Asus smart watches. Stylish smart watch ASUS ZenWatch – Review of the gadget on Android Wear OS Smart watch Asus Zen Watch

ASUS ZenWatch 3 is a smart watch with characteristics that meet modern requirements. They were developed in collaboration with the traditions of centuries-old watchmaking art. High quality materials were used in their production. Great importance was given to every detail. In the third modification of ZenWatch, the range of functions is much wider than that of a simple watch. Wide range of interface personalization options allow you to customize the device to the owner’s needs.

Comparison with previous models

The previous generation of smartwatches from Asus, represented by the ZenWatch 2 model, was notable for its accessibility. Its price in retail chains did not exceed 15 thousand rubles. The third modification was not aimed only at a wide range of consumers. With its help, the manufacturer decided to strike a balance between cost and design. This time the shape of the body has changed. It became round, and the price of the device increased, but still could not outshine devices such as Moto 360 (2), Huawei Watch or Samsung Gear S3. Accordingly, those who dreamed of purchasing a stylish device at a low price preferred Asus ZenWatch 3.

Equipment

The packaging for the device at first glance demonstrates its claim to modern style and luxury. The dark blue square box contains:

smart watch;
power unit;
brief instructions;
USB charging cable with magnetic cradle.

This package is a little short of a flagship device. It lacks additional accessories or ultra-sophisticated interior packaging design. Most likely, due to this, it was possible to maintain the low cost of these products.

Smartwatch manufacturers are testing various ways to attract the attention of consumers: expensive design, a lot of functions, a round dial, sensors, etc...

Technical specifications:

Android Wear (a variant of the Google Android operating system created for smart watches);
Snapdragon Wear 2100 (Qualcomm single-chip system designed for wearable electronics);
RAM - 512 MB;
display with active matrix organic LEDs 1.39″ (400×400);
portable flash memory card used for repeated recording and storage of information with a capacity of 4 GB;
case material: stainless steel;
interfaces: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1;
dimensions: 45x45x9.5 mm;
battery capacity 340 mAh.

CPU

The third modification of Asus Zenwatch contains the Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor. It was developed specifically for wrist devices and is an adapted variation of the Snapdragon 400.

Chip characteristics:

compared to the previous model, energy consumption is reduced by 25%;
the chip has become 30% more compact than its predecessor.

We can't talk about performance yet. However, the smoothness of the interface and the stable functioning of simple games are noticeable.

Modern smartwatches offer a fairly wide selection of designs - from natural electronic gadgets to classic chronometers

Appearance

The bane of modern smartwatches is their bulkiness. This is due to the large number of elements that have to be contained in a thin body. Asus engineers tried to improve these characteristics, thereby getting ahead of the competition. Thus, the thickness of ZenWatch 3 is 9.95 mm. This is a good indicator, which gives an advantage over devices such as Moto 360 (2) and Apple Watch Series 2, where such parameters were 11.4 mm, LG Watch Urbane - 11 mm, and Huawei Watch 2 Classic - 12.6 mm . At first glance, the difference may not be noticeable.

The developers worked hard on the design of the new product, which received a streamlined shape, complemented by beveled edges. And the small thickness is emphasized by the display recessed inside the body. This device looks great on both men's and women's wrists. The design was developed under inspiration from a solar eclipse.

This natural phenomenon can be recognized in details such as the dark gold bezel, which fits perfectly between the black circle of the darkened display and the steel body.

The material for the case is stainless steel. The model is available in several colors:

metal;
pink gold;
silver.

For the production of the strap, genuine leather processed using Italian technology was used. It has an unusual mount and comes in the following colors:

dark brown;
light beige.

There are also models with a silicone strap.

We should also note that the ZenWatch 3 is quite thin at just 9.95mm, so it looks much more compact than many of its competitors.

There are three physical control buttons on the side of the watch face:

The top key is responsible for the Asus ZenFit fitness tracker. You can install it to quickly launch any other application.
The middle one serves as the Home button.
When you press the bottom button, the device goes into energy saving mode.

The back of the case is equipped with speaker holes and a charging connector, which, using a magnetic fastener, easily snaps into place.

