Are you thinking about jumping on the smartwatch trend? After all, paying for your groceries and making calls from your wrist can look very James Bond…

Over the last month, I have been wearing the ASUS ZenWatch 3. While it didn’t make me feel overly 007, first impressions had me obsessed with it’s stunning appearance and slick design. Every day, I discovered a new feature or fun little widget. Of course, there were ups and downs, so read below for my full review and make up your own mind about whether you’d like to try a smart watch or stick to the classic.

Appearance

Besides having access to my phone notifications at all times, my favourite feature was the watch’s interchangeable appearance. With the help of the Android Wear app, I could literally wear a different watch every day. With six themes and over 50 watch faces to chose from I was spoilt for choice! The designs ranged from chic and classic to digital and edgy.

My Gunmetal ZenWatch came with a dark brown Italian leather strap. According to ASUS, the strap is created from traditional Italian tailoring and I found it quiet comfortable and light to wear – even while working out. The watch also comes in two other styles, Rose Gold and Silver.

Functionality

The main difference between a smart watch and a classic watch is of course it’s ability to connect to your smart phone and provide you with notifications. The ZenWatch 3 does just that by connecting to your phone via Bluetooth and determining what information you need to know, It organises your notifications by their importance, but you can also customise these settings. You can receive messages from friends, get weather updates and all your social media alerts.

ZenFit app

Another bonus of the ZenWatch 3 is it really keeps you on your toes! The watch automatically counts your steps and encourages you to move or stand up on a regular basis. It can help you stick to your goals by tracking specific exercise movements including walking, running, push-ups, sit-ups and more. The watch is semi waterproof and can be submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes so you don’t have to worry when you work out or even showering.

Battery

Running on full power mode, the watch lasts me all day. This includes receiving multiple social media notifications,  text messages and phone calls throughout the day. As a back up, the watch also features an eco mode that can be easily enabled with one click of a button. This mode extends the battery life by more than 200% and turns off notifications for times when you don’t want to be disturbed. This eco mode is also a life saver when you are in meetings or appointments.

When you are running super low on battery, plugging the watch for just 15 minutes allows it to reach 60% charge with it’s HyperCharge technology. Charging the watch is also super satisfying with it’s magnetic charging connecter that makes the watch ‘snap’ into it’s little charging station.

ASUS ZenWatch 3 Pro’s  

• Super stylish and customisable – change the watch to match your outfit, your mood or your day!
• Thinnest smartwatch on the market, also in my opinion, the best looking!
• All your calls and notifications on your wrist. Even if you step away from your phone, you know exactly what’s happening.
• Great apps and widgets that tell you the weather and remind you about getting active throughout the day

Need’s improving

• Compatibility with iPhone. While it worked perfectly 90% of the time, the watch frequently disconnected from my device.
• Connectivity range. Again, it might have something to do with the Android/Apple conflicts but the range wasn’t overly impressive. Some days, when I simply went upstairs in my house, the connectivity dropped out.

Summary

Compared to it’s competitors the ZenWatch3 is definitely a winner in my eyes due to it’s slick appearance, customisation and price! The watch retails at $449 RRP which is pretty awesome for what you get. While many other watches can look a bit too clunky and ‘manly’ I believe the ZenWatch 3 is more suited to females as you can customise it’s appearance. Saying that, the slick watch design and the many digital themes make it unisex and easily interchangeable. Awesome gift idea for anyone in the family!

Thank you to ASUS for collaborating with me on this post. You can buy the ASUS ZenWatch 3 here.