What Is It? – The Asus ZenWatch 2 – as its name clearly says – is the next version of a popular smartwatch from Asus (pronounced AY-soos), a Taiwanese electronics company first known for making parts for name-brand companies’ computers and now also a major consumer brand on its own. The older and the newer ZenWatch use the same processor, same RAM, and same amount of storage, and both of course are Android Wear devices, designed to link your smartwatch with your smartphone, even if the phone is not an Android. What’s different in the ZenWatch 2 is that there is now an additional model to choose from, and there are added features. Among them: a speaker (not just a microphone), both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and the newer watch also charges faster – less than an hour to a full charge and a full charge lasts about 2 days. Asus also dropped a heartbeat monitor and both the old and new lack GPS. While the first ZenWatch came in just one size, the ZenWatch 2 comes in an additional smaller size clearly designed for smaller female wrists or those who just prefer something not so large. It’s also is available in 3 colors: black, silver and gold, and of course there are a variety of bands and straps you can purchase. As with most smartwatches, you can choose from many different watch faces to suit your style or for best visibility, with 50 available right away plus an app to create your own.
Is It 50+ Friendly? – For all the size of the ZenWatch, and the “men’s” watch is pretty large, the actual display is only about an inch and an eighth square. The smaller “women’s” watch of course is a little smaller. The screen is sharp, but the polished Gorilla Glass can make it hard to see in bright light.
Frustration Factor? – Instead of the watch using an induction charger, there’s a magnetic charger that attaches to the back of the watch. But unfortunately the supplied cable is barely 3 feet long and the magnet grip is not too strong, so it can easily fall off if the cord is stretched to reach an electrical outlet. I also had problems connecting Android apps to a smartphone (a new Asus model in fact…) as the watch kept telling me to install apps that were previously installed.
Is It Worth The Money? – The Asus ZenWatch 2 is made as a less expensive alternative to the Apple Watch and is an improvement on the original, but still looms large on the wrist. If you’re looking for a smartwatch with full fitness apps, this is not it, but for other functions, including messaging, it’ll do just fine. $139 to $199 at Amazon.com – price depending on watch face size and type of band.
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