The ASUS ZenWatch 3 is one of the few new Android Wear watches to be released this year and its release reaffirms the seriousness of ASUS when it comes to wearables. The watch itself was announced back in September at IFA 2016, and packs a 1.39-inch circular AMOLED display with a 400 x 400 resolution, which is also protected by Gorilla Glass 3. In addition to this, the watch is powered by Qualcomm’s wearable-specific Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, which has been coupled with a HyperCharge ability that allows the watch to be charged to up to 60% in under 15 minutes. One other feature, and something that is a necessity for many users, is an IP67 dust and water-resistant certification, allowing the watch to be submerged underwater for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.
Originally, ASUS has said the smartwatch would be available towards the beginning of November, but the company appears to have beaten its own schedule by putting the device up for sale today directly from its own website, though at the time of writing the device appears to be out of stock already. As well as the official ASUS website, the wearable is also available from B&H Photo. Regardless of where the device is purchased, it will cost $229 with free shipping. Currently, the only model on sale features a dark brown leather strap along with a gunmetal-colored body.
The release of the ZenWatch 3 comes at an odd time for the Android Wear platform. Initially, it was expected that Google was going to release the long-awaited Android Wear 2.0 update this fall, but the company has decided to delay this, something that has likely caused many manufacturers to also delay their upcoming smartwatches, such as Moto or even the rumored Google Pixel-branded smartwatches. In addition to this, the delay of the update, as well as the lack of new products on the market has caused consumers to lose interest in the wearables, something that has led to a significant decline in sales overall. One thing that is sure, though, is that ASUS will surely be pushing out the new Android Wear update as soon as possible once it’s released, the only thing that remains to be seen is if the company can ship enough models of the current gen smartwatch in order to warrant a fourth generation.