Screen

The AMOLED display used in the presented device is a significant plus for wearable electronics. It uses a small amount of charge when displaying dark tones. The third modification of ZenWatch uses a 1.39-inch rounded screen with a resolution of 400x400 pixels. These parameters are considered quite good for a smartwatch, however, upon closer examination, you can still notice fine graining.

The display has large viewing angles. When tilted, characteristics such as brightness and contrast are not reduced. Positive impressions are also caused by natural color rendering, in which there is no excess “acidity”. Black and white colors are displayed clearly.

Brightness adjustment is performed not only in manual mode, which has 5 positions. In notifications you can find a function to increase these parameters. In bright sunshine or in a dark room, the light sensor is triggered.

ZenWatch 3, more than any other smartwatch, is packed with different functions

Autonomous operation

The Asus ZenWatch 3 can be called a truly mobile device thanks to its long battery life and fast charging capabilities. This device will always be ready to work due to the use of the Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor. You can also increase autonomy due to the energy-saving mode. At the same time, less energy is consumed due to the disabling of all wireless interfaces. At the same time, the main tasks of the fitness bracelet are performed. You can reduce power consumption by turning off the display completely in sleep mode.

Fast charging allows you to replenish the battery by 60% in just 15 minutes. To fully charge the battery you will have to spend 55 minutes of personal time. A convenient element is the magnetic mount, which allows you to quickly and easily connect the charging cable to the device even in the dark.

The manufacturer decided not to add an inductive device, which is fashionable today, as in devices from Apple or Samsung.

Dials

The device has a large number of different dials from Asus designers. You can also select some options in the Google Play app. In addition to this, almost every watch face you choose allows you to choose from a variety of color schemes. Software from Asus allows you to modify the appearance of branded displays, as well as create your own variations.

The device screen has 2 advantages. Firstly, this is an absolutely round AMOLED matrix with a light sensor

The dial in the Asus ZenWatch 3 smart watch has several modes:

active, in which you can view the data on the screen by raising your hand;
sleeping when the screen displays limited information and lacks fine detail and contrasting colors. This allows you to reduce energy consumption.

The appearance of the displays is complemented by widgets and active zones. In addition to the time, the dial may contain the following information:

weather forecast;
current number;
the sum of steps taken per day;
number of unviewed emails;
phone battery percentage, etc.

Google Play offers watch faces that can be called full-fledged graphical user interfaces, where there are elements such as:

quick launch icons;
controls;
additional menu, etc.

Functions

The third generation Asus Zen Watch is equipped with many useful features that are found in both a smartwatch and a fitness tracker.

At the moment, the ASUS ZenWatch 3 smartwatch is the most advanced Android Wear device

Device capabilities:

the watch can be used as a navigator while cycling;
built-in sensors for preparing and processing statistical data in third-party applications (for example, the Sleep as Android smart alarm clock tracks sleep phases);
a smart device will be a good alternative to a fitness tracker;
managing music from Google Play, for example, switching tracks;
wireless payments Android Pay;
viewing notifications from social networks;
smart home control.

I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but the moment has come. I love Android watches!

Smart watches are now produced by all consumer electronics manufacturers. Last year, Asus, the largest manufacturer of motherboards and other computer components, joined this battle. At the IFA 2014 exhibition, the Taiwanese have their own view of what a smart watch should look like. And on June 1 this year, official sales began Asus ZenWatch in Russia.

First impression

The first thing you notice when you pick it up ZenWatch– excellent design. It is clear that the company has worked hard in this direction. The device looks very solid.

The watch case is quite thin and has a rectangular shape with rounded corners. Due to this, as well as the curved, scratch-resistant glass Gorilla Glass 3, ZenWatch looks organic on the hand. It doesn't market itself as a smartwatch, unlike many others.

On the back panel there is single button, battery charging connector, as well as information about the device.

I only had to use this button once - when I first turned it on. You can also use it to call up the settings menu, turn off or reboot a frozen device. But I haven't gotten around to it :-)

The clasp is very comfortable. Firstly, with its help you can adjust the size of the strap to almost any hand. Secondly, it allows you to quickly take off and put on your watch: just press two small buttons located on the sides.

