Asus confirmed with an unnamed source that it’s currently working on a Google Wear smartwatch, and will possibly release the device sometime in September. Sources claim the watch may cost between $99 and $149, undercutting LG’s G Watch ($229) and Samsung’s Gear Live ($199), both of which are Android Wear devices.
Sources told TechCrunch that Asus waited to release its solution on purpose, as it didn’t want to rush development. Previous reports pointed to gesture control, and how the company wanted to include this technology to make up for the small screen. Whether or not the upcoming Android Wear watch will be the same project is currently unknown.
Both the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live were launched on Wednesday sporting Google’s new Android Wear platform. Both are similar to each other on a hardwarelevel save for the screen sizes, resolution and the battery. The Samsung unit also has a heart rate monitor, a detail that LG left out possibly due to the company’s need to meet the launch deadline.
As reported on Wednesday, LG’s G Watch includes an always-on 1.65-inch IPS display with a 280 x 280 resolution. This screen is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, 512 MB of RAM and a 400 mAh battery. There’s also 4 GB of internal storage, a handful of sensors, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
