I’m so happy to have finally found an Android ar watch I like. The Zentch 2 isn’t perfect, but it’s managed to fill the void until other smartwatch makers start catching on that it’s really what a watch looks like that matters most.
Android ar is still in its infancy, but that’s okay. It’s ’s job to work on the software pump it up with features that users will find helpful. And as is busy toiling away at that, the manufacturers are taking this time to figure out how to make a beautiful watch. In Asus’s case, it was ahead of the curve with the first-generation Zentch, it’s still there with the second-generation Zentch 2.
etty, pretty, pretty good
The Zentch 2 comes in two sizes: a 1.63-inch version with a 400mAh battery pack, a smaller 1.45-inch version with a 300mAh battery pack. The latter is meant for ladies, though that wasn’t made explicit when I first went hs on with the device. I asked Asus if they’d send me the smaller version to review I’ve worn this watch almost every single day since I got it.
The Zentch 2 with the Raw Vegan Blonde watchface.
at do I like about the Zentch 2? It’s stylish. And even though its chassis is a bit thicker than your average wristwatch, it gets mistaken for the Apple tch all the time. I also love that the default b is a pinkish neutral, so it matches most of my wardrobe. en I’d wear watches like the gold-toned tch Urbane or the original black-on-black Moto 360, I felt like I was wearing something I’d borrowed from my Dad. th the Zentch 2, I feel like I’m wearing a watch that was actually made with me in mind.
The leather b is actually pretty comfortable.
The Zentch 2 comes in three colors: black, silver, gold, with various styles of bs. There are ones with milanese loops different colored leather bs—I’ve seen most in person, though the silver one is what I’ve got on.
The crown of the Zentch 2 is just a button.
There’s a crown on the right-side of the chassis that mirrors traditional watches, though all it does it turn the screen on off (or press–hold to launch apps). It’s not as intrusive as the tch Urbane’s crown, which would often dig into my wrist if the watch b was loose.
Speaking of which, I found the Zentch 2’s default watchb to be very comfortable, though it took a while for it to loosen up. If you do want to swap out watchbs, you can do so easily with the built-in pushpin b release. You may have to grab a watch b removal tool if you plan to latch on third-party bs, however.
Inside, it’s like any other watch
The Zentch 2 performs like any other Android ar watch. It runs on a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 with 512MB of RAM features 4GB of onboard storage for music things. It also has a built-in microphone is I7-rated for water resistance. It has -Fi Bluetooth 4.1, too, but no heart rate monitor, so it’s not the type of watch meant for you athletic types. I’m personally okay with that, since I only use the step counter don’t typically wear devices when hiking or practicing yoga.
The Zentch 2 charged with a magnetic cord, so there’s no worries about carrying around a dock with you everywhere you go.
Battery life is what particularly impressed me. I’d unlatch the Zentch 2 from its magnetic charging cord at about 8 in the morning, when I’d return home at about 7 in the evening the watch still had about half of its battery life. Then I’d take it off my wrist, leave it on the dresser with the rest of my jewelry, it’d still be kicking strong well into the next morning. I brought the charging cord with me to work the next morning the Zentch 2 still had about 17 percent juice left by the time I clocked in at around 9:30 AM.
Since the cord is just a cord—not one of those annoying docks that bulks up your bag—it’s easy to stow. The Zentch 2 also supports fast charging you can easily charge it up fully in just an hour a half.
A word about bloatware
Back in Berlin, I complained that the Zentch 2 came bundled with a bunch of bloatware, like Asus’s own messaging fitness applications. I’m happy to report that none of those apps were on the watch when I received my review unit. Instead, you can choose to download them individually from the ay Store.
The Zentch 2 actually offers some helpful apps, if you wanna download them from the ay Store.
I actually installed the Zentch llness app just to check it out. It’s not too bad. It buzzes every hour to remind you to get your butt up off your chair around the office for a walk. (My Macworld coworkers I found ourselves taking frequent walks together to keep our respective wearable devices from bugging us about being active.) It doesn’t intrude with any other fitness apps you might have installed , at the very least, it reminds you to get up once in a while—which basic Android ar Fit don’t do just yet.
A better ar watch than the rest
It pairs nicely with the rest of my wearables.
It’s nice to see so much variety in the Android ar space these days— that women are finally getting watches catered to their smaller wrists. It’s been frustrating being a diehard Android user through this wearable evolution because I’ve had trouble finding something that not only worked well, but looked good enough to wear with everything.
The Zentch 2 is not the best Android ar watch on the market, but it’s definitely in second place—after the second-generation Moto 360. There are some visual refinements Asus needs to work on before it’s truly a stunner. It needs to cut away at that bezel either make the watch a little smaller or increase the size of the display. so, there needs to be an easier way to figure out how many styles options Asus offers—otherwise, it’ll get eclipsed by the Moto 360 its variety of customization options.
If you’re into the idea of a rectangular watch, you should consider the Zentch 2 in either size. It’s a seriously stylish Android ar device that lasts throughout the entire workday. It also starts at $150, so it’s one of the more affordable ar watches for those of you who aren’t completely sold on the idea of wearables just yet.