The only thing you can complain about is this strap. It is made of genuine leather and looks quite decent, but feels like oak. This problem can be solved. Unlike the Apple Watch, where you can only use branded or specially made straps for this gadget, with Asus ZenWatch you are free to choose. The fact is that mounting width is 22 mm– This size is widely used in ordinary watches.

Here's an example of what your smartwatch might look like with a "stupid" bracelet. Agree, it looks good. The strap is attached to a regular spacer with a spring, which are sold in any watch store. So you can choose one of thousands of options for yourself without much difficulty and significant costs.

Kit and packaging

Asus ZenWatch comes in a small box in which, in addition to the watch itself, you can find instructions, a warranty card, a USB cable, an AC adapter and a docking station.

The Chinese get screwed over little things.

I think many people noticed that the country had a plastic “bathtub”, which I politely called a docking station. Designed for charging watches. However, the way it is made does not stand up to criticism. Every time you have to “stuff”, and there’s no other way to call it, a stylish watch into this plastic horror. Do you think I'm exaggerating? See what it looks like in reality.

Like? I don't. And after charging, you still have to pick them out. Perhaps the manufacturer was guided by the fact that any cable with a mini-USB connector could be connected to this docking station. This way you can replenish your battery charge while away from home. However, to do this, you will still have to carry this thing with you. They were a little too clever, it was enough to get by with a connector with a magnetic fastening - something similar to MagSafe.

And straight into the water

Like all wearable devices, the watch is protected from dust and moisture. Asus ZenWatch comply with IP55 standard– There is no need to worry about the presence of dust inside the device. They are also protected from direct jets of water. That is, you can wash your hands without any problems, but it is not recommended to swim in your watch. Of course, they will survive under water for some time, but it is difficult to say how long this will last. This is a minus.

Filling

Asus ZenWatch is equipped with AMOLED-1.63-inch display with a resolution of 320x320 pixels, which corresponds to 278 pixels per inch. The viewing angles are very large. The screen transmits colors without distortion, the picture is pleasant - it doesn’t hurt the eyes. The display has oleophobic and anti-glare coating. There is multi-touch support, so you can use pinch-zoom in applications. I won’t say that it’s very convenient, the display is not that big, but you can get used to it. And given that there is no physical zoom in/out button, this will take some getting used to.

There is only one complaint about the display, or rather, not about the display itself, but about the frames around it. If on the sides they are minimal, then on the top and bottom they are quite noticeable. The situation is saved by dials with a dark background that merges with the frames. Then the entire surface looks harmonious.

The device is powered by a Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 400 with a clock frequency of 1.2 GHz and Android Wear OS. The device has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of permanent memory. Communication with a phone or tablet is carried out via Bluetooth 4.0. Naturally, there is a microphone, but no speaker, so you can't talk on this watch. The battery capacity is enough for one day with fairly active use of the device.

Specifications

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, frequency 1.2GHz;
RAM: 512MB LPDDR2;
ROM: 4GB eMMC Flash;
Display: AMOLED 1.63″, 320×320, 278ppi, multi-touch;
Communication: Bluetooth 4.0;
Battery: 369 mAh;
OS: Android Wear;
Dimensions: 51 x 39.9 x 7.9 ~ 9.4 mm;
Weight: 50 (with strap 75) grams.

Android

The Asus ZenWatch is powered by an operating system that launched last year, a special version of Google's Android OS designed for smartwatches and other wearable devices. In order for your smartphone or tablet to work with it, it must have Android OS version 4.3 or higher installed. If these requirements are met, the watch will be integrated and will also be able to receive incoming notifications from the smartphone.

To get started with Asus ZenWatch they will need to be connected to a power source, after which the device will indicate that it is ready to sync with your smartphone. Next, install from Google Play Market Android Wear app, with the help of which your phone and watch will become friends.

Once the connection is established, data synchronization will begin. All contacts will be transferred, including photos, as well as applications installed on your smartphone that are supported by the Android Wear OS. For example, Shazam, QR scanner and even games. The process is quite long, it’s better to put the smart watch aside for this time - it slows down a lot.

Next, we need to install one more application - ZenWatch Manager. It is used to configure the device. Here you can change dials, configure display settings, and send a sound signal to your watch if you can’t find it. However, this is all quite banal.

