ASUS ZenWatch 2 gives your phone’s battery a tiny boost
It’s only been half a year since we reviewed the stylish ZenWatch, but ASUS is already back with its second attempt in the Android Wear space. At Computex, the company announced the appropriately named ZenWatch 2 which, unlike its predecessor, comes in two sizes: one to go with 22mm straps like before, and the other with smaller 18mm straps. If you go with the larger one, you’ll get a bonus feature: it can actually double as a tiny mobile power bank to give your phone some emergency juice! ASUS hasn’t quite explained how this will be implemented, but we imagine there’ll be a special cable involved.
While the overall designs are similar to that of the original model, ASUS has now added a button on the side, though we prefer the cleaner look without it. As to what it does, we’ll come back to that when we hear more. Like before, both versions of the ZenWatch 2 feature an AMOLED screen with a piece of 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 3 on top, and they are powered by an unnamed Qualcomm processor — hopefully one that will at least add another day’s worth of battery life.
For those looking for other excuses to upgrade from the previous model to this, the latter does have an improved dust and water resistance rating of IP67 (same as its fitness-centric counterpart, the VivoWatch). It comes with a more convenient magnetic charger cable instead of the old snap-on plastic cradle, and the recharge time has apparently been improved as well. On the software side, the ZenWatch 2 has an improved Remote Camera feature to go with your phone, and it’ll also work with a “completely redesigned” ASUS Wellness smartphone app for tracking your running and cycling activities.
As for customization, this time you get three colors instead of just one for the body: silver, gunmetal and rose-gold. Similarly, ASUS will be offering a range of straps made out of rubber, soft leather and metal in different colors. If you’re feeling adventurous, there’ll be an optional leather strap with Swarovski crystals embedded all over it.
There’s no price nor launch date just yet for the ZenWatch 2, but keep your eyes on here as we’ll likely hear more at Computex.
AIVAnet 