Review of ASUS ZenWatch smartwatches: this is a must see. Smart watches Asus Watches Asus Zen Watch

Despite some disadvantages, ASUS's watches turned out to be quite good. Yes, they do not have Wi-Fi and the operating time of the device leaves much to be desired, but the first experience of the Taiwanese in this niche can be called successful. The emphasis in the watch is not on technology, but on design and comfort, which is not entirely usual. However, for a gadget that you wear on your hand every day, ease of use is perhaps more important, and not how many sensors it has. The watch copes with the main tasks, even measures the pulse, but you can do without the rest. Surprisingly, the price of this watch is lower than that of its competitors, although the ASUS ZenWatch is presented as a luxury gadget. You can buy them in the US for $199, which is $50 cheaper than the same Moto 360 or Sony SmartWatch 3, although they have a little more features. What can we say about the Apple Watch, the starting price of which is $349. In Russia, the new product will cost 17 thousand rubles, unfortunately, the price is no longer very attractive. The same SmartWatch 3 with a steel strap is already sold for 15 thousand, and Moto 360 is easy to find for 12-13 thousand rubles. When choosing, price can be the main factor, because the gadgets do not differ much in function. Sales of ZenWatch will begin in a week, on June 1, with a noticeable delay, because almost six months have passed since the international start of sales. In addition, this year many companies, including ASUS, plan to announce new models of Android Wear devices. This means that ZenWatch will simply become obsolete pretty soon, but prices will be adjusted downward, which can attract buyers.

Asus Zen Watch 3 is a well-known representative of the line of smart devices from a relatively young manufacturer. Thanks to the thoughtfulness of every detail during development, the third watch model of this company quickly won the trust of users on the world market. Below is a detailed description of the Asus ZenWatch 3 sample.

Equipment

Smartwatch manufacturer Asus has taken into account all aspects of using the device. The packaging is equipped with a set of all necessary parts. The buyer does not have to purchase important components himself. Everything is included in the set.

The package includes:

Instructions for use
Charger (dock or cradle)
Charger cord
Watch stand

The device stand may be lost. When purchasing an Asus ZenWatch, you should inquire about the availability of all components of the set. The stand is important when charging the model.

Design and materials

The Asus Zen Watch 3 smartwatch represents a classic example of device styling. Due to the materials used in the development of the model and the massive design of the case, this device is not suitable for a woman’s hand.

Frame

The dial of the Asus smart watch has a large diameter. The body of this model is made in a round shape. He's massive. The material of manufacture played a role here. The gadget is made of stainless steel. Its brand is 316L, which indicates high quality.

A colored coating is applied over the stainless steel. Its shade is dark, the color is black-brown. This combination is called “weapon metal”. There are two more versions of the case – “red gold” and “silver”.

There are raised buttons on the side of the case. Their massiveness complements the design with a brutal element. There are bronze rings under the buttons. They complement the overall style of the model well. There is nothing superfluous in the design; the device looks organic.

Strap

Each version of Asus smartwatches is equipped with a strap of a specific color. This was done for an organic appearance:

"Gun Metal" has a black strap
“Red gold” is equipped with a light brown strap
The case strap “Silver” is painted beige

Design Features

The design of the Asus Zen Watch 3 is simple. Thanks to this, managing the watch is easy. The back of the case is equipped with a speaker and charging contacts.

The dial is equipped with three side buttons:

Upper
Central
Lower

Each of the buttons has its own purpose. The top button can be customized for various actions. Each owner uses it differently, in accordance with their requirements for comfortable use. Most often, she is entrusted with the function of launching applications.

The button located in the center is responsible for power. You can use it to turn the clock on or off. It also allows you to instantly exit to the main screen or reset. The bottom button is responsible for two actions. It will help you quickly enter airplane mode. You can also use it to activate battery saving.

The design of the watch does not allow it to be placed on a table with the dial facing up. It's all about the transition of the case to the strap. The manufacturer has developed the design of the device so that this border is invisible on the hand. The illusion of a continuous line is created. However, this reduced the stability of the watch.

Other Features

The gadget model in question is equipped with protection. Unlike most Chinese models, Asus Zen Watch 3 has Gorilla Glass.

This is a special protective type of coating. Glass is distinguished by a slight convex surface. Its importance lies in the reliable protection of the device’s display from scratches, impacts, etc. The presence of additional protective film is not necessary here. Thanks to Gorilla Glass, the gadget does without this.

The Asus Zen Watch is also equipped with a waterproof casing. The moisture protection here complies with the IP67 standard. This indicates the possibility of bathing, washing hands, etc., without removing the gadget from your hand.

Technical capabilities

The Asus Zen Watch 3 line of smart watches is considered one of the best on the global market. This is due not only to the stylish design and convenient construction. This model gained popularity due to its technical features. Let's look at them.

Model characteristics:

Dimensions are 45×45×9.9-10.6mm
With strap, the device weighs 60g
Without strap, weight is 48g

An important role is played by the processor and RAM capabilities. Let's look at this issue in more detail.

Sample Internal Contents

Noteworthy is the processor of the Asus Zen Watch 3 WI503Q smart watch. This is a powerful example of Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 (APQ8009). The device works great with it.

