Asus has announced its VivoWatch 5 Aero fitness tracker, in China at least, and it looks a little different from your typical smartwatch.

Rather than placing a heart rate sensor on the base of the watch, facing the wearer's wrist, the VivoWatch 5 Aero has a circular scanner right on its face.

The idea is that you place your finger on the scanner, and it will take ECG readings, along with heart rate measurements and blood oxygen saturation, right from your fingertip.

What's not so clear, however, is the benefit of having this measurement taken from the fingertip, rather than the wrist.

Many other smartwatches can take the same measurements, but this is the first one we've seen use this method, it'll be interesting to learn how well it works.

Elsewhere, it's a fairly typical-looking fitness tracker, with a narrow oblong face and an adjustable silicone wrist strap.

It is said to be capable of 7-day battery life on a single charge and is waterproof up to 50 meters.

It's not yet clear where Asus plans to launch this tracker, and it's currently only available in China.

There it carries an 840 CNY price tag, which roughly translates to $120 / £100. We'll be keeping an eye out for the international version.