[rwp-review id=”0″]
Asus’s latest effort at keeping the budget Android tablet race has given us, The Zenpad S 8.0. It’s a relatively affordable tablet that offers 64-bit Intel quad-core processor, 64GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM and they’ve even put in a USB-C port in there. It fits right under the 1,500 dirham bracket so you’re going to find yourself with a tablet that looks classy, is light and affordable but have Asus’ cut too much from making this a sellout? It’s not in the top tier among the ranks of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab or iPad mini and that’s not a problem since Asus knew who to target. However, there’s definitely issues with bloated software and mediocre battery that you’re going to have to face to get an affordable tablet.
Design
It comes in two colours, black and white and is a lightweight that’s just below 350 grams. There’s too many comparisons made towards the iPad mini in terms of size and looks but the brushed metallic back and faux-leather gives the Zenpad 8.0 a premium look we’ve seen with Asus. Additionally, there’s a microSD card slot, expandable to 128 GB and a 8MP rear camera. There’s also stereo speakers on the top and bottom. On the right side of the tablet, there’s volume and power controls and on the bottom panel, there’s a finally a USB-C port implemented which makes plugging it in easier but you’re going to have to be careful with the usb-c wire since replacements are rare for now but when it finally does adapt, you’ll be sure the Zenpad will stay ahead. It does charge a lot faster than micro USB too.
Performance
Performance benchmarks aside, the Zenpad had a lot of mixed results and it comes down to what you’re doing based on the activity. You won’t notice major stutters, however a graphic intensive game or two could start showing signs of slowing down and catching up. Part of what annoys me is that performance can be affected on startup and that’s due to the fact that you have almost 3 GB worth of bloatware and apps loading up the memory right at the beginning out of the box. Certain apps can be removed like TripAdvisor, however Asus’ proprietary productivity software needs to be disabled manually and you’ll find these apps right up on the home screen in a little folder
Some of the apps however do make sense, as with all packaged apps. Asus provides its own cloud storage service for 5GB free along with a two year package of 11GB. Other tools tools include PC link to mirror the tablet on Windows and a note app for taking sketches or sticky notes you would need. It’s something that takes a bit of time at first to understand, something a new user may or may not have the patience for.
The tablet runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and stays relatively current with software and it’s eventually ( if Asus permits) going to upgrade with Marshmallow. The app launcher runs on a standard android launcher reskinned with its own design called ZenUI. It’s got a neat way to manage your tablet and a way it looks, including alternative animations between each homescreen and different font labels. In truth the ZenPad 8.0 is for a more pro tablet user than anything. Apps of the same type will automatically get moved into the folder. Kids mode is a safe zone for your kids to enjoy their gaming without the need to fear them going into dark internet territory and SnapView password protects your files.
Display and Sound to match
Asus made the Zenpad pretty in one key way. A high pixel density of 324 ppi in a 7.9 inch, 2048 x 1536 (QXGA) display will offer better and wider point of view. The backlight, is noticeably bright, so bright I’d have to turn it down in night for easy viewing. It does however work great in the outdoors provided you’re not having glare from the sun. It’s a great screen that will let you enjoy videos and photos where everything’s quite smooth with vivid colors. It was a great on Asus’ part to put front facing speakers that give clear audio too. It’s not something you’re going to use in a noisy area but it will work and it’s likely you will be wearing headphones in that scenario but you’ll still be able to hear it in a public space, it’s also clear audio and not the muddy kind you’d expect to find with some budget tablets these days. Asus also has a built in app to tailor audio based on movies or gaming.
Camera
The Zenpad’s 8.0 camera, is surprisingly great, the above image is a shot from the Zenpad’s 8 MP rear camera which is great for a tablet of that size. It’s not a low light shooter as expected but well lit photos shouldn’t be too much of a problem and it records 1080p video at 29.97 frames putting it squarely in the same range as mid range phones. The front 5MP camera also isn’t bad but won’t be your ideal companion for skype sessions. The native camera app has been replaced with Asus’ own and users can shoot in different scenarios. With beautification for selfies, it does little to beautify as it removes grain and too much smoothing can give pictures a plastic feel. Other modes include, Auto, HDR, Beautification, Low Light, Night, Depth of Field, Effect, Selfie, Gif Animation, Panorama, Miniature, Time Rewind, Smart Remove, All Smiles, and Time Lapse. Holding the shutter long by default shoots in three bursts.
Battery
The ZenPad’s 4,000mAh battery is supposed to give you 8 hours on a single charge, however, you’re realistically going to get about 5 hours if you play video content over the internet on full brightness. It’s not exactly the best and it also means that you’re going to have make sure you’re near a charging port. The battery socket is luckily lightweight and it won’t add on to your weight but it did take quite a long while to charge back up again, so it’s not suited as a travel device but more in terms of a light tablet to read at home.
Verdict
Despite it’s obvious misgivings from a device from Asus, keep in mind you’re going to get this for under $300 and still enjoy a few of the many features you’d expect from a flagship tablet device. It’s just a shame really that the battery life could have been better that would have sold it outright. The bloatware is a problem too but a recent update from Asus will let you fix that and remove what you don’t need at length. Many budget tablets exist that have cut corners in different ways. However, for a great display coupled with a great processor and RAM, the Zenpad 8 certainly gives more than what you could hope to ask for.