The base operating system is Android Wear. The model under consideration is capable of working with all its versions. It is worth noting the impossibility of working with other systems. RAM 512MB. That's not a lot. However, the built-in memory expands the capabilities of the gadget – 4GB.

The device is equipped with two sensors – an accelerometer and a 6-axis gyroscope. There is also a built-in microphone. This sample has the ability to connect to a wireless Internet network.

The woman had no troubles, but she bought piglets!

(Folk wisdom)

We have the next ones on test Asus Zenwatch smartwatch. The device turned out to be extremely ambiguous. On the one hand, the device looks stylish and can be of interest not only to technologists, but also to ordinary consumers, on the other hand, the gadget runs on Google’s Android Wear OS and this is a pain. We’ll talk about the nuances of operation and the need for purchase in this review.

Equipment

As you know, people are greeted by their clothes. So we will not deviate from this rule and first look at the packaging. The latter is a small box made of thick cardboard with high-quality printing. It is immediately clear that we are dealing with a serious matter. At least that's what it may seem like when you first meet.

Unpacking is one thing, but putting the box back together is not an easy task.

Inside, the watch itself is neatly laid out on a cardboard backing. And under them, each in its own compartments, there are accessories: power cable, charger and accompanying documentation. Against the backdrop of euphoria obtained as a result of unpacking, we move on to inspecting the device.

Design

I’ll say right away that from a distance, without understanding the details, the Asus Zenwatch looks very cool and very solid.

Moreover, the watch looks even more interesting than its main competitor, the Apple Watch, which looks more like a hand-held compass or Tamogotchi. However, delving deeper into the nuances of appearance, you realize that when using an apple product, you become more and more imbued with convenience, some thoughtful little details, funny goodies and the quality of materials. With Zenwatch it's exactly the opposite.

The first is the leather strap. The understanding immediately comes that there is no smell of the nobility of natural leather here (maybe the smell has already dissipated).

Varnished, tight, more like plastic, with no smell, it does not give the impression of the high cost or status of the product.

The included strap looks more like a cheap leatherette watch for 300-500 rubles from an underground passage. Fortunately, it is very easy to replace it yourself with any other bracelet.

I only liked the clasp. The mechanism is very easy to adjust to any wrist and even easier to snap onto your hand or unfasten. Everything here is simple, graceful and even, I must say, elegant.

Next is the glass that covers the front panel. It is curved at the edges, that is, it can conditionally fit into the category of 2.5D glass. Due to this shape, it plays well in the light and, coupled with the sloping design of the watch, looks great.

The downside is that all this is very impractical. The glare on the curved glass plays catch-up with each other, shimmering in different colors at different angles, thereby interfering with the perception of information on the screen. As a result, it seems that it would be better if the glass were entirely flat. A display with a weak reserve of brightness adds fuel to the fire. On the street, especially in bright sunlight, it fades and it is very difficult to make out anything on the screen.

There is a very wide bezel around the display. Ultimately, the screen looks somewhat toy-like against the backdrop of the large front surface area. Having once focused attention on this point, style and design are already perceived differently and, unfortunately, not for the best.

There are special sensors hidden on the sides of the screen that measure heart rate. You must carefully place your index and middle fingers on these places to correctly measure your heartbeat. In addition, the watch itself must be worn on the hand for correct measurement. In general, checking your pulse is quick and painless, but it is important to remember that your fingers must be placed on the front surface of the gadget strictly at the same time, otherwise the watch will return you to the main screen and you will have to start everything over again. “Just think! What nonsense! “We can run the measurement again,” you say. However, when this happens two or three times in a row, it’s no longer a joke.

On the back of the gadget there is a contact area for connecting it to the charger and a button to turn on the device with an extremely indistinguishable response and generally dubious functionality. Still, you can turn off or restart the watch from the settings menu.

There are no complaints about the assembly of the device. All parts fit together very well.

In addition, high-quality case materials are used here - stainless, polished steel. A bronze-gold metal gasket is used on the sides. Again, this all looks very good. We have already discussed the issue of practicality.

Display

The watch has an AMOLED screen with a diagonal of 1.63 inches and a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels. 278 pixels per square inch is a pixel density, which overall seems like a good number. However, individual pixels are clearly visible, since the display itself is tiny and you have to peer at the interface from a closer distance (20-30 cm).

The display has mainly two problems. The first is the lack of brightness. Most likely, this parameter is artificially low so that the battery charge is not consumed so quickly. In the sun, the screen goes blind and it is very difficult to make out anything on it, but I have already touched on this issue above.

The second negative point is the use of active matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLED). Hence the increased contrast and a pronounced greenish glow in the picture, which appears even with the slightest deviation from the right viewing angle.

When the display is in sleep mode, only the outline of the currently set chronometer is illuminated. In other words, the screen is always on, but you can configure this item in the menu.

It’s not easy to call a touch surface sensitive.

Despite the fact that the screen can accommodate, at best, two menu items, the system does not always correctly recognize keystrokes. It seems like I clicked on the “Ok” icon, but it turned out that I swiped to the right and the interface returned to the chronometer. I swiped to the right to remove the notification, and the device recognized the touch as if I had moved down to the next notification. All these moments do not bring pleasure from using the gadget.

