IFA 2014: Everything you must know about Asus ZenWatch

Asus showcased its new smartwatch, the ZenWatch at the ongoing IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. The ZenWatch is powered by Android Wear.

The ZenWatch can also be paired with any Android 4.3 or higher smartphone as well, which is fairly convenient. According to Asus, the watch also comes with a version of the ASUS ZenUI user interface developed specifically for ZenWatch. It also serves as a personal health manager and Asus has designed an ZenUI Wellness app to function with the watch.

As far as specifications go, the ZenWatch has a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen. The display is an AMOLED screen and the screen size is 1.6-inches, the screen resolution is 320x320, which comes to 278ppi. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1.2GHz CPU, 512MB RAM and 4GB total storage space.

The smartwatch supports Bluetooth 4.0 and Micro USB on the Charging Cradle. It has a built-in microphone and the battery is Polymer 1.4Wh and Asus hasn’t specified how long the battery will last. The watch is also water resistant. It also has a 9 Axis Sensor and Bio sensor.

The weight of the watch is 50 g while the strap is another 25g. Dimensions of the watch are: 50.6 x 39.8 x 7.9-9.4mm. Where colours are concerned, Asus has gone for the bold choice making the smartwatch available in Silver and rose gold colour layering. The strap is genuine leather.

Asus is also promising over 100+ combination watch face choices. Some of the features include: Watch Unlock (lets users unlock their phone via the smartwatch), Remote Camera (access to the smartphone camera), Cover to Mute ( cover ASUS ZenWatch with your hand to mute an incoming call), Find My Phone (helps you locate your phone instantly if misplaced) and Presentation Control (allows ZenWatch to be used as a remote control and time manager when giving a business presentation or lecture).

The 9-axis sensor will help the watch function as a health manager as it will track steps taken, calories burned, activity duration, heart rate, exercise intensity and relaxation level. Users can set and monitor personal fitness goals with ease, and see their progress as well on the watch in the Asus Wellness app.