COMPUTEX is a major event for ASUS this year as the company pulled the curtains off its new tablets – the ZenPad, which is meant to combine and close the gap between the Fonepad and MeMoPad series tablets. Over at COMPUTEX Taipei, we had a little time with the company’s two spanking new tablets – the ZenPad 10 and ZenPad S 8.0 – and not to forget the most anticipated wearable – the ZenWatch 2.
The ZenPad 10, as the name already suggests, is a 10.1-inch slate that comes in three different variants – the Z300C (WiFi), Z300CG (WiFi+3G), and Z300CL (4G LTE), the WiFi and 3G models are powered by the latest Intel Atom X3 system-on-chip (SoC) while the 4G LTE model has got the trusty Intel Atom Z3560 SoC that we are familiar with. In terms of common hardware, all ZenPad 10 models will come feature a WXGA (1280×800) resolution IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass, dual front facing speakers, up to 64GB of storage, 7.9mm of thickness and comes preloaded with Android 5.0 Lollipop. The keyboard dock as you can see in the pictures is an optional accessory for the tablet that produces beautiful 5.1 channel surround sound and audio connection is made possible with Bluetooth.
The ZenPad S 8.0 is the true flagship tablet in this announcement, sporting a 8-inch QXGA (2048×1536) resolution display and comes in two variants – the Z580C and Z580CA – that sports different performance internals while omitting cellular and telephony connectivity out of the package. The flagship model (Z580CA) has a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 SoC mated to 4GB RAM, 8-megapixel main camera and 5-megapixel front facing camera, dual front facing speakers with DTS-HD Premium Sound, 8-hours of battery life and features USB 3.1 Type-C connectivity. With such powerful internals under the hood and despite the lack of cellular capabilities, the ZenPad S 8.0 could be a really affordable tablet once it gets released in the market.
Last but not the least, the ZenWatch 2 is probably the most eye catching gadget in the show, ASUS has shown off various watch straps that pairs with its new wearable, which includes an extremely premium gold aluminum strap that could make the watch look as expensive as an Apple Watch Edition. In terms of hardware, the ZenWatch 2 is slightly smaller and rounder than its predecessor, it comes in two strap sizes – 18mm and 22mm – and has a beautiful 2.5D curved AMOLED display that shows stunning vivid colors, the ZenWatch 2 now charges using a magnetic cable and there’s a new charging backplate with built-in battery that extends the juice of the watch itself, simply reminding us of Samsung’s Gear S implementation. ASUS officials have not confirmed any release dates for the wearable yet and we were told to look forward for an August release this year.
In COMPUTEX Taipei this year, ASUS has certainly demonstrated its further commitment in making even better and affordable tablets for consumers while making its product line less confusing, we are seeing the company trying to implement a similar approach like its PC products by introducing model numbers rather than focusing on the product name itself, which could actually achieve better results in a total marketing strategy.