The sad thing is that the capacitive display of the device reacts to any touch on it. For example, a user wanted to scratch his shoulder blade, reached behind his back with his hand, and accidentally pressed the dial with his cheek. Of course, the watch will think that the owner wants to change the design of the chronometer and will go into setting mode. So, why not implement the function of recognizing various touches and, as a result, ignoring false touches in the next generation of wearable electronics. Still, a single tap with a finger and a long press of the screen over the entire area with the cheek are two different gestures.

Specifications Asus Zenwatch WI500Q

Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz processor
RAM 512 MB
Built-in memory 4 GB eMMC Flash
AMOLED display 1.63" with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels (278 ppi)
Protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3
sensors: accelerometer, heart rate sensor
Android Wear OS 5.1.1
battery (polymer) 1.4 W*h
built-in microphone
IP55 water and dust protection
Bluetooth 4.0
Dimensions: 39.9 x 51 x 9.4 mm
weight: 50 g (case) + 25 g (22 mm strap)

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the watch does not have Wi-Fi, NFC or a built-in GPS receiver. Many wearable devices from 2014 - 2015 have support for all these wireless interfaces, but Asus considered them unnecessary, at least in the first generation of their product. A strange approach, especially given the fact that in the latest Android Wear update, Google allowed the watch to receive all the necessary notifications independently from a smartphone via a Wi-Fi network. The thing is convenient, but not for Zenwatch.

Software stuffing

With all the controversial aspects of the appearance of the Asus Zenwatch, the presence Android Wear 5.1.1 as a software component of the watch, this is perhaps the biggest drawback of the watch that can be identified.

Firstly, this OS negatively affects the battery life of the gadget, but we will return to this issue later.

Secondly, it is ease of use and interface logic, which is traditionally far from ideal.

As before, it is impossible to go back a step, or, more precisely, this is not possible in all places in the system. Swiping to the right takes the user to the watch face and he has to go through the menu again to find the desired item. Fortunately, now, when diving deep into the device parameters, you can go back one step, and not to the main screen, as it was before. Progress that has not yet covered all areas of the interface.

Using the watch, and especially setting it up for the average user, is further complicated by the fact that for some reason Asus decided to develop additional applications for working with the watch with its own vision of many of the device’s functions. Warning - sarcasm! Of course, all users need additional programs that duplicate existing software from Google. As a result, the consumer becomes completely confused about what and where is configured in his new gadget. Not only does a person have to remember which parameter item is on the watch and which should be configured in the Android Wear application on the smartphone, but in the case of Zenwatch something can also be changed in proprietary software from Asus. Head is spinning!

A striking example of such a counterintuitive approach is customizing the device’s watch face. Now there are very, very many of them and everyone can find something they more or less like. So, the dial can be changed in the following ways:

Press your finger on the main screen of your device. A list of chronometers available for installation will immediately appear.
An item has appeared in the settings, from where you can again go to the list of loaded shells.
In the app on your Android Wear smartphone, you can change watch face settings in real time and immediately see how they look on your wearable assistant.
That's not all. Absolutely the same functionality from the previous paragraph is available in a proprietary utility from Asus called ZenWatch Manager.

Well, we can only wait for Google or our Taiwanese manufacturer to add support for changing watch faces via a web client in a desktop browser. Somehow there’s nowhere to turn around, you know!

The third problem with the device lies in the speed of its operation. Many menu items and scrolling through lists are seriously slow.

The system does not respond to touches at lightning speed. In order to use the watch in any way other than viewing time and steps, you need to have a lot of patience. It happens that the system seems to be loading and the speed of the animation is not satisfactory, but often, especially after a long period of rest, the clock still seriously slows down.

We have already said that the built-in display does not have sufficient brightness reserve. However, in the parameters you cannot set the time during which the backlight will not go out.

The default is 5 seconds and that's it. If you don’t have time to watch something, be so kind as to tap on the screen again, which, by the way, can only wake up with 3-4 touches. By the way, the physical button, which is located on the back of the watch, always wakes up the display the first time, but when the gadget is worn, it is very difficult to reach.

The negative aspects don't end there. Lost connections with a smartphone that is located at a distance of 50 centimeters is a separate topic for conversation.

Application notifications, navigation and other watch behavior can be customized so that all this does not distract you from important matters too often. However, it is impossible to turn off the vigorous vibration of both the watch and the smartphone when contact is lost.

Personally, I consider driving a car an activity in which unnecessary stimuli are at least unnecessary. However, when in thirty minutes the watch notifies you three times by vibration that “Phone is turned off,” you will immediately want to say goodbye to the accessory.

I don't know why the phone turns off. This could be software glitches or serious digital interference from surrounding Wi-Fi or Bluetooth networks. However, the consumer should not be concerned about such nuances. Either the accessory must work as expected, or, at worst, there must be the possibility of detailed configuration of such personal moments that interfere in your life in a completely unceremonious way.

Battery life

And here there is nothing to please you, friends. Zenwatch works under average load (1-2 notifications every half hour, viewing them, about 10 incoming calls per day) for a little over a day. If the watch is charged 100% and placed on a shelf, it will work for two days. This is far from a record, but rather the harsh realities of our days.

The installed, relatively powerful hardware, software in the form of Android Wear and constant disconnections with the phone have a negative impact on the battery life of the accessory.

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Bottom line

Currently official Asus Zenwatch price is 16,990 rubles. In some stores you can find it cheaper - 12,499 rubles.

