Capable tablet PC review ASUS ZenPad S 8.0

ASUS knows how to make a good tablet, focusing on a limited budget – just think of the Nexus 7, which the company developed for Google. The ZenPad 8.0 is next example, only this time ASUS has gone its own way decisions regarding performance, design and most importantly, price. And the first impression seems to be that the manufacturer has bypassed competitors on three counts. Over 250 $ you get an 8-inch tablet with a high-resolution screen and a magnificent appearance. The capable tablet PC review ZenPad S 8.0 is below.

Design: Capable tablet PC review ZenPad S 8.0

There are simply no other tablets on the market that can match ZenPad S in terms of design or size for the same money. The thickness of only 6.6 mm and weighs 298 grams, it’s really a compact tablet, which is only slightly thicker than the iPad Mini 4, which now cost you at 210$ more.

The polished back of the tablet helps avoid unnecessary fingerprints, and a thin strip of skin with the effect of passing on the edge provides grip to work with the capable tablet PC review in one hand. This is functional and very attractive design.

Since the tablet is very thin, places to ports remained not so much. New ZenPad S 8.0 offers a 3.5mm jack on the top of the tablet, the power button and volume control on the side, which naturally fall under your fingers when you take the tablet with one hand. Do not forget about a reversible USB Type-C port in the bottom of the tablet ASUS.

ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 is offered in models with 32 GB already for 300$, but, given that ASUS has also managed to squeeze in a tablet slot MicroSD, a basic model in the ZenPad S 8.0 16GB, which came to us for review, it makes more sense: it is necessary at 50$ cheaper, and offers plenty of opportunities for the majority of users out of the box, with the ability to upgrade later, when you fill out the built-in memory movies, music and applications.

Performance: Capable tablet PC review ASUS ZenPad S 8.0

It is a pity that the new ZenPad S underwhelming in terms of performance, even in the tablets of the middle class. With 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom Z3560, which is working with the tact of 1.33 GHz, he scored only 938 points in tests PeaceKeeper. For example, Tesco Hudl 2, worth about 150$, scored 987 points, and the Google Nexus 9, which today can be found for 300$, in spite of the flagship belonging to the leading tablets market, superior results ZenPad S 8.0 more than doubled, indicating 2020 points.

A similar situation waiting for the capable tablet PC review ZenPad S 8.0 and benchmarks Geekbench, where ZenPad scored 763 and 2311 points, respectively, in a multi-core and single-core test. Nexus 9, meanwhile, scored in 1637 and 2818 points respectively. In practice, this means that the Nexus is a flexible device, the application will open faster switch faster transitions in the Android interface will be much milder. On ZenPad S 8.0 startup screen multitasking takes about half a second, you can open multiple applications, but severe information sites may stutter and redrawn when you scroll quickly. These differences are noticeable only when you put the two side by side of the tablet. The rest of the review ZenPad reacted perfectly.

A similar story, again, waiting for us with the graphics performance of the capable tablet PC review ASUS. New ZenPad S 8.0 rescued 616 points on tests GFXBench Manhattan, as well as 562 points in the voice-over test. Nexus 9, on the other hand, scored points 1385 and 1942, respectively, indicating that the chasm in performance between these plates. Chipset ASUS bad copes paired with a low-resolution screen, but ZenPad S falls heavily in the native resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. Unpleasant as the incident began and the other within the framework of the review: ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 refused to run Hearthstone, we were going to test the gaming performance of the tablet, and he was unable to master the initial boot screen.

Display: Capable tablet PC review ASUS ZenPad S 8.0

The processor cannot be called a lightning-quick, ZenPad S success in other areas – primarily TV. ASUS has done a terrific job, sticking high-resolution panels available in a tablet; most competing models offer Full HD panel and lower, but not inferior ZenPad S iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 with a resolution of the tablet is 2048 x 1536 pixels.

Of course, the resolution is not all, and is covering 76% of the sRGB color space is not a surprising result, the colors look quite bright. High contrast (1549: 1) and high peak brightness of 381.7 cd / m2, offer a true picture charge, as well as allow you to use the tablet in the sun, without straining your eyes. The viewing angles are extremely high, suffering only minor color shift at a very acute angle. Black levels are also surprisingly low for LCD panels – 0.25 cd / m2, which mean that Black has good depth, without gray shades.

Continuing capable tablet PC review screen tablet ZenPad S 8.0, we plunged into the calibration, which gave mixed results. And while other tablets are stuck with a color temperature and saturation of the screen, the new ZenPad S offers to set up and get a picture, which will be better in your opinion. The differences are not great, even if the screw out sliders to the full, but it is very convenient to have a similar option. There is also a blue filter, which lets you use the tablet in the dark is much more comfortable for the eyes.

The screen also takes its effect battery life, unfortunately. With a brightness of 170 cd / m2, ZenPad survived the tests of continuous video playback only meager six hours and 39 minutes. This means that you will have to lower the brightness or to hold the battery in your pocket when you leave the house, so that the tablet lasted the whole day.

Unlike the Google Nexus 7, which used the vanilla version of Android, ASUS has used its own interpretation of the operating system Google’s flagship tablet. ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 uses the latest version of ASUS Home, which borrows some design elements from the Google UI, and combines them with their own solutions. Attention to detail is excellent, you get the opportunity to change the color of some elements of the user interface for each application, but the interface also has some weird default settings. All of your applications will be automatically divided into folders, for example, that leaves two-thirds of the screen blank. Isolation of the most used applications and their rearrangement in the order will require quite a bit of time, it is also a one-time effort.

Camera Capable tablet PC review ASUS ZenPad S 8.0

And, of course, a capable tablet PC review of ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 could not do without the camera where ASUS are not stingy. 8-megapixel sensor becomes a qualitative step forward from the 5-megapixel sensor and below its competitors in the price range up to 300$. The built-in camera has a surprising number of modes and additional features including HDR, the effects of depth and a picture with a delay.

Whether you’re shooting outdoors or indoors, as long as there is sufficient light, the photos look clean and free from noise, with lots of details. Sky and some bright objects appear muted, and the colors are sometimes blurred, but still photos are beautiful and suitable for social exchange. The situation is worse in a closed room where natural light is not enough, and the noise becomes a problem. Low light mode switches the camera to 2 megapixels, but the results were not very convincing, so it is best to avoid this mode.

Capable tablet PC review ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 Verdict:

The new capable tablet PC review ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 looks very impressive on paper, especially when you consider that prices start at 250$ for a 16 GB model – are much cheaper iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, two of the best premium tablet. On closer inspection, it becomes clear why: great design, the display offers a high resolution, but the performance is mediocre, as well as battery life. If you’re looking for a gaming tablet, which will provide you with entertainment on the go, ZenPad S 8.0, we conducted a review which would not meet your needs, but also to view web pages as well as video on the couch – it’s a great buy.

Source: device-boom