One of the interesting features is lost device notification. How it works. For example, when leaving the premises you forgot your smartphone or tablet, as soon as the system detects this, notifications will be sent to both devices. For users who constantly forget their gadgets, this feature will be very useful.

Another feature is the ability to create emergency reminder. All you need to do is select the contacts to which the notification will be sent and type its text. In the event of an emergency, it will be enough to do two swipes on the watch screen and within 10 seconds notifications will be sent to the specified numbers. The function is perfect for both a child and an elderly person, and it will not harm those experiencing health problems.

For their watches, in addition to ZenWatch Manager, the Taiwanese have prepared several more proprietary applications: Remote Camera, Remote Link and Wellness. The first two are designed for remote device management. By using Remote Link, for example, you can manage a presentation on a PC, and Remote Camera will allow you to control the camera on your smartphone or tablet with ZenWatch. To take a photo, you just need to rotate your watch hand. You can follow someone (but don't) :-)

Third branded application Wellness is a program for monitoring the status of your activities. The application collects together the number of steps taken, walking time, distance and calories burned. It also calculates your mood index.

In the Google Play Market, as well as in the App Store, there is separate category of applications, which are intended for watches. Here you will find countless dials, all kinds of assistants and, of course, games.

Menu and navigation

As I wrote earlier, there is only one physical button on the device, and even that one is more likely for emergencies. Asus ZenWatch is controlled by swiping on the screen and by voice. When you turn your hand, the watch goes into active mode and “listens” to you. The time after which the watch “falls asleep” is set in the settings. With swipes everything is just as simple. Swiping your finger from top to bottom opens the settings menu, from bottom to top – received notifications, from right to left – the main menu opens.

In the main menu, icons for available applications are arranged based on when the application was opened. For example, the Flopsy Droid game you just opened is at the very top, open another one and the first one will move to the second position. The sequence cannot be fixed.

By swiping from right to left again, you get to the contact book of your smartphone, again and you get to the menu Google Now. Here you can say the legendary phrase “OK, Google”, and then say a voice command. This can also be done when switching the watch to active mode.

Navigation
I would especially like to mention the navigation app Google Maps. The device receives all data from your smartphone and is essentially just a display. In order to get directions to the point you need, you enter the address by voice (you can use your phone). After this, navigation starts on the smartphone, and on the watch screen map and route displayed. You can view it in navigator mode or by control points. There is a tab that displays arrival time and other statistical information.

There are several interesting features. First, when you take a wrong turn, ZenWatch is right there begin to vibrate, attracting your attention. Secondly, there is support for black and white mode, which turns on automatically. This allows you to significantly save battery power, and is very convenient at night.

You can also choose how you will cover a given route - car, bicycle or on foot. In general, the navigation works quite stable and indicates the direction correctly. However, when paired with insufficiently powerful devices, stuttering may occur.

What else can Asus ZenWatch do?

Naturally, the functionality of the watch is much greater than what is listed. You can not only browse all notifications received on your phone or tablet, but also reply on them. To enter text, you'll need to talk to ZenWatch for a bit. From the outside it will look funny, but in some cases, for example, while driving, this function is appropriate.

In some applications, such as WhatsApp, you can draw a smiley face on the screen, and the application will recognize what you are drawing and offer the most similar one from its set.

You can also create notes, start a stopwatch, set an alarm, use voice search, remotely control the music player on your phone, and much more. New and interesting applications appear every day.

Asus ZenWatch and iOS

Admit it, many of you have already thought: why read about this watch if I have an iPhone? So, Asus ZenWatch can even be paired with an iPhone! This is a life hack that is not officially supported. But it still works.

All you need to do is follow a few simple steps, which we talked about just recently. There is no need for jailbreak or any dances with tambourines. Just install two applications (on your watch and on your phone). That's it, the devices are connected!

Today the possibilities are still limited, but that's only . The following functions are available:

retransmission of all notifications from iPhone (all Push enabled in the notification menu);
notifications about incoming calls with the name of the caller and answer/reject function;
displays the current iPhone battery charge.

Few? Of course, not enough, but all basic functions are there. You will definitely not miss a single notification or call. You won't need to constantly check your iPhone, which makes it great. And this is just the beginning. Google will make every effort to make the full Android Wear smartwatch experience available on iOS devices.