Of course, when using Zenwatch, there are those rare moments when you feel pleasure from purchasing another new digital product. This is usually accompanied by modest joy from the fact that we have finally found a pleasant-looking skin for the main screen. And besides, receiving notifications and not having to reach into your bag or pocket for your smartphone every time to find out about the next incredibly profitable offer from an air carrier is still damn convenient.

Otherwise, this is a toy, and most of the time it works extremely poorly. Constant connection breaks, slowdowns in the menu, incorrect recognition of keystrokes, a bad screen - all this will “delight” you most of the time. It’s sad that the user receives all these “pleasures” by paying quite a considerable amount of money.

Before purchasing an Asus Zenwatch, or indeed any smart watch on Android Wear, you should think a thousand times about the feasibility of such a purchase. You risk losing not only money, but also a lot of nerves already in the process of using the device, and this is much more valuable for any modern person than another electronic gadget that needs to be charged every day.

Already on sale Price: from 12,499 rubles

I never thought of a watch as an accessory. And I’ve also never experienced the joy of the very fact that some miniature mechanical thing is dangling from my wrist. I wore the watch with pleasure during my school years, both for the opportunity to quickly find out the time and for the built-in alarm clock, stopwatch and timer. After the mobile phone appeared, I began to wear my watch less and less, and then I gave it up altogether. Fortunately, even the simplest “handset” already had a clock, a stopwatch, and an alarm clock.

I've been looking at smartwatches for a long time. After all, at first glance, this is the reincarnation of the good old “Electronics”, only at a fundamentally new technical level. That is, a kind of universal gadget that, in addition to showing the time, can do a bunch of other things. What stopped me was the price - I didn’t want to pay a lot of money for an unknown animal that lived on battery power for just over a day and threatened to be completely useless. And the reviews existing on the Internet somehow did not convince me of the usefulness of such gadgets.

I reacted with great enthusiasm to the proposal to take the Asus ZenWatch 3 for testing and almost tore it away from Evgeniy along with his hands. I was not so much interested in ZenWatch 3 as such, but in watches on Android Wear in general.

Characteristics

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100
Operating system: Android Wear
RAM: 512 MB
Data Storage: 4GB eMMC
Display: AMOLED 1.39", 400x400
Case material: stainless steel steel
Dimensions: 45x45x9.5 mm
Interfaces: Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi
Battery: 340 mAh

Design

For the most part, smartwatches are quite bulky things. No matter how hard manufacturers try, they still can’t pack a bunch of powerful hardware into a thin body. It’s all the more pleasant that Asus engineers did not sit idly by and honestly tried to win back even a fraction of a millimeter from their competitors. The thickness of ZenWatch 3 was 9.95 mm, which is very, very good for a smartwatch. For comparison, the thickness of the second generation Moto 360 and Apple Watch Series 2 is 11.4 mm, the LG Watch Urbane is exactly 11 mm, and the Huawei Watch 2 Classic is 12.6 mm. The only trouble is that the eye usually doesn’t notice this millimeter difference anyway.

Designers came to the rescue of engineers. The streamlined design, beveled edges, and the display recessed inside the body favorably emphasize the small thickness of the gadget. As a result, ZenWatch 3 really doesn't look bulky. And they look quite good on both men’s and women’s hands.

The watch case is made of stainless steel, available in three colors: metal, silver and rose gold. The strap is made using Italian technology from genuine leather. Its fastenings are non-standard, and I think that it will be difficult to find an alternative option. There are only two branded leather straps - light beige and dark brown leather. Judging by the store offers, there is also a silicone strap, although for some reason it is not mentioned on the official website.

Below are several photos of watches in different colors from the manufacturer’s official website.

Asus designers say that when developing the design of ZenWatch 3, they were inspired by a solar eclipse. There really is something to this. The dark gold bezel between the steel body and the black circle of the darkened display looks very impressive.

There are three control keys on the side. The central one is stylized as a wheel (you can spin it, but it’s useless) and serves as the “Home” button. The bottom button switches the watch to energy-saving mode. You can assign a quick launch of an application to the top one; by default, this is the Asus ZenFit fitness tracker. For the most part, the two additional buttons are a design tribute. They make the ZenWatch look more interesting, but have almost no practical use.

On the bottom side of the case there is a connector for the charger and speaker slots. The magnetic mount is perfect - you just need to bring the charger close to the watch and it clicks into place. But there is no heart rate sensor on this watch, which may upset many.

Hardware and performance

The heart of the device is the Snapdragon Wear 2100 SOC. This is the first processor in the new Qualcomm line, originally designed for wearable devices. Essentially, it is a redesigned version of the Snapdragon 400. The main differences between the Snapdragon Wear 2100 and its predecessor are its compactness (the difference reaches 30%) and energy efficiency (power consumption is reduced by 25%).

As for performance as such, at this stage of development of smartwatches there is simply no place to evaluate it. The interface works smoothly, simple games like 2048 do not slow down. If there is anything that raises questions about them, it is ergonomics, not the power of the hardware.

Screen

In the comments under the review of any tablet or smartphone with an AMOLED display, a debate will certainly begin about the pros and cons of this technology. Some people still complain that they can distinguish individual subpixels on a 2K screen. Others admire the “unusually bright and rich colors,” which in half the cases are explained by “skewed” factory calibration, and not at all by the type of screen. In general, each type of matrix has its own strengths and weaknesses; the choice between them has long been a matter of taste.

