Earlier today, ASUS Philippines showed off two new tablets under the ZenPad line, with the company continuing its push into the crowded budget segment. New entrants to the market, the ASUS ZenPad C 7.0 and ZenPad 7.0, which I discussed briefly several days ago, carry the promise of an upscale design with interchangeable backs and category-leading performance in a surprisingly compact, 7-inch form factor for under P8,000.
Of the two, the ZenPad 7.0 is especially interesting because it’s essentially a mid-range tablet, except it’s not priced like one. I have a unit that I’ll be testing over the next few days to see if my initial impressions hold up. As for when both slates will be released, they should be in stores starting next week. In fact, the lesser C model is probably already on display in a gadget store near you.
But arguably the biggest reveal of all came with the announcement of the ASUS ZenPad S 8.0, an iPad mini rival that ships with all the power you’d expect from a modern flagship, but keeps things sleek and sophisticated.
The biggest reveal of all came with the announcement of the ASUS ZenPad S 8.0, an iPad mini rival that ships with all the power you’d expect from a modern flagship, but keeps things sleek and sophisticated.
A Retina Display-rivaling, 2,048 x 1,536 IPS display with a 4:3 aspect ratio? Check. The latest Intel Atom processor with 4GB (yes, 4GB!) of RAM? Check. A USB Type-C port for charging? Ample room for all your apps, games, and media? A pair of front-facing speakers for a fuller stereo sound? Yes, yes, and yes. It’s cheaper than the base model of the iPad mini 3, too, with the ZenPad S 8.0 priced at P16,995. Interested? You’re not alone. I’m told it will be available sometime in August.
Specs of the ASUS ZenPad C 7.0 (Price in the Philippines: P5,995):
* Dual-SIM with 3G-phone functionality
* 64-bit, quad-core Intel Atom x3 CPU
* Mali-450 GPU
* 1GB RAM
* 16GB internal storage
* microSD card slot
* 7-inch IPS display (1,024 x 600 resolution)
* 2-megapixel rear camera
* VGA front camera
* Android Lollipop 5.0
Specs of the ASUS ZenPad 7.0 (Price in the Philippines: P7,995):
* Single SIM with 3G-phone functionality
* 64-bit, quad-core Intel Atom x3 CPU
* Mali-450 GPU
* 2GB RAM
* 16GB internal storage
* microSD card slot
* 7-inch IPS display (1,280 x 800 resolution)
* 8-megapixel rear camera
* 2-megapixel front camera
* Android Lollipop 5.0
Specs of the ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 (Price in the Philippines: P16,995):
* 64-bit, quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 CPU
* PowerVR G6430 GPU
* 4GB RAM
* 64GB internal storage
* microSD card slot (up to 128GB)
* 8-inch IPS display (2,048 x 1,536 resolution)
* 5-megapixel rear camera
* 2-megapixel front camera
* Android Lollipop 5.0
* USB Type-C port
[youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG8EC4JNytk” width=”560″ height=”315″]
ASUS ZenPad 7.0 first impressions from TabTec
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