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A solid, affordable buy for first-time smartwatch users

SINGAPORE — The smartwatch category is still very much in its infancy. While there has been a flurry of such timepieces released over the past year, those I have tested so far have been “useful”, but not quite “life-changing”.

The ASUS ZenWatch 2 1.63 inch and 1.45 inch models in Gun Metal and Silver colours respectively. Photo: ASUS

The ASUS ZenWatch 2 1.63 inch and 1.45 inch models in Gun Metal and Silver colours respectively. Photo: ASUS

SINGAPORE — The smartwatch category is still very much in its infancy. While there has been a flurry of such timepieces released over the past year, those I have tested so far have been “useful”, but not quite “life-changing”.

Many companies have jumped on the bandwagon, but none have really captured mass-market interest or proved incredibly innovative. With the industry still seeking a market leader, ASUS is attempting to at least broaden the market base with a truly affordable smartwatch.

The ZenWatch 2 may lag behind peers such as the Apple Watch or the Samsung Gear S2 in terms of capabilities or specifications, but at S$229 for the base model, it is much cheaper than nearly every other option in the market today. The Gen 2 Moto 360, for instance, is priced between S$479 and S$549, while the Huawei Watch costs from S$549 to S$999.

What you get with the ZenWatch 2 are the most basic, yet essential, functions of a smartwatch. With it, you can tell the time, receive and send messages, read emails, get notifications, use your screen as a viewfinder for your phone’s camera — but that is about it. It does not have a heart-rate monitor or GPS, for instance, so it does not double up as a fitness tracker.

Navigating on the ZenWatch 2 is similar to other Android Wear watches: You keep sliding through cards to get to the app you like. I personally prefer the interfaces on the Apple Watch and the Samsung Gear S2.

Specs-wise, there is practically no difference between the ZenWatch 2 and its predecessor. Both feature a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with the same 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. In terms of improvements, there are more apps, and the ZenWatch 2 also has more built-in watch faces (more than 50), with the option for users to design their own watch faces with the new FaceDesigner smartphone app.

I like the ZenWatch 2’s square-faced design. Still, the display has lots of room for improvement. For one, the screen was far too reflective for my liking, especially in bright sunlight. On the plus side, the curved Gorilla Glass screen is fairly sturdy: There were no scratches when I hit the watch against a hard surface twice.

One of the smartest things ASUS did was to give consumers the option to customise their ZenWatch 2 with a variety of interchangeable straps made of either metal, rubber or leather. Each strap costs just S$39, which is half the cost of the Apple Watch’s cheapest strap. However, more can be done to improve the straps’ finishes. I only managed to try out the ZenWatch’s leather strap, which was extremely stiff. This made it hard for the ZenWatch 2 to sit properly on my wrist, and also slightly uncomfortable to wear.

Battery life on the ZenWatch 2 is decent — it lasted for slightly more than a day based on normal usage. With fast-charging, the ZenWatch 2 can go from zero to 50 per cent capacity in just 36 minutes.

I would recommend the ZenWatch 2 to first-time smartwatch owners who might like to find out what smartwatches can offer them without having to pay a hefty price.

The ZenWatch 2 is available at all ASUS-brand stores and selected ASUS authorised retailers in two sizes. The larger model, weighing 60g and with a 4.1cm display, comes in gunmetal; the 3.6cm model weighs 50g and is silver in colour. There is also a special rose-gold holiday edition in both sizes priced at S$249.

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