14 DAY TRIAL // ASUS’ first smartwatch saw the light of day at IFA 2014 in September, but the producing company wasn’t too generous about availability details.
We soon found out that ASUS had a good reason for keeping the secrecy. It turns out that ASUS has only a limited number of watches to show, models which are currently going on sale on the Asian market, most notably Japan, as reported by GSM Dome.
ASUS probably bumped into some serious production issues and is putting the global launch of the watch off, for the time being.
ASUS ZenWatch makes it to Japan
However, if you’re located in Asia, or better in Japan, you might get lucky and be one of the first to grab an ASUS ZenWatch.
Keeping true to its plans, ASUS will be marketing the wearable for a price tag that translates into $275 / €215. This is on track with what ASUS initially promised when it said it would sell its Android Wear smartwatch for €199 / $260.
However, given the fact that prices of electronics in Japan are usually higher than in other countries, there might be a chance to see the wearable launch globally for less.
ZenWatch spec roundup
If you are late to the ASUS wearable party, we’ll take a moment to remind you that the smartwatch takes advantage of a 1.63-inch AMOLED display with 320 x 320 pixel resolution (278ppi).
The wearable is water resistant, but bear in mind that this does not equal being waterproof. This means the watch can handle a few drops of water, but shouldn’t dive into a pool while having it on your wrist.
As for processing power, the watch survives thanks to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor fitted with 512MB of RAM and backed up by 4GB of internal storage.
The watch also plays its part in the fitness game, as it comes equipped with a heart rate monitor, can count steps, calories burned, figure out intensity or relaxation levels, while putting your overall workouts in perspective.
The watch is slightly curved around the edges, so it’s not 100% rectangular in shape. It comes with a swappable leather strap which gives it an aura of stylishness, something a lot of current smartwatches lack.
Google has also complemented ASUS for being the company that understood best what Android Wear is all about, so we believe this is an intelligent timepiece to look out for. Hopefully, we’ll see the watch launch internationally soon.