The situation with wearable electronics is a little different. Tiny sizes, weak batteries and the need for an always-on display dictate completely different rules of the game. And in such situations, the AMOLED display is a very significant plus. Primarily due to the fact that it consumes virtually no energy when displaying dark colors.

The Asus ZenWatch 3 uses a 1.39" round AMOLED screen with a resolution of 400x400 pixels. By smartphone standards, 287 ppi is not too much, but for a watch the characteristics are not bad. If you look closely, you can notice slight graininess, but in real life this is not too critical.

Viewing angles are good, brightness and contrast practically do not drop when tilted. Color rendition is natural, without excessive “acidity”. Black color is displayed perfectly (a nice feature of AMOLED), while white does not have any special impurities visible to the eye.

In general, the display brightness is sufficient, although it is not very comfortable to use the watch in bright sunlight. The dial in standby mode becomes unreadable; on the active screen you can read the information, but you still want to increase the brightness. At night, the dimly glowing display is not annoying, although this is a matter of taste.

The watch has a light sensor, which allows you to adjust the brightness not only manually (5 steps), but also automatically. Among the quick switches in the notification shade there is the “Increase brightness” item, which allows you to quickly raise the brightness to the maximum level. Although specifically in ZenWatch 3 it is not particularly needed - the light sensor works flawlessly, and you still can’t jump above the maximum.

Autonomous operation

The Snapdragon Wear 2100 promised a solid increase in battery life. Alas, the miracle did not happen. When choosing a dark dial and minimal use of third-party applications, the watch lasts a little more than a day.

There are various tricks that allow you to extend the operating time of the device by 2-3 times. There's just no point in using them. For example, there is a power-saving mode in which all wireless interfaces are disabled. This allows you to increase battery life up to two days, but turns the smartwatch into a mediocre fitness bracelet. It is possible to completely turn off the screen in sleep mode, which will also save some amount of charge. Especially for those who prefer to use a light dial. In my opinion, this is extremely inconvenient, and automatically turning on the display when you move your hand does not help the situation. A watch that does not allow you to tell the time at a glance and requires ritual gestures from the owner is nonsense. And they look as if their battery was dead.

The situation is partially saved by the presence of fast charging. According to the manufacturer, in 15 minutes you can charge the watch battery by 60%. In reality, the results are a little more modest; my completely discharged watch was charged by only 52% in a quarter of an hour. Which is still very good. In 30 minutes the battery is charged to 85%, and a full charge takes approximately 55 minutes.

The other side of the coin is the lack of wireless charging. The charger is a round pad with a thin cable that is attached to the underside of the watch. Thanks to the convenient magnetic mount, you can charge the watch in one motion, even in complete darkness.

Dials

There are a lot of different types of dials. Firstly, there are good solutions from Asus designers. Secondly, there are a bunch of different options on Google Play. Thirdly, many watch faces allow you to choose from several color schemes. And fourthly, there is also proprietary Asus software, which easily allows you to change the appearance of branded displays and create your own based on them.

In the pursuit of beauty, the main thing is not to forget that the dial on a smart watch is not only an aesthetic issue, but also a completely practical one. And it can greatly affect the operating time of the device.

Each dial has two operating modes. In active screen mode (when you raised your hand to see the time, tapped the screen, or pressed the Home button), the watch face appears in all its glory. In sleep mode, when you are not directly using the clock, a simplified version is displayed. It lacks small details (for example, a second hand or some design elements) and usually uses different colors. Most of them are dark, which, thanks to the features of the AMOLED matrix, can significantly reduce energy costs.

Two points follow from this. Firstly, it’s far from a fact that the dial you like in the picture will look beautiful in sleep mode. For example, I am extremely annoyed when, with every movement of my hand, the black dial turns bright white, and after a few seconds of inactivity it turns black again. This flickering is distracting, and it looks quite peculiar.

Secondly, at least in a simplified version of the dial, dark colors should predominate. You can find options exclusively in light colors, but this will not have the best effect on battery life.

The watch face can also have different widgets and active zones. In addition to the time, it can display the current date, the number of unread emails or steps taken today, the smartphone battery percentage, the weather forecast, and so on. Some watch faces from Google Play are almost full-fledged launchers, with widgets, quick launch icons and additional menus.

Android Wear

I should immediately note that my watch worked on Android Wear 1.5, the update to 2.0 had not yet arrived.

First of all, you need to connect the watch to your smartphone. To do this, you need to download and run the proprietary Android Wear application on your phone.

Control is carried out using swipes on the touch screen, each of which can be replaced with a special gesture. For example, the analogue of a swipe up is a sharp turn of the wrist away from you and a slow return to yourself. Swipe down - slowly turn your wrist away from you and sharply return it back. To exit the current section, simply raise your wrists upward. To enter the submenu, tilt your hand down. With a shake of your wrist, you can dismiss the current activity and return to your home screen.

The clock face is the system's home screen. On the right is the main menu with a list of installed applications, a voice dialing screen and a list of contacts. On top there is a curtain with switches. The notification card “spine” is displayed at the bottom of the screen. You can pull it up with a horizontal swipe. If the entire text of the message does not fit on the screen (for example, it is a long letter), then to view it you need to tap once on the screen. If there are several message cards, they will be displayed one below the other.

