Asus intros the ZenPad 3S 10, a new Android tablet to rival the iPad Air

Update: The Asus ZenPad 3S 10 will cost EUR 379 at launch, which translates to roughly $422.

At a pre-IFA 2016 event today, Asus unveiled the ZenPad 3S 10 ‏(model number Z500M), a brand new Android tablet that will try to take on Apple's iPad Air 2.

Made out of aluminum, the Asus ZenPad 3S 10 weighs 430 grams, is 5.8 mm thin, and - just like the iPad Air - sports a 9.7-inch IPS display with 1536 x 2048 pixels. Thanks to what Asus is calling "the world’s thinnest bezel at only 5.32 mm" (we'll have to check that), the ZenPad 3S 10 offers a 78% screen-to-body ratio. For those wondering, the Apple iPad Air 2 offers a 71.65 % screen-to-body ratio.  

The ZenPad 3S 10 is powered by a hexa-core MT8176 processor - one of the newest from MediaTek. Coupled with the 4 GB of on-board RAM, this chipset should do a decent job at handling all the tasks you throw at it. The new tablet features fingerprint scanner, dual speakers (enhanced with Asus' SonicMaster 3.0 technology and virtual 7.1-channel surround sound), an 8 MP PixelMaster rear camera with Low Light mode, and a 5 MP front-facing camera. Furthermore, there's 32 GB or 64 GB of built-in storage space, plus 5 GB of lifetime Asus Web storage space, and 100 GB of Google Drive storage space for 2 years. A 5900 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 is also included. Right now, the ZenPad 3S 10 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ZenUI, but we hope it will be updated to Android 7.0 Nougat at some point.

Asus didn't reveal the price of the ZenPad 3S 10, and neither its release date, though we assume we're going to hear more on this soon. A Z Stylus pen will be available as an official accessory (sold separately).

The ZenPad 3S 10 is the second new Android device announced by Asus at IFA 2016, the other one being the ZenWatch 3 (which sports a circular screen and runs Android Wear 2.0).


source: Asus