I’ve been reluctant in writing about smartwatches lately because they tend to have high prices and may not really interest you, my readers.
However, ASUS’ announcement of the official price for the ASUS ZenWatch 2 has changed that. Its cheapest version will only cost you €149 which is just a little under ₱8,000 – that’s considerably cheaper than the Moto 360 or Samsung Gear S2.
The ASUS ZenWatch 2 comes in two sizes – a smaller 1.45 inches and the full-sized 1.63 inches. Both are housed in stainless steel case in gunmetal black, silver or rose gold and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Straps come in a variety of choices and can be easily replaced. There are straps made of metal, leather and fabric in the same color choices as above. The crown button can’t be rotated though and merely wakes the watch when pressed.
It can also be customized in the software level with the ASUS FaceDesigner app where users can select or even design their own watch face.
| The ASUS ZenWatch 2 shows notifications from the What’s Next app. |
When connected to an Android phone or iPhone, the ASUS ZenWatch 2 can control your smartphone and show at a glance notifications for calls, messages, schedules, emails and other apps like Facebook. There’s Google Now too for a quick voice search and voice commands.
ASUS ships the smartwatch with some pre-installed apps. This includes ZenWatch Message which is a messaging app solely for watches, ASUS Wellness for health and fitness tracking and Remote Camera for taking a photo remotely using your smartphone.
It can also be set to automatically unlock your phone when the two are in close range. It can even display a warning when you forget your phone.
| The ASUS ZenWatch 2 can also serve as your workout coach. |
A quad core Snapdragon 400 processor powers the ASUS ZenWatch 2 with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of built-in storage space.
Battery is rated at 400mAh and can last a whole day of normal usage or 2 days of minimal ‘smart stuff’. The smaller version is stuck with a merely 300mAh battery though.
If you’re more interested with the larger ZenWatch 2, that is still quite affordable as far as smartwatches are concerned for €169 or around ₱9,000.