There's no shortage of apps for Android Wear. Moreover, many Android programs have miniature companion applications for watches. For the most part, control occurs using the same swipes. Horizontal swipe – scroll through the application feed, swipe to the right – go to the list of additional functions or submenus, swipe to the left – go to the main screen.

The swipe system is convenient for performing simple actions. For example, when you need to view a couple of recent messages, get acquainted with the agenda, display the weather forecast or navigator tips. To do this, you don’t even have to touch the screen, just a few brush movements are enough. But more complex tasks result in constant digging through the menu, inconvenient scrolling of long texts, the need to dictate text by voice, and so on. And there are not enough functions in the applications. The clock is primarily an additional screen for displaying basic information. It is better to use a smartphone to work with it.

As for stability, Android Wear still has room to grow. I can’t say that there were many problems with the watch, but there were some. But two weeks of operation is a very short period.

The most unpleasant thing is problems with synchronization. In two weeks, I twice had a situation where the watch lost connection with the smartphone in the middle of the day. The phone was on silent at the time, which caused me to miss several important messages. Rebooting the watch did not help, so the problem was not so much with the watch, but with the operation of the Android Wear application on the smartphone. There, the status of the watch was “Connecting...”, although among the available devices in the Bluetooth settings they were displayed all this time. Enabling/disabling Bluetooth, restarting the application and other similar actions did not bring any results. The first time rebooting the phone helped, the second time the problem resolved itself after about 2-3 hours. One could blame this on the phone manufacturer, but the problem is that at that time I was using an Asus ZenFone 3 Max.

Among other small things, there were a couple of crashes and errors of third-party applications, due to which they had to be restarted. This further demonstrates that Android Wear, unlike Android itself, is still a young OS. I would like to believe that on Android Wear 2.0 the watch will work more stable.

Branded Applications

ZenWatch 3 is compatible with a set of proprietary Asus applications. As an example, I will give descriptions of several programs.

ZenWatch Manager is a smartphone application that allows you not only to configure your watch in detail, but also to teach it a couple of new tricks.

FaceDesigner is an application for editing watch faces. You can use it to “fine-tune” the branded watch face you like (for example, add a couple of miniature widgets), or you can completely redo everything.

ZenFit is a fitness app for monitoring activity. The application is installed on the watch out of the box and works even without connection to a smartphone. But the manufacturer still advises installing its “adult” version on your phone and periodically synchronizing the data, this will make working with it even more convenient.

Nobody forces you to use branded applications, but overall this is a very nice bonus.

Personal impressions

Battery life is the main thing that confused me about smartwatches and what stopped me from buying them for several years. I have long been accustomed to leaving my phone to charge at night. Check your laptop's charge before going to bed, too. But adding a clock to them, taking up all the free sockets, is already a clear overkill. Moreover, in this case you can say goodbye to the alarm clock and call notifications. And due to the nature of my work, sometimes they actually call me at night.

In practice, everything turned out to be not so scary at all. My watch always lasted more than a day, which allowed me not to worry about how it would survive the night. Usually there was still about 10% charge left. The charging time allows you to charge the device in the morning while you wash your face, have breakfast and get ready for work. In the end, no one bothers to charge the watch after work - just 15 minutes, and the battery is already 50-60% charged. Of course, this is not ideal. But you can already live like this.

The second question was the quantity and quality of “smart” functions, for which such watches are bought. And here everything is much less clear. On the one hand, the watch has a wagon and a trolley. On the other hand, most of them are very situational and are not needed so often to justify the purchase of a new gadget.

Despite a bunch of different features and applications, most often I used the two most common functions: alarm clock and notifications. Moreover, the alarm clock is very simple, without any intellectual functions or additional gadgets. On the one hand, this is a gentleman's set of almost any wearable device, starting from the budget Xiaomi Mi Band. On the other hand, a full screen still gives smartwatches a solid head start.

The fitness bracelet will notify you when a new notification arrives, but will not tell you what exactly happened. So in any case, you will have to take your phone out of your pocket and see what happened there. With a smartwatch, everything is different - you immediately see what kind of notification it is, and immediately evaluate whether it’s worth picking up your phone for. Correspondence in a group chat may not directly concern you at all and be completely uninteresting. The SMS “I’m 10 minutes late” is worth taking into account, but since it does not imply a response, you don’t have to take your smartphone out of your backpack. As an option, simply dictate a short answer directly from the watch. But a business letter that requires a quick and detailed response is really worth answering from a smartphone.

Some will say this is a mere trifle. Maybe so, but, unlike many other promoted “tricks”, it really makes life a little more convenient. This was felt especially well at the beginning of this summer, when the temperature was not much above zero, and something disgustingly reminiscent of sleet was falling from the sky. According to the law of meanness, the phone was literally bursting with messages at that time. Every time I didn’t want to unbutton my already not too warm jacket and take my smartphone out of its inner pocket. Moreover, he has no protection from water, and the rain (or is it snow?..) fell incessantly. But simply ignoring all the messages was completely untenable. And here the smart watch came in handy, allowing us to select a few truly critical ones from among the dozens of notifications received.

