At IFA 2015 on Wednesday, ASUSTeK Computer Inc. unveiled its new ASUS ZenWatch 2 smartwatch. The ZenWatch 2 is a rectangular Android Wear smartwatch and, since Android Wear for iOS was announced earlier this week, it may be a viable option for iPhone users who have not splurged on the more expensive Apple Watch.

Below we take a look at how the ASUS ZenWatch 2 stacks up against the Apple Watch.

ASUS ZenWatch 2 vs. Apple Watch:

Design and dimensions

ZenWatch 2: The rectangular ZenWatch 2 is available in two stainless-steel case sizes and three case colors (Silver, Gunmetal, and Rose Gold). Personalization options include 18 different strap material and color options, more than 50 changeable watch faces and a FaceDesigner smartphone app that lets users create their own watch faces with customized style and functionality.

The larger ZenWatch 2 WI501Q measures in at 49 x 41mm, weighs 60g and takes a 22mm strap. The smaller ZenWatch 2 WI502Q measures in at 45 x 37mm, weighs 50g and takes an 18mm strap.

Apple Watch: Apple Watch also comes in two case sizes: 38mm and 42mm. Both of which can be set up to work on either the left or right wrist. Three versions are available: the stainless-steel Watch, the anodized aluminum Watch Sport and 18-karat gold Watch Edition. A range of straps are available in various material and colors.

A plethora of customizable watch faces are available for Apple Watch, complete with Complications.

Display

ZenWatch 2: The 49mm ZenWatch 2 WI501Q has a 1.63-inch AMOLED display with 320 x 320 pixels and 278ppi. The smaller 45mm ZenWatch 2 WI502Q has a 1.45-inch AMOLED 280 x 280 pixels and 273ppi.

Both models feature 2-finger touch with curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Apple Watch: The retina touchscreen display features Force Touch and sapphire glass or Ion-X glass cover, depending on the model. Display sizes: 38mm at 340×272 pixels; 42mm at 390×312 pixels.

Chipset

ZenWatch 2: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 512MB RAM.

Apple Watch: Apple S1 computer-on-a-chip, of which few details are provided.

Navigation

ZenWatch 2: Along with 2-finger touch and swiping gestures to navigate between screens, the ZenWatch 2 has a metal crown via which wearers can access apps and turn the screen on or off.

Apple Watch: Capacitive touch (tap, swipe), Force touch (press) Digital crown (scroll, zoom, home, time, accessibility, Siri), Button (Friends, Apple Pay, power).

Storage

ZenWatch 2: 4GB

Apple Watch: 8GB internal memory (with an estimated 2GB of internal storage for music and 75MB of storage for photos).

Sensors

ZenWatch 2: A 6-Axis accelerometer and gyroscope with sensor-hub. The ZenWatch 2 also has a built-in pedometer for step-counting. Sensors combine with a Wellness app for fitness and activity tracking.

Apple Watch: Heart rate sensor, accelerometer, ambient light and gyroscope.

On the back of the case, a ceramic cover with sapphire lenses protects a specially designed sensor that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and photodiodes to detect your heart rate during workouts and when using the heart rate Glance.

Connectivity

ZenWatch 2: Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi.

Apple Watch: Wi‑Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and GPS

Battery

ZenWatch 2: The 49mm version comes with a 400mAh battery while the 45mm version has a 300mAh battery. ASUS claims two days of use on a single charge, and an “all-new” magnetic charger delivers 35 percent faster battery recharge time than the original ZenWatch. ASUS says a 36-minute charge will take the battery up to 50 percent – enough for a full day of use. An optional ASUS Chargeback power bank is available for charging on the go.

Apple Watch: 18 hours of mixed usage, which equates to 90 notifications, 90 time checks, 45 minutes of app use and a 30-minute workout session with music streaming via Bluetooth. The battery is replaceable. Type unknown.

Apple says it will take 90 minutes to reach an 80 percent charge on the battery from zero percent and 2.5 hours to reach 100 percent.

Operating system

ZenWatch 2: Android Wear (now compatible with iOS)

Apple Watch: Apple’s watchOS 1.0.1

Pricing

ZenWatch 2: ASUS has thus far only released European pricing, starting at €149 (around $170) and available starting October, with more countries/regions to follow.

Apple Watch: Pricing varies, starting at $349 for the Sport and going all the way up to $17,000 for the 18-karat gold Edition, depending on the model and watch band combination.

Whether you have your ZenWatch 2 connected to your Android smartphone or iPhone, you’ll be able to get an at-a-glance view of incoming calls, messages, notifications, and more.  The ZenWatch two also has a host of other software feature, including ASUS Zen UI (for integration with ASUS smartphones), Business Helper, Fone Helper, Remote Camera, and ZenWatch Message (a watch-to-watch communication app that lets wearers exchange short messages, emojis, and drawings with other ZenWatch 2 wearers).

Image via ASUS