Thus, Asus ZenWatch is suitable not only for owners of Android smartphones and tablets, but also for fans of Apple technology. And in addition, the latter will always be able to surprise their friends by demonstrating to them the interaction of two hostile operating systems.

Main advantages:

excellent design worthy of a premium watch;
high-quality display;
ability to work with iPhone;
standard strap fastening.

Flaws:

IP55 protection, which is not enough for such a device;

I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but the moment has come. I love Android watches! Smart watches are now produced by all consumer electronics manufacturers. Last year, Asus, the largest manufacturer of motherboards and other computer components, joined this battle. At the IFA 2014 exhibition, the Taiwanese presented their view of what a smart watch should look like....

Smartwatch manufacturers quickly encountered a strange paradox. Potential buyers were, of course, very concerned about the mind. But they were even more excited about the aspects characteristic of traditional watches: the prestige of the brand, the quality of materials, combination with clothing, etc. That is, the watch, having acquired the filling of a smartphone, has not ceased to be an accessory. And then Apple played a very nice trick on everyone with its Watch. The company has on its side the very prestige of the brand and the careful selection of materials, and the abundance of straps and bracelets simply dazzles the eye. I’m afraid that if the Apple Watch worked with Android smartphones, other manufacturers would have almost no room for maneuver...

But, fortunately for many, Apple is currently only developing its own platform. I don’t know how long she will engage in self-restraint. But let me remind you that once upon a time iPod players only worked with Mac computers. No, I’m not idealizing Apple, and the Watch is no different from the best models on Tizen and Android Wear (and in some ways it’s inferior to them). But Apple's smartwatch = accessory approach is definitely closer to the average person's heart. And there are much more ordinary people than technomaniacs.

Why am I doing all this? Moreover, ASUS also employs very intelligent people. And the new generation of ZenWatch 3 watches was made so cool that you can’t immediately distinguish it from expensive mechanics.

In the first two generations, ASUS experimented with rectangular shapes. I wrote about them and. In short, the experiments were successful, and the second generation was the cheapest member of the Android Wear watch family (from $165). But it was still impossible to confuse ZenWatch and ZenWatch 2 with “just a watch”. But ZenWatch 3 is easy.

The new model is produced in three cases – “metal”, “silver” and “rose gold”. I was given “metal” for the experiments, and in English this version is called much cooler - Gunmetal. The body is made of 316L stainless steel. It is commonly used in the jewelry and medical industries - for the manufacture of jewelry and surgical instruments, respectively. That is, strength, resistance to corrosion and oxidation - that’s all. When polished, such steel is indistinguishable to the eye from white gold. The Gunmetal version has black anodizing, which also looks very solid. Personally, I associate the gold rim around the dial with Movado watches, although, of course, they were not the first to come up with this, and they were not the last to use it. The round case is framed at the top and bottom with composite strap mounts. The latter is made of leather “processed using traditional Italian technology.” The good news is that the strap is really very good, looks great and fits comfortably on the hand. The bad news is that it has a proprietary design, and if it fails, you will have to buy a new one from ASUS or the good Chinese on eBay (if they come up with a hint, there are no offers yet).

The back of the case, if it were not for the charging connector, would also closely resemble a regular watch. Yes, the watch does not have an optical sensor that measures the pulse, and the watch does not detect the heart rate. Considering the very questionable accuracy of sensors of this kind, this is not really a pity.

Otherwise, the electronic content is very decent. The watch runs on SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100, it has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of onboard memory. An AMOLED matrix with a resolution of 400x400 pixels is used, which is slightly above the average level (for comparison, the Moto 360 v2 has 360x325). There are no strange black areas on the screen, the image occupies the entire surface, and the picture quality, as you might guess, is excellent. Considering that most watch faces now show a color image even in standby mode, from the outside you won’t immediately understand whether it’s a smart watch or a regular one. The glass has a Corning Gorilla coating, which should protect against accidental scratches. And it’s quite difficult to slam the screen on a watch due to its light weight.