Against this background, it’s a shame that the notification implementation itself in the current version of Android Wear is not very good. As you remember, any events are displayed as cards at the bottom of the screen. This could be anything - a hint card from Google Now, information about the remaining number of steps, a message from a chat, a new letter, a notification from some application, and so on. You can see the “spine” of the card under the watch dial even in standby mode. It allows you to roughly assess what kind of message it is and how interesting it is to you. Then, by swiping or tilting your hand, you pull the card onto the screen and scroll through the text of the message.

If you forget to clear the screen of unnecessary notifications or didn’t feel the vibration of your watch a couple of times while shaking on the subway, then the cards will begin to accumulate. Having taken a quick glance at the watch dial, you will no longer be sure how many messages you have and from which programs. After all, only the latest, most recent card is displayed under the dial. And what is hidden underneath is a mystery. You need to lift it onto the screen, scroll through, check which card is hidden below, scroll through the next message again, and so on until the very bottom. And sometimes it’s easier to take your smartphone out of your pocket and look at the list of notifications on it. Although there are pitfalls here - the SMS that you just read from the watch will be marked as new on the phone screen.

But the gesture control system turned out to be unexpectedly good. It requires some getting used to, and it will still be more convenient to perform complex actions using the touchscreen. But if you want, you can read the incoming message, even if your hands are full. Or if you are cleaning or cooking and don’t want to touch your watch or smartphone with dirty hands.

As you can see, in my case the scenarios for using the watch turned out to be quite boring. Although in fact they can do a lot of things.

To whom, why and for what purpose

People buy some devices for strictly defined tasks. Washing machine – for washing. Iron - for ironing. Filter – for water purification. Other devices are purchased because of the potential, the opportunities that they can open. The first iPad became just such a device, which was bought without really understanding what exactly to do with it. And after the fact, we figured out what he could do and what he could be useful for. Smartwatches, whether on OS from Apple or OS from Google, were supposed to be exactly such devices.

But something didn’t work out for the manufacturers with the watch. And it seems that it also turned out to be an interesting and promising thing with a bunch of different features and programs. But for some reason the mass consumer was not interested. From a toy for everyone, as tablets have become (with a number of caveats), smartwatches have turned into toys for technology enthusiasts and geeks. The meaning is exactly the same, only the audience is hundreds of times smaller.

People who love tech gadgets can certainly find a use for smartwatches. And these will be working use cases, and not a forced attempt to justify the purchase in the eyes of others. Another thing is that these are not scenarios that can be taken and extrapolated to everyone.

For example, you can use your watch as a navigator. Of course, not while driving a car. And it’s unlikely when walking, where it’s usually enough to glance at the smartphone screen once and remember the route for the next 5-10 minutes. But when riding a bicycle, when you don’t want to stop and take your smartphone out of your pocket, this can really be convenient. Unless, of course, you use it as transport from point A to point B, and not just ride somewhere outside the city.

You can use the watch as a fitness tracker. Of course, no one bothers you to buy the same Xiaomi Mi Band for 2,000 rubles. Or install a free pedometer app on your smartphone, which won't drain your battery that much. But is there any point in creating entities if you are accustomed to wearing a watch on your hand anyway?

You can use watch sensors to collect and process statistics in third-party applications. For example, some smart alarm clocks (including the popular Sleep as Android) allow you to use your smartwatch to track your sleep stages. Yes, in most cases, you can use the smartphone itself for this, which will respond to your movements. But if you have an expensive spring mattress (or if you sleep more than one), this may be a good solution.

All this is just the beginning of a long list. For example, the watch allows you to control music playback from Google Play. If your headphones don’t have a button to switch tracks, and you’re too lazy to reach for your smartphone, this may be convenient. Or browse your Twitter feed. It’s inconvenient to do this on a tiny watch screen, but using a smartphone on public transport during rush hour is even more difficult. Some people might like to use them for wireless Android Pay payments, in case you're too lazy to take out both your credit card and your phone. You can also control your smart home using a watch, although this is even more exotic than the smart watch itself.

It's very easy to remember dozens of functions and come up with hundreds of use cases. But the question will always be in the air: why is this necessary? Someone will find the answer for themselves. Some people don't.

As for me, I enjoyed using the Asus ZenWatch 3 for two weeks. And I must admit that Android Wear smartwatches really turned out to be an excellent technological toy. Partly useful, partly just funny. But at the same time, I don’t feel the slightest regret that it’s time to put them back in the box. It is already clear that in another two or three weeks I would, in any case, put them on the shelf and return to the good old Xiaomi Mi Band, which formally can do a hundred times less. But in practice it does exactly what I really need. It wakes you up in the morning, vibrates when new emails arrive, and as a bonus, counts your steps. And on the hand, unlike a rather heavy watch, it is practically not felt.

Results

Overall, my impressions of the Asus ZenWatch 3 are purely positive. Relatively compact dimensions, beautiful design and nice materials, good hardware, fast charging, interesting proprietary applications - all this is definitely captivating. The disadvantages include the lack of wireless charging and a heart rate sensor. And also a meager assortment of branded straps and their non-standard fastening.

It’s not so much the Asus ZenWatch 3 that raises questions, but the entire segment of Android Wear smartwatches as a whole. At the moment, these are quite specific and niche devices that are not useful to everyone. And the thickness of the case or the quality of the screen of a particular model does not greatly affect this situation.

