While the ASUS ZenWatch 3 officially went on sale on October 31 in the U.S., the smartwatch is currently not available to purchase from either the official ASUS online store or Amazon after it sold out. However, there is no reason to fret over the wearable’s unavailability in the U.S., as Best Buy Canada now offers the ZenWatch 3 for $349.99 CAD ($258 US).
The ASUS ZenWatch 3 was unveiled at the IFA 2016 in September with a 1.39-inch rounded screen with 400 x 400 AMOLED display and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. ASUS also slapped quite a number of buttons into its case, which has been constructed with a jewelry-grade stainless steel to give it a more solid feel than traditional metals. Under the hood, the ZenWatch 3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor and juiced by a 340 mAh battery, which is supposed to keep the device running for up to 2 days on full charge. Along with this impressive battery comes the ZenWatch 3’s quick charging technology that can fuel up the smartwatch up to 60% within just 15 minutes. It also packs 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. The ZenWatch 3 will also come pre-loaded with 50 watch faces to let users customize the smartwatch to their personal taste. With its IP67 rating, the smartwatch can be submerged underwater for as deep as 1 meter.
While ASUS is not new to the smartwatch race, it is worth noting that the ZenWatch 3 marks the company’s first foray into the round smartwatch design, joining the likes of the Moto 360 and other rounded Android Wear smartwatches. Although the ZenWatch 3 does not disappoint in the design and specs departments, one major turn off with the smartwatch is the absence of Android Wear 2.0, which ASUS initially promised to install in the device once it rolls out. This was after Google moved to delay that update. Nevertheless, the ZenWatch 3 still offers great value to consumers with its premium look and material. The ASUS ZenWatch 3 is expected to go on sale in the U.S. again soon, with Amazon indicating November 20 and B&H suggesting sometime in the middle of November. Nonetheless, you can pre-order the smartwatch from any online retailers.