Enter the ASUS VivoWatch, an elegant looking watch that’s capable of health monitor.
Wait, why didn’t I call it a Smartwatch? Or a Fitness Tracker? You see, the VivoWatch one that’s actually in between. First up, the VivoWatch doesn’t work like any other smartwatches out there, the function is very basic. You get the clock, some monitoring options and it’s capable of reminders and notifications and that’s all.
More details at the official product page.
The VivoWatch does track your fitness, it’s almost like what FitBit but just not as detailed so I wouldn’t call it a Fitness Tracker. For those who require greater health monitoring then this watch is not for you. The VivoWatch is great for someone like me, one who wants a bit of health monitoring while not requiring the features of FitBit products. I’m not keen on smartwatches either because the need to charge on daily basis doesn’t make sense, sorry but I’ll stick to my Casios.
One thing to note is that Garmin’s fitness tracker range of products uses the word “Vivo” too, they are not related (obviously) to the ASUS VivoWatch.
The VivoWatch has curved corners and smooth edges, glass face from edge to edge – clearly this watch wasn’t made for sports activities, you wouldn’t want to get it scratched. The design is such that there are no sharp edges so you wouldn’t be giving anyone accidental scratches.
The VivoWatch comes with a charging dock, the dock serves as the connection point between a Micro USB cable and the watch itself.
User Experience
Here are some of the interface that I thought might be of your interest. The VivoWatch comes with an Exercise Monitor and Sleep Monitor, it comes with various notifications too. I for one am not keen on the Exercise Monitor and Sleep Monitor but what I like are the stats that the VivoWatch logs.
The ASUS VivoWatch works with any Android-based smartphone, as long as if has Bluetooth and is able to run the HiVivo app. The phone requires Internet Connection to complete the synchronization between it and the watch.
Once done, you have reports like these.
Battery Life
After 8 days and 13 hours usage there is still 8% battery left. Amazing watch!
Mind you, 3 out of the 8 days were full of WALKING, so much so that I clocked over 30,000 steps on one of the days. The watch had Bluetooth connectivity about 1/3 of the time.
If you calculate from the above figures, it comes to about 222 hours usage time available which is very close to the 10-days battery life ASUS Claimed.
The only downside to this is that the battery life is so long that you might even forget to charge, now that’s a problem because the VivoWatch can only be charged through the charging dock.
The Verdict
The ASUS VivoWatch Fitness Watch retails at RM 799 and comes with 1-year warranty, covering any form of abnormal behavior of the watch. The warranty does not cover damages like screen, button and strap.
The VivoWatch uses standard size 22mm strap so you are able to replace it with whatever suites you, this does not void the warranty.
Now – do I like this watch? Yes, a resounding YES as I think it’s a fantastic product. My only wish is that ASUS sells additional charging dock so I can charge the watch at more than 1 location.
