After much teasing, ASUS has finally taken the wraps off its smartwatch – the ASUS ZenWatch. As far as beautiful smartwatches are concerned, the Moto 360 led the pack for quite a while with its stylish round face which felt more like a watch than a hi-tech gadget. We admit we were a little skeptical about the ZenWatch and its rectangular-ish face, but based on the images we’ve seen, we have to say we’re pretty impressed.
The watch will come with a stainless steel case and its surface will sport a 1.63-inch 320×320 AMOLED 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 3 display. It will also come with a genuine stitched leather watch strap which adds to its luxurious nature, although wearers are free to swap out the strap with an 22mm band of their own choosing if they feel that this is not the image they want to portray.
Under the hood the ZenWatch will pack a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 chipset, which is the same chipset used by the Samsung Gear Live, the LG G Watch, and the LG G Watch R. It will be accompanied by 512MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard storage, and a 1.4Wh battery. There is a built-in bio sensor that will be able to monitor your heart rate and with its IP55 rating, you should be able to rinse it under the tap every now and then.
According to ASUS’ Design Center VP, Mitch Yang, “Our design philosophy is Start with People. We want to deliver a seamless digital experience for everyone to enjoy. With our ZenWatch, you will always be connected to everything that matters in your life.” The ASUS ZenWatch will be priced at 199 Euro and is expected to be made available later this year.
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