As for the price, in my opinion, taking into account the characteristics of the watch, it is set adequately - from 18,990 rubles in federal retail. We can say that this is the middle segment - there are offers both cheaper (the closest analogue is LG Watch Style) and noticeably more expensive. Although it is difficult to seriously draw any parallels and talk about competitors here. Still, a watch, even a smart one, is an accessory. Which is chosen not only by characteristics, but also by appearance. And the shape of the case or the style of execution here can become a much more significant advantage than the processor model or the name of the OS.

The ASUS ZenWatch smart watch has appeared on the modern technology market. Attractive design and economical price attracted the attention of all lovers of modern innovations. Taiwanese engineers were able to combine all the latest developments in the new product and became worthy competition for the Apple Watch.

Despite the fact that today many users are skeptical about all new products in the world of smart technology, the new gadget was able to gain a positive reputation.

Smart watch ASUS ZenWatch - Reviews

Asus ZenWatch is the best that smartwatch manufacturers have been able to present to date. A high-tech functional device with an original design and a range of available features has surpassed all previous devices in this segment. This is a comfortable and stylish watch that will be appropriate in absolutely any life situation.

Watches from Asus support the Android Wear system, but despite this they have limited capabilities unlike the operating system of tablets or smartphones. They have a user-friendly interface, fairly easy voice control, including Russian language support. This definitely gives the device a noticeable advantage over its competitors.

The watch works in offline mode, i.e. on their own, without pairing with a tablet or smartphone. However, more functional gadgets will help you unlock their full potential. In this case, using Google Now you can receive missed notifications or notifications about the latest events.

With the help of the watch, you can even take photos and videos; you can also use it as an alarm clock or a kind of remote control for controlling the player. The device can show your heart rate or calculate calorie consumption, and unlike other models with Android Wear, ZenWatch has a software package from Asus, which allows you to significantly expand the capabilities of the accessory.

ASUS ZenWatch design

The design and material of the watch have a more solid and attractive appearance than previous gadgets. The ZenWatch case consists of so-called “rose gold”, bordered with stainless steel on both sides and painted in bronze color. The body is curved with smooth outlines.

It's worth noting that the ZenWatch device feels much more durable than the metal Samsung. This design goes well with a brown leather strap. ZenWatch has a fairly high level of durability and protection from moisture and dust. The watch is quite versatile, which makes it possible to safely wear it even on the beach and not take it off before entering the water.

The standard leather strap that comes with the ZenWatch is 22mm wide. The color of the material is flesh-colored, matching the skin tone of the hands. However, the bracelet is quite hard, which somewhat spoils the pleasure of wearing a smart accessory.

The length of the strap is adjustable, so when it comes to size, there will be no problems. Unfortunately, the clasp requires improvement and improvement. The watch case has no sharp corners and no protruding parts. It looks quite nice thanks to its smooth outlines.

Screen overview

The screen is located in the center of a small panel, where there are no decorations. The underside of the ZenWatch continues the minimalist trend. On the side there is a Micro-USB connector, four mounting screws, a tiny cutout for the microphone, and there is also a power button. Unlike other Android devices, the heart rate monitor is integrated into the front panel. It is worth mentioning charging. There are contacts at the bottom of the inner surface and when connected to the charger, a small LED lights up. The ZenWatch charger, unfortunately, is not wireless. However, in most cases the wire does not interfere.

The 1.63-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 320 x 320 performs its functions with an “excellent” rating. On top it is protected by curved scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3. There is an anti-reflective coating, which allows you to see the image perfectly in any weather conditions. The RAM is 512 MB, and the built-in card is expandable up to 4 GB.

The watch battery lasts quite a long time without recharging. Even after an active day of work and within half an hour of installing and uninstalling applications, the reading indicator will display about 50% charge. This is a much better result than the Moto 360, which, even after a series of battery upgrades in a fairly active mode of using the device, drains the battery completely within a day.

If you turn off the screen backlight and notifications about new messages on social networks and email, charging can last up to two days.

The watch works quite quickly, but some functions can only be performed using a smartphone or tablet paired with it. Maps from Google are also synchronized. This allows you to use a voice command to set a reminder, send a message, find out about the weather, flights or the location of the nearest cafes or shopping centers.

Asus has developed a small catalog of applications for ZenWatch. ZenWatch manager recommends at least three exclusive applications: ZenWatch Wellness, ZenWatch Camera and ZenWatch Music. ZenWatch Wellness can perform simple tasks such as color adjustment, battery indicator, and also alerts you when the connected phone is out of range.

The device has a built-in heart rate sensor that will measure your heart rate and can also record a graph of your steps, calories burned, and exercise intensity over time.

Less successful are two other applications - ZenWatch Camera and ZenWatch Music. Perhaps future updates will correct the situation. The heart rate sensor and pedometer require major improvements.

Bottom line

The main advantage of the ASUS ZenWatch is its stylish design. However, it was not enough to outweigh the shortcomings in the technology. Modern voice control, high-quality assembly and good software have enormous potential, but there are still quite serious complaints about the pedometer and heart rate sensor.

pros

Affordable price;
Beautiful design;
Reliable charging;
Reliable battery.