You may ask - why three buttons? Well, first of all, it's beautiful. And secondly too. It seems to me that the buttons were added precisely to resemble a real chronometer, because in practice one is quite enough. And so the top button is designed to launch your favorite application (optional), the middle one is common for all watches on Android Wear, and the bottom one turns on the energy-saving mode. In general, yes. They are for beauty.

Battery capacity 340 mAh. In normal mode, by the evening approximately 65% of the charge remains, and, in principle, there is a chance that the watch will last until the evening of the second day. But I have a habit of charging gadgets every evening, so I won’t lie, I didn’t check it. Unfortunately, ASUS again did not make wireless charging, and we are greeted by a circle with a contact pad, which is quite convenient compared to its peers, but still requires a certain dexterity. Unlike Moto and Samsung chargers, the circle is proprietary. If it breaks/gets lost, contact ASUS for a new one. The proprietary interface allowed for faster charging (from 0 to 60% in 15 minutes), but the ability to simply put the watch on the charging stand without having to monitor the position of the contacts is much more convenient.

The watch has a speaker and microphone, so it can be used as a wireless headset. But we don’t have our own GPS receiver; we didn’t install it. Provides moisture protection according to IP67 standard. It's not worth swimming in the sea, but the shower and freshwater pool will last you hours. Although, to be honest, I wouldn’t vouch for the strap. The skin does not like to bathe.

ASUS ZenWatch 3 comes pre-installed with more than 50 watch faces, half of which can also be customized. Some of them I liked, some not so much. In general, the number of preinstalled watch faces cannot be considered either an advantage or a disadvantage, because there are simply an incredible number of them on Google Play, and you will definitely choose an option to your taste. It’s just a pity that Google monitors copyrights so closely, and there are no clones of “Komandirskie” or other Soviet watches on Android Wear, like on .

Well, about the operating system itself. Google is delaying the Wear 2.0 update for most manufacturers, but it's coming. In the meantime, you can use Wear 1.6, it is a very convenient operating system.

Total

ASUS watches are getting better and better. In the third series, the materials are excellently selected, the workmanship is high, and the design has gone towards strict classics, which can only be welcomed. In the end, there are a lot of smart watches for youth, but for serious wealthy guys - you can count them on your fingers.

With that said, the price of the new watch is quite reasonable. In the States it’s 229 dollars plus taxes, our official price tag is 21,990 rubles, but you can find it for a couple of thousand cheaper. For comparison, the already discontinued second-generation Moto 360, which looks noticeably simpler (although there is a heart rate sensor), costs the same amount. The Huawei Watch also looks good (and has a heart rate monitor), but the platform is older and the battery is weaker. That is, it’s not cheap, cheap, as it was with ZenWatch 2, but, as they say, “on the market.” After all, even mechanical watches of this quality rarely cost less. And here - smart!

I recently bought a special “attachment” for regular watches called Chronos, which turns them into almost smart ones. I really missed the classic design. I won’t try, I just can’t get around to it. But if you don’t have a collection of mechanics, and generally don’t feel like experimenting, ASUS already has a ready-made option with an absolutely classic design. Try it on if necessary.

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 turn out 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 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 raise your hand to see the time, tap the screen, or press 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 home screen of the system. 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 of time.

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 to not only customize your watch in detail, but also 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 overnight. 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 need 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 unsustainable. 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 is very disappointing that the implementation of notifications 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.

Not long ago, a new product with an improved set of options and characteristics entered the market; these are special watches from the manufacturer Asus. The article provides an overview. The product is a progressive digital device, manufactured according to long-standing traditions. Only high-quality parts are used in the production process.

Demonstration of the exact time is not the only option that the Asus ZenWatch 3 smartwatch has. The list of its functions includes a much larger number of possibilities. First of all, they are associated with the personalization of the interface, through which the user gains the ability to customize it in accordance with his own preferences. And the long battery life, along with the presence of instant charging technology, makes this product indispensable in terms of mobility.

Specifications

The Asus ZenWatch 3 wi503q smart watch is equipped with a number of the following technical parameters, options and characteristics:

Qualcomm SoC class working mechanism with 4 1.2 GHz cores;
touch-type display class 1.39 AMOLED units size 400 * 400, which contains Gorilla Glass 3;
built-in 2 microphones;
there is Bluetooth 4.2 LE, as well as Wi-Fi transmission;
RAM is 512 MB, internal memory is 4 GB;
In addition, the device includes a light sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer;
the operating system present in the device is based on Android Wear;
The watch has a polymer lithium battery with an indicator of 340 mA * h;
the product has 100% compliance with the IP67 protection standard;
the strap can be removed if the user wishes and needs it; it is made of natural leather material;
the weight together with it is 59 g.

