Why trust GreenbotAfter several weeks of teasing, Asus officially debuted its first entry into the burgeoning field of smartwatches on Tuesday at IFA Berlin. Dubbed the Asus Zentch, the new wrist wearable is loaded with Android ar , similar to other first generation ar devices we’ve seen, it features a simply designed rectangular watch face.
But compared to devices such as the Samsung Gear ve or the G tch, Asus has put a bit more effort into refining the watch’s design. The Zentch combines a stainless steel case, nicely designed accents, a curved glass 2.5D front, an Italian leather strap to more closely emulate the traditional watches you’re used to. The watch also features more than 100 digital watch faces to choose from.
Asus was short on specs for the device during its presentation at IFA, but it did highlight many extra software features added to the basic Android ar feature set. Some of these are a little gimmicky, but could also come in useful.
Similar to what Now already offers for ar users, the Zentch has a feature called at’s Next that can display upcoming calendar appointments, reminders, weather forecasts.
Yep, the Asus Zentch runs Android ar.
The Zentch also has a built-in feature called Tap Tap, which, as its name applies, activates with a double tap.
During Asus’ Zentch demo on dnesday, the company demonstrated how you could use Tap Tap as a “find my phone feature.” st double tap the watch your phone starts ringing. It’s not clear if Tap Tap can be programmed for other uses in addition to find my phone.
Asus has also added wellness tracking to the watch via a “9-axis sensor,” allowing you to track your steps taken, calories burned, activity duration, heart rate, exercise intensity relaxation level. l of that data integrates with the Asus ZenUI llness app.
The Zentch’s leather strap helps make it feel high-end, despite the low price.
For group photo fans, the Zentch has a remote photo capture feature that uses your watch as a viewfinder for your smartphone’s camera function. And if you ever get a phone call you don’t want to take, you can dismiss the call by simply covering the Zentch with your h.
ile the extra features would make you think the Zentch would sell for a premium over the G tch Samsung’s Gear ve, Asus is taking the more competitive route. A representative confirmed that the Zentch will sell for $200 in the U.S. ok for the wearable to launch in select markets in the third quarter—in other words, in the next month or so.
Thanks to News Service’s for contributing to this report.
Updated on September 4 with a video report from News Service.
