An LTE iteration of ASUS VivoWatch 5 spotted on Bluetooth SIG
An LTE variant of ASUS VivoWatch 5 was added to the Bluetooth SIG website yesterday. It follows a non-cellular version that was slapped on to the register back in September. The wearable is, most likely, the successor to ASUS Vivowatch SP.
Unfortunately the filing does not reveal very much about the upcoming smartwatch. To remind, Bluetooth SIG is a global community of over 36,000 companies which aim is to harmonise standards when it comes to connected devices. Most smartwatches that are released eventually find their way to the register. A lot of these ahead of release, as is the case with Vivowatch 5 and Vivowatch 5 LTE.
ASUS is not really a big name when it comes to smartwatches. It is much better known for its range of computers, smartphones, monitors, WiFi routers and other technical gear. The Taiwanese-multinational has been around since 1989 and is estimated to be the 5th largest PC vendor by number of sales at the start of this year.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
A notable effort from Asus on the smartwatch front came two years ago in the form of Vivowatch SP. The novelty aspect of the wearable is its capability to monitor blood pressure from the wrist.
This is in addition to heart rate, blood oxygen and other more standard activity and health metrics. The blood pressure readings are on-demand rather than automatic making its use rather limited. Capturing these measurements automatically during sleep or when at rest would have been more useful. We are expecting a slew of wearables with this capability to land in 2022. A number of different approaches are in the works.
Maybe it was for this or other reasons, but Vivowatch SP never really made it that big. The $300 price tag certainly did not help. Nor the plasticky design. Nevertheless the wearable does offer more than the usual fitness watch.
ASUS Vivowatch 5 – what is known so far
Pretty soon we’ll be getting an updated version of the device. It will come in the form of ASUS VivoWatch 5. The wearable received its first Bluetooth SIG listing on September 11th under the moniker HC-B05. Yesterday a LTE HC-B05L was added to the register. As mentioned above, no info really on any technical specs, apart from support for the Bluetooth 5.0 protocol. And the fact that it will have cellular capability as indicated by the name of the device.
More info on upcoming devices can typically be deduced from FCC listings. However Vivowatch 5 has not hit that register yet. Other certifications are certainly likely and these should reveal additional specs.
It is possibly we could see an official unveiling in the next couple of weeks. It would make sense to release any device ahead of the end year holiday shopping period. An even stronger release date candidate is CES 2022 in early January. The event is returning as a physical in-person gathering in Las Vegas, following last year’s online virtual format due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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