Asus ZenWatch 2: waterproof and affordable

The original ZenWatch combined looks and affordability and its successor is no different. The Asus ZenWatch 2 comes in two different sizes (in silver, gunmetal and rose gold) and a choice of 18 different straps. The most luxurious strap is genuine leather studded with Swarovski crystals, other options include metal, leather and rubber.

You can also get up to 50 different watch faces and design your own with the Asus FaceDesigner phone app. The customization levels nod at the Apple Watch without saying its name.

The ZenWatch 2 comes in 49mm and 45mm sizes (1.63"/320x320px and 1.45"/280x280px respectively). Both use AMOLED screens behind curved Gorilla Glass 3. Both are IP67-rated – dust tight and waterproof up to 1m for half an hour.

The ZenWatch Message feature allows watch-to-watch communication – very short messages or just emojis you can send to other ZenWatch 2 users.

Asus ZenWatch 2: 49mm and 45mm • Gunmetal, metallic strap • Gunmetal, orange rubber strap

Smart Assistant enhances Android Wear's already excellent notification features by showing additional important information from the phone (especially Zen apps). The Business Helper is aimed at office dwellers, it makes it easy to check agendas and manage email.

The watch also has a pedometer and activity tracker, though no heart rate monitor. It does promise solid battery life though, up to two days. It's charged with a magnetic cable that will feed 50% of charge into the battery in a bit over half an hour.

The Asus ZenWatch 2 prices start at €150 for the larger model. Surprisingly the smaller one is pricier at €170. Since the last Wear update the watch can work with iPhones as well as Androids.

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