ASUS CEO Jerry Shen has reportedly stated that its upcoming ZenWatch device will be priced under $199 and that it will be released sometime in October. Shen made these statements well ahead of the company's official reveal of the device at IFA 2014 in Berlin on Wednesday.
The ZenWatch, which is expected to be based on Android Wear, will support English-based voice recognition, according to what Shen told a media briefing in Taiwan last week, but that the ZenWatch will support the Chinese language for voice support sometime before the end of 2014.
We will be on the ground at IFA in Berlin this week to learn more about the ZenWatch. In the meantime, what do you think about the overall prospects for this smartwatch?
Source: Focus Taiwan
Reader comments
ASUS CEO says ZenWatch will cost under $199 and will be out in October
So much for...."According to an undisclosed source to TechCrunch, it looks like Asus' entry into the category could cost as little as $99 or as much as $149".
I still don't think being a good tablet or phone maker means you will be a good smart watch maker....
Good price.
$198.99
Posted via Android Central App on The Nexus 5
It may be cheaper but I trust Asus. They make cheap quality products from my experiences and I enjoy them.
Posted via Android Central App
Less than $199 means it will be $198...
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These smart watches are starting at a high price point and they will drop significantly the longer they are on the market.
Asus has made a good product in my opinion, I have had a few of their tablets.
By the time Black Friday rolls around I would expect these watches to be at a $99 price point. The Lg G watch has already dropped by $50 to $179 with Bestbuy, a national retailer. The New G watch will be closer to the Moto 360 price range but those watches are only going ot offer a round face instead of a square face. The square face watches will be cheaper but will offer the same specs as the round. I can't wait till IFA later this week.
As with anything (watches and smart devices included), there will be many offerings with many price points. I don't understand why people think every smartwatch should cost the exact same price, no matter how it's manufactured, what it's made of, how it looks, what specs it has and what features it offers. Does every "dumbwatch" cost the same? No. There are different types, from different designers, at different price points, for different tastes, income brackets and types of people.
I hope they put some fashion sense into this watch with that price.
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The sketch already seems to be designed better than the original offerings.
Waits for the $99 OnePlus watch.
Hopefully...
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And I thought Motorola were trolling with the 360...
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Still say the best previews of the bunch is the Samsung version with the 2G/3G built in, with some really good resolution and processor announced. Moto has shown that round has its disadvantages. Curved is where it's at.
I hope they will reveal a round one, otherwise no shitz given
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NO I DON'T want it more expensive just because YOU say so....
There are a lot of watches out there, and they are updating also...
May the Best watch, dependable, well made, have good basics of sending/receiving, voice texting, etc with a reasonable price.... WIN, regardless if it is a name brand or not
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Why does one brand have to beat out the rest? A range of watches with a range of prices, functions, etc would be a *good* thing, because competition would make smartwatches better overall.
Yes, yes, inch closer to that $99 sweet spot...
Until they get cheaper or someone invents a need for one, I just dont see the smart watches lasting long. It is too much money for something no one needs and only a few want. Price has to go down or functionality has to go up.
You mean a need for you? Because Google has already demonstrated use cases for them, that would benefit many.
Cool but for that price something had to give well see at ifa
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Calling it right now that it will be thinner than the rest of the competition.
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Calling it right now that it will have a smaller battery capacity than the rest of the competition. ;)
I'm just kidding, I actually think there's room for improvement in this regard... After all, Moto seems to have crammed a Qi coil in the 360 and yet it's no thicker or larger than the LG G Watch.
That being said, none of them are obnoxiously thick by modern watch standards tbh...
Qi coils are paper-thin, it's no great feat of engineering.
Am I remembering wrong or were they originally targeting a price point closer to $99? If it's gonna be $150+ it might be a tough sell (vs the competition) unless the build quality is up to snuff, all other things being equal...
As I recall that was just a rumour that was never substantiated by Asus. May be wrong though.
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They've never said a price until now, and now they are say "under $199," which does not mean "$150+," it means "under $199."
I wasn't trying to put words into their mouths, but "under $199" makes it sound like it'll be closer to $199 than the rumored $99, hence my $150+ comment...
It might end up being a nice budget smartwatch at $150, or a competent rival to the rest at $180, or a surprise value way below $150, who knows... All I'm saying is if it's over $150 it can't coast by based on price point alone.
Edit: And I'm not accusing ASUS of coasting by on price alone either... I think my Nexus 7 and several of their laptops punch well above their price, tho the former benefits from Google's distro and marketing to reach it's value.
I love my ASUS STX (still a good value in audio years after release) and a lot of other ASUS gear. All I'm saying is they're probably not headed in direction many thought with this watch. Under $199 can mean tons of things, but probably doesn't.
I just think you're reading too much into that quote. All I gleam from that is them letting us know it will be an affordable/reasonable price-point and that they are not telling us exactly what that price is...yet. It necessarily imply it will be above $150.
Completely agree. Love to see what features it has.
I am waiting for it..... Hope it is $150
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1st comment yeah!
Just remember; you get what you pay for. It might be nice but I'd rather have a premium product that's a little more expensive.
That is not always the case but with Asus it may be true.
Because the Nexus 7 was such a piece of crap, undeserving of anyone's attention.