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ASUS officially announced its affordable smartwatch, the ZenWatch 2 back on September 2, and as of now itis available in the Google Store. The ZenWatch 2 doesn’t have such an appealing look as the latest Apple Watch, LG Watch Urbane or any other highly- priced smartwatch released this year but it is a good device for its price. The ZenWatch 2 starts at $149, which is a really low priced compared to other similar gadgets manufactured by Apple, LG or Motorola. Of course, there is also a quality difference alongside the lower price, but Asus’ ZenWatch 2 is perfectly capable of offering the latest Android experience to its owners.
The ZenWatch 2’s design is similar to the original ZenWatch. It kept the square- ish design with rounded top and bottom, so there is no news there, but ASUS added a button to the side of the gadget. This addition is there to enable turning the device on and returning to the watch face after using an application. A new thing about the ZenWatch 2 is that it now comes in two different sizes. You can opt for a 49 mm ZenWatch 2 or for a slightly smaller, 45 mm version of the gadget. The device comes in three different colors: gold, silver and gunmetal. Users can also choose between a rubber, leather or stainless steel band, so there is room for personalizing the smartwatch as you wish.
The larger model features a 1.63- inch AMOLED display with 320 x 320 resolution, while the 45 mm version sports a 1.45- inch display with 280 x 280 pixels resolution. The ZenWatch 2 is powered by a Snapdragon 400 processor and includes 512 MB RAM and 4 GB internal storage. Coming to the battery, the larger model is equipped with a 400 mAh battery while the smaller version has a 300 mAh battery. This should be enough to ensure one and a half day use between charges, possibly up to two days on the bigger battery. Another new feature compared to the original ZenWatch consists in the magnetic charger cable the ZenWatch 2 comes with. This should make charging faster, so it is a welcome change.
As for the features- part of the ZenWatch 2, it runs on Android Wear, but it also offers a number of other ZenWatch-exclusive watch faces. It also offers its users a new way to communicate, thanks to the ZenWatch Message feature. This enables direct watch-to-watch communication and allows users to send emojis and doodles to other devices. The ZenWatch 2 also has a smart assistant app that is native to the device and aims to give users a bit more timely information. It comes as a surprise that the ZenWatch 2 only features a pedometer, lacking the heart- rate sensor that all smartwatches nowadays have. Whether this is a plus or a minus, we will let you decide for yourselves.
The ZenWatch 2 may not have the premium feel of other, more highly- priced smartwatches have, but it has a nice design which can be personalized and it offers the basic features that any user would need. Given its really low price tag, we think that the price/ quality ratio is pretty good, so it can be a great option for people who would like to own a smartwatch. For now it is only available in Google Play Store but it is said to get to other locations as well in the near future.
