Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've owned both versions of this watch. This new one apparently charges faster and that is supposed to be the only difference. I can confirm this because I charged it while I was driving and it went from 18% to 100% in less than thirty minutes. That's impressive and very useful, especially considering this big, beautiful screen and the lackluster battery life from Android Wear. Speaking of that battery life, I get over a day and I receive a lot of calls and notifications with my profession. Considering the price point, the main reason to choose this watch over a Pebble Time (which I also own) is because you want an AMOLED screen that looks like your phone...you want Android Wear...and you want to be able to answer/make calls directly from your watch. You will still need your phone within bluetooth range to make those calls, but the microphone/volume combo sounds good using just the watch. Before I jump into the pros and cons, let's talk about the watch size. It's huge. It's ridiculously huge. I have normal lower arms and I think it looks silly, though most people I ask think it looks fine. Unless you are just a person with really big arms, it's going to take up the majority of your wrist width. See the pictures I've posted for a better idea. If you like big watches, this is heaven for you. I personally think the included band makes it look bigger because of the contrasting color, so I switched it with a matching silver Milanese loop band. It makes the watch look much nicer in my opinion. Also having it all one color seems to help with the size. The old version of this watch came in a smaller size, but it didn't include the speaker to make calls. To me, that completely negates why this watch is such a bargain. I can live with the size for the speaker. PROS: Phone calls from the wrist - This isn't going to be for everyone, but very few watches currently have the capability to make and receive phone calls...especially at this price point. There are a ton of features on this watch and this is one of the most important. I certainly don't use it every day, but it's there when I need it. As a Realtor, I tend to walk around my house taking calls and texting. With this watch, I can leave my phone on the kitchen counter and never have to worry about missing a call. If I'm in a different room, I just answer from the watch. It beats sprinting to the kitchen. Screen and screen size - Beautiful for a watch that's less than 140 bucks and runs the latest Android Wear. It's big enough to make the touch screen aspect easy to use. Android Wear - I think this next Android Wear 2.0 update will finally put AW on the map, although it's good now. It's one of the reasons I'm thinking this will be my main watch for the rest of this year. Lots of app choices and I've always been an Android guy from the beginning. Google Voice is super useful on a wearable. Google maps shows up on the wrist. Google music. Alerts and agendas through Google. The Google Now cards (though they can be disabled). All the good parts of Android are on the watch Build quality - Put a link or mesh band on this watch and it looks quite expensive. I like the silver casing as opposed to the plastic Pebble Time look. Looks more like a normal watch. Battery Life - I haven't owned any other Android Wear watches, but everything I read says this is one of the best...and this new quick charge version is FAST to charge! Wi-Fi capability - I have my settings to automatic and when my bluetooth range drops out, the watch and phone can communicate through wi-fi networks. Apparently, they don't even have to be on the same network. I haven't tested that out because there is never a time I would leave somewhere without my phone. I could see this being useful if you wanted to leave your phone in your locker at the gym and take the watch with you. As long as both are on the same network, they should not need to be in bluetooth range to communicate. I'll have to experiment some more with this option and update my review. Google Fit - As Google Fit makes improvements, having an AW watch with Google Fit is going to be very useful. Nothing actually syncs with Google Fit like an AW watch, so this is your best bet if you want to be in the Google ecosystem for fitness. Yes, it lacks a heart rate monitor...but optical HR monitors are far from the most accurate for quick spikes during workouts. When that technology gets better, I'll buy in to a watch that has it. All the ones I've tried with it have been underwhelming. Other watches say they sync with Google Fit, but nothing is going to be as seamless unless it's running AW. Watch Faces - Lots of options built in and on the Play Store. Can even download an app from Asus to make your own. CONS: Bezel - Although not as big as some watches, it still contributes to making the watch unnecessarily huge. Attn: Smart watch makers, please get it together regarding the large bezels on your next generation of watches. Bluetooth Range - This wasn't as great as I had hoped. I may lose connection at less than 20 ft with one wall. That doesn't happen with a bluetooth earpiece. Having the wi-fi option comes in handy to combat this issue. Pedometer Feature - Horribly inaccurate compared to every other wearable I've tried. I've worn 4 wearables at the same time and most are very close. The Pebble Time was my most stingy step tracker, but I think it was the most accurate for not counting hand movements. Today, I wore the Pebble Time and the Zenwatch 2. It was a pretty inactive day. The Pebble Time counted 6,160 steps. The Zenwatch 2 read just over 3,700. That's a huge difference. I know my Pebble Time has been accurate through prior testing. I could not care less about step count, but the problem is the watch uses this data for other things that it syncs with Google Fit. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm a little disappointed. It should not be difficult to get a functional pedometer into a $140 watch. Every other company has managed to do it. Maybe I got a lemon, but I've read about other experiences like mine with this watch. Wellness App - Worse than the pedometer. I wish it could be uninstalled without rooting. This app doesn't even count your BMR (basal metabolic rate...or "inactive calories" in every other watch). If it does, I'm missing it. Terrible app that is pre-installed on the watch and can't be removed. CONCLUSION: Despite a few quirks, you aren't currently going to find a more feature-rich Android Wear watch for the price. I would say it's not even close right now. Looks, build quality, battery life, typical AW features, and more for under $140. Its true competitors are mostly a hundred to two hundred dollars more. The Pebble Time is a great watch around this price range..and they do a lot of the same things. But if you want Android Wear, that big color screen, and the ability for phone calls...the Zenwatch 2 is your best bang for the buck so far in 2016. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to help. If you have found my review useful, I would truly appreciate you clicking the "Helpful" button to let me know. Thanks so much and good luck with your smart watch search!