The Asus ZenWatch 3 wi503q Leather watch will delight users with high power, extensive functionality and an affordable price. Numerous applications make the device's operation comfortable and convenient.

Equipment

A hint of luxury and dignified style is present, starting from the packaging. The product is delivered in a special dark blue box with a cubic shape. The following units are located inside:

device power supply;
a flat cable for charging USD watches, equipped with a magnetic cradle, which must be attached to the back of the case so that the contacts match;
brief user manual (instructions).

Many experts and just amateurs believe that for a product to be “fashionable,” it lacks accessories or sophistication in the design of the interior space. It follows that the company, a global giant in the production of equipment, decided to save on these aspects.

Design

The new product is very bulky and impressive in size, since it is not yet possible to fit a large mechanism into a thin case. However, it’s nice that the engineers have been honestly engaged in development all this time in order to win back even hundredths of a millimeter from their competitors. Thus, the thickness of the Asus Zenwatch 3 wi503q smart watch is 9.95 mm, which is not bad for such a smart accessory.

Talented designers also came to the rescue of the developers, who proposed streamlined shapes, slightly beveled outlines that are visible to the naked eye. And the display seems to be buried inside the case, which favorably emphasizes the insignificant in size, but significant in beauty, thickness of the case. Due to its discreet and elegant appearance, the watch looks good on both men's and women's hands.

The case is made of stainless steel and is offered in three color options - metal, silver and gold with a pinkish tint. Italian techniques were used to produce the strap, which gave it a non-standard and at the same time original appearance. There are only two branded products - one is made of light beige leather, the other is made of dark brown. In practice, it is also common to use a silicone accessory, but it is not mentioned on the official website.

Screen

Another significant advantage that the Asus ZenWatch 3 Smart Watch is endowed with is the screen. It is a significant advantage, because it is an AMOLED with a decent appearance and optimal characteristics. The display consumes almost no energy, has a resolution of 400*400 pixels and a round shape. Due to high-quality technologies used in the manufacturing process, the screen provides a good viewing angle, as well as decent brightness and contrast parameters.

Natural transmission deprives the device of excessive acidity; black and white colors are free of all kinds of impurities and image inaccuracies. There is also a light sensor that helps regulate brightness parameters in manual and automatic mode.

operating system

The functioning of the device is based on the use of Wear OS, which is designed specifically for smart watches. This allows you to integrate features and get more options. This platform is compatible with square and round watches.

Performance and battery life

The manufacturer promised consumers an impressive increase in battery life over time. Despite these assurances, miracles did not happen, and the clock still lasts a little more than a day. Many tricks have emerged among users that can be used to extend this period by double or even triple. But there is little point in this, since the functionality is reduced in economy mode.

This situation is saved by the presence of instant charging. As the manufacturer himself reports, in 15 minutes it is possible to recharge the battery by 60%, but in reality the results are more modest (slightly above 50%). A full charge requires about 55 minutes of valuable time from the user.

Reviews

Daria:
I received this wonderful product as a gift from my boyfriend. I didn’t order such surprises, so when I received them I was slightly taken aback. In the end, the result exceeded all expectations!

Ivan:
One minus is that the watch does not have the ability to wirelessly charge, but otherwise I personally see solid advantages: low cost, a large number of functions, original design, and battery life lasts for a day.

Dmitriy:
A good invention that is worth the money. I don’t have such a personal watch yet, but I plan to buy one in the near future. I think that the price of just over $200 for such a toy is simply ridiculous.

Tatiana:
My husband really wanted such a watch, and I decided to give him this surprise for his 30th birthday. He was very happy, although I still don’t understand all their tricks and goodies.

Conclusion

A review of the Asus ZenWatch 3 wi503q indicates that this new product will be particularly popular on the market due to the opportunities it provides to the average user.

Video review of ASUS ZenWatch 3: