LG. In any case, the remaining competitors among Android Wear are no match for them.