Many major OEMs have created smartwatches that are powered by Google’s relatively new platform for wearable devices called Android Wear. Samsung, LG and Motorola were among the first to unveil products that they had built on top of this platform. ASUS joined the fray as well with the Android Wear powered ZenWatch but now it is taking a step back. The company is developing a new smartwatch that isn’t powered by Android Wear.
ASUS wants to deliver exceptional battery life with its next smartwatch, some reports have even suggested that its shooting for an entire week on single charge, and for that to happen the company might replace Android Wear with a new operating system.
Battery life is undoubtedly the biggest issue when it comes to these wearable devices. Even smartwatches like the Moto 360 have been criticized for not having a big enough battery. This issue is also expected to plague the Apple Watch.
Along with the new operating system ASUS is going to use a new simplified MediaTek chipset that is currently being developed. The company hopes that this combination will allow its next product to offer more uptime on a single charge.
That doesn’t mean ASUS is giving up on Android Wear altogether. CEO Jerry Shen has said that ASUS will continue to work with Google on Android Wear, a successor to the ZenWatch is on the cards already, so it is not abandoning the platform.
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