Asus Zenwatch officially revealed: AMOLED screen, Android Wear and leather strap for €199

After weeks of teasers in the run up to the IFA show in Berlin, Asus has finally revealed the Zenwatch. The company’s first wearable takes Google’s Android Wear operating system as a starting point, adds in some extra features unique to Asus, and squeezes them into a stylish watch made from premium materials.

The 1.63-inch, 320×320 AMOLED touchscreen sits in a curved, stainless steel chassis, and is protected by a curved 2.5D piece of Gorilla Glass which gives the impression that the screen itself is curved as well. The strap is made from Italian leather, but takes a standard 22mm fitting so you could fit your own if you prefer. It’s IP55 water resistant, so you won’t have to take it off when having a shower, but you won’t be able to go swimming without doing some serious harm.

Inside, you’ll find a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard storage and Bluetooth 4.0 for pairing with an Android smartphone. There’s also a microphone for voice commands and a heart rate sensor built into the steel frame for tracking your pulse. As it doesn’t use light like Samsnug’s Gear 2, it should hopefully be less strenuous on the 370mAh battery. Speaking of battery life, the ZenWatch should last around a full day on a single charge.

Asus has added its own custom apps to Android Wear, letting you take photos remotely with a paired smartphone using the Remote Camera, Tap Tap to find your phone and trigger an alarm in case you misplace it, and cover the screen to mute a ringing phone. It’s also promising to provide unrivalled customisation with plenty of watchfaces to choose from.

The ZenWatch will be going on sale in Europe for €199, and although there’s no indication of a UK price yet, we’re expecting it to cost a little less in GPB. It should launch in Blightly some time before Christmas.

We’re about to go and put the watch through its paces, so be sure to check back for a hands-on review.