Asus Announcement Recap

At IFA 2014 Asus unveiled three items, the MeMO Pad 7 tablet, the EeeBook X205 Intel Atom-powered netbook and the much anticipated ZenWatch. As we weren’t able to attend the event, I have used photos courtesy of gsmarena.com.

Of course the most interesting item of the three is the ZenWatch. This is Asus’s first attempt at a smartwatch and made in collaboration with Google, using its Android Wear platform developed exclusively for the form factor. The watch packs a 1.63″ 320 x 320px AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 400 chipset and a built in microphone. It opts for an interesting design that’s neither round nor square but has a 2.5D curved front that should make it feel more comfortable to wear and use.

The Asus MeMo Pad 7 is powered by a 64-bit Intel Atom chipset with a quad-core 1.83GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. The display is a 7″ IPS unit of 1920 x 1200px. The tablet features a slick, metal design and weighs just 269g. The tablet has a 5MP camera on the back and a 2MP front facer.

The EeeBook X205 has a quad-core Intel Atom processor, the Z3735. There’s 2GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB SSD plus 500GB Asus WebStorage for two years (not sure whether you lose the data after two years or whether that stays up forever), an 11.6-inch display with a 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution, a webcam and a bigger than average touchpad.

Asus Memo Pad 7

The Asus Memo Pad 7 will come in Wi-Fi only and LTE versions, both of which will have an impressive 8.3mm slim chassis. It’s made of part duralumin and part fiberglass and have been told it feels great in the hand. The tablet is thin (it measures 200 x 114.4 x 8.3mm) and weighs 269. The LTE version is a touch heavier at 279g. The Memo Pad 7 is built around a 7″ IPS screen of WUXGA resolution (1,920 x 1,200px). The screen is sharp and, thanks to the IPS tech, viewing angles are great. Contrast is pretty good too but people found the glass a bit too reflective, which reduces legibility in direct sunlight. The tablet has a 5MP camera on the back and a 2MP camera on the front.

Asus MeMo Pad 7 ME572C/CL specs

• Form factor: 7″ tablet, duralumin and fiberglass body
• Dimensions: 8.3mm thick, 269g
• Display: 7″ IPS touchscreen with 1,920 x 1,200 resolution (323ppi)
• Chipset: Intel Atom Z3560, quad-core 1.83GHz processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU; 2GB of RAM
• OS: Android 4.4 KitKat; Asus ZenUI
• Camera: 5MP camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Connectivity: Optional LTE (ME572CL)
• Storage: 16/32GB built-in, microSD card slot (cards up to 64GB)
• Other: Stereo speakers

The top and bottom sides of the Memo Pad 7 are mostly flat and house a loudspeaker each. A microSD card slot and a microUSB port are also to be found on the sides of the device. The tablet comes with 16GB or 32GB of storage and accepts microSD cards of up to 64GB. The Asus Memo Pad 7 will come in a Wi-Fi only version (ME572C) and in an LTE version (ME572CL) by the end of the year. The starting price for the Wi-Fi model is €200.

Asus ZenWatch

Deciding to play the long game (unlike Samsung), Asus decided to wait for Google to make the Android Wear platform available before bringing its own smartwatch to the market. The ZenWatch has a 1.63″ AMOLED display with a resolution of 320 x 320px, resulting in 278ppi.

Asus ZenWatch specs

• Form factor: 1.63″ smartwatch with changeable straps
• Dimensions: 50.6 x 39.8 x 7.9-9.4mm Weight, 50g body, 25g strap
• Display: 1.63″ AMOLED touchscreen with 320 x 320 resolution (278ppi), Curved 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3
• Chipset: Snapdragon 400; 1.2GHz, 512MB RAM
• OS: Android Wear
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, MicroUSB port on charding cradle
• Storage: 4GB built-in
• Battery: 1.4Wh
• Misc: IP55 rating for water resistance, built-in microphone

Reports are saying that the watch feels extremely nice on the wrist, which shows Asus took their time manufacturing the watch. The strap is exchangeable and made out of leather. The strap is also easy to release with a latch on either side of it. The display looks every bit as good as those from Samsung’s Super AMOLED Gear series of smartwatches. Viewing angles, typical AMOLED, are really wide and retain contrast even at extreme tilt. The bottom of the Asus ZenWatch is stainless steel and has pins where the charging cradle would attach. The latter has a MicroUSB port for charging. Given the ZenWatch has a built-in microphone it will be able to take calls. The Asus ZenWatch costs €199 and is expected to arrive on shelves by the end of the year.

Conculsion

Out of the three items announced, the obvious stand out was the ZenWatch. This appears to be a major competitor to other wearable techs already released. I’m happy to see that Asus are still working on the EeeBook range and loving the look of their new tablet.