ASUS announces ZenPad tablets with Android Lollipop and Intel circuitry

The ZenPad 8 Z380C, which is the cheaper of the two, is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom x3-C3230RK Silvermont chipset clocked to 1.2 GHz. The chip is actually designed by Chinese silicon slinger Rockchip using licensed Intel CPU architecture, and is built by TSMC on a 28nm process. That makes it a collaboration between three companies, which is kind of a rare treat. Still, the chip is situated at the entry-level performance segment, and the integrated ARM Mali 450MP4 GPU won't give it much of a processing jump beyond that barrier. Also, there's a different model, the Z380KL, which is powered by Qualcomm's familiar Snapdragon 410 entry-level 64-bit SoC. Which one you'll get probably depends on the market you're in.

Offbeat SoC and a gig or two of RAM aside, the Z380 brings along an 8-inch 1280x800 resolution IPS LCD display, and up to 16GB of expandable flash storage. There's a pair of 2MP and 5MP cameras handling photo and video duties. The tablet sizes up at 8.22 x 4.84 x 0.33in (209 x 123 x 8.5mm) and ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop, fashioned with the ASUS Zen UI.

The ZenPad S 8 Z580CA is a beefier tablet that packs a quad-core Moorefield Z3580 2.3 GHz processing punch, along with a PowerVR G6430 GPU and 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM. It too has an 8-inch LCD display, but at a much higher 2048x1536 resolution. Weighing in at 10.5oz (299g), the tab measures a slimmer 8 x 5.3 x 0.26in (203.2 x 134.5 x 6.68mm). It too has a pair of cameras, 5MP on the front and 8MP on the back, with the operating system also being Android 5.0 Lollipop with ASUS' skin. 

A distinct difference between the two, however, is the addition of LTE with phone functionality in the cheaper Z380, while the more powerful model is a Wi-Fi only device. The Z580CA also features the new USB Type C port, while its little brother employs a standard microUSB connector. USB-C could let users connect the tablet to an external display, or use it to charge another device.

To complement the tablet launches, ASUS unveiled a special audio cover for the Z380 that enables 5.1 surround sound, facilitated by the tablet's built-in DTS codec and the cover's tiny built-in speakers. There's also a power case, protective cases, and a pressure-sensitive stylus that works on both ZenPad tablets.

ASUS hasn't spoken of the slates' product availability, but given the ZenFone 2's aggressive pricing scheme, we won't be surprised if the low-end tablet eventually arrives at a sub-$200 price point, while its amped-up sibling commands a $100 or so premium.


source: AnandTech