Asus Zenwatch 3 release date, specs: smartwatch competes with Samsung Gear S3 at IFA 2016

Asus has made official its new entry in the wearables market. The new Zenwatch 3 was unveiled at the IFA 2016, going head to head with another trade show debutant, Samsung's Gear S3.

Although the two new flagship smartwatches are unveiled at the same event, some industry followers believe that there is no comparison between the two. According to Tom's Guide, the Samung Gear S3 is focused as both a stylish and functional accessory. On the other hand, even if the Zenwatch 3 also has an elegant look and design, Asus has made the new wearable as a functional stand-alone watch.

The new third-generation Zenwatch has an overhauled design, this going for a round body and slimmer profile. When Asus launched its new wearable at the IFA, the tech maker underscored that the new Zenwatch is one of the first to use the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 chipset. This means that because of the new processor and hardware improvements, the Zenwatch 3 consumes at least 25 percent less energy compared to the Snapdragon 400 processors in the previous Zenwatch series. Asus has even stated that even on a continuous run, the Zenwatch 3 is capable of working for up to two days on a single charge.

Other specs of the new wearable include 512MB RAM, 4GB of flash storage, and WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The watchface is as 1.39-inch AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and the case itself is IP67 certified.

Launching this fall, the Zenwatch 3 will go head to head with Samsung's Gear S3, with its bulky but stylish design, as well as the signature rotrary bezel. However, the new Zenwatch will go against two Gear S3 variants, the Classic and Frontier versions. One advantage may be for third-party apps, since the Zenwatch 3 is powered by Android Wear, compared with the Gear S3's homegrown Tizen platform.

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