The Asus ZenWatch 3 marks a change in direction for the Taiwanese firm and its smartwatch line, and its timing couldn't be better.
The death of Pebble means many smartwatch owners are looking for an alternative to the quirky wearable. One of the most obvious alternatives for Pebble lovers is the vast array of Android Wear smartwatches.
While we’re still left waiting for the major Android Wear 2.0 update, there are still quite a few Wear watches worth considering right now. The Motorola Moto 360 (2015) is an excellent choice but a bit dated now. Motorola isn’t committing to a new Android Wear smartwatch any time soon either.
Your next best bet is the Asus ZenWatch 3. We loved the previous ZenWatch 2 for its affordability, but there were lots of compromises like battery life and big bezels. Asus went back to the drawing board for the ZenWatch 3 and have created one of the most polished smartwatches on the market to date.
Design
The ZenWatch 3’s design is so different from the previous generation watch that it doesn’t even look like it’s from the same company.
Where the ZenWatch 2’s design was boring and generic enough to put you to sleep, the ZenWatch 3 has an eye-catching stainless steel case with rose gold accents around the display, case and crown button. This definitely is a more adult-looking product vs the ZenWatch 2.
The most notable design features of the ZenWatch 3 is its faux chronograph buttons on the right side of its case and its weird lug guards. Whether or not you’re a fan of the lug guards that as they look chunkier than they need to be, no one will appreciate the fact that Asus opted for proprietary straps.
Another problem with the chunky lugs is that they make the included strap very stiff on the wrist and make impossible to lay the watch flat. This means you’ll have to lay the watch on its side while charging, which is a bit awkward. Asus hilariously includes a small rubber pad to prevent you from scratching up the watch.
You can quickly swap out bands via the clip on each strap, but the unique lugs mean you won’t be able to use traditional watch straps with the ZenWatch 3.
On the other hand, the faux chronograph buttons are customizable, a feature we every Android Wear smartwatch offered. They’re programmable to launch apps or perform tasks so you can set one to bring up a calculator or set a timer.
By default, the top button is set for Asus ZenFit to track your workouts and the bottom button is set to turn on ECO Mode (airplane mode) to preserve battery life.
our verdict
Asus did a great job refining its latest Android Wear smartwatch. The ZenWatch 3 has one of the best displays of any smartwatch, great battery life and is built well. It’s missing a few features but it’s an undeniably attractive smartwatch.
for
- Gorgeous display
- Solid build quality
- Excellent battery life
- against
- No heart rate monitor, GPS, NFC
- Proprietary straps
- Styling not for everyone
0 commentaires: