Table of Contents
Last Updated on March 29, 2020
Design
The design of the ZenPad 8 S is excellent from all angles. It is a thin and lightweight tablet that only weighs 0.66 pounds. By comparison to other tabs in its class, it is definitely the lighter one. For instance, the 8.4-inch Tab S from Samsung weighs 1.2 pounds. It is covered in a beautiful aluminum material, combined with soft, faux leather. Although this description might sound cheesy, it makes the device comfortable to hold all day long. This might be an affordable tablet with a small screen, but from a design perspective, it is elegant and chic. Some users compare the ZenPad S 8-inch with the old models from Nexus, only this one feels better. Its bezels aren’t thick, so they easy to ignore when reading, watching videos or surfing the web.
When looking at it for the first time, you will immediately see Asus’s intention of building an elegant, stylish tablet. After analyzing its looks for quite some time, we can definitely confirm the manufacturer’s statement according to which it is a mix of beauty and strength.
Display and Audio
The ZenPad S 8.0 has an 8-inch display that comes in high resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. It was built using IPS LCD technology and its images are sharp and bright. Something that isn’t quite aligned with today’s needs is the fact that the colors tend to be a bit too cold. This means that unless you are using a bluelight filter app, your eyes will get tired quickly.
However, this doesn’t have a big impact on the viewing experience when watching movies or playing games. It might be bothering though when reading or editing documents. There is a feature called Tru2Life+ that you will find on this ZenPad that you won’t be sure if you like or not. Its purpose is to offer video processing smoother motion, but at times it might seem as though you are simply given a dramatic effect on the screen. The good news is that it isn’t a default setting and you can enable and disable it whenever you feel like it.
Due to the fact that this tab is often compared to the Nexus 7, it is important for you to know that this model here has superior sound. It comes with dual front-facing speakers that seem essential nowadays, as we are all used to the great audio experience that they deliver.
Performance and battery life
The ZenPad 8.0 S isn’t a weak tablet, contrary to popular opinion. It is equipped with a quad-core, 64-bit processor from Intel and has 4GB of RAM. There is another configuration type that has a slightly slower chip and 2 GB of RAM. If you are looking for a budget tablet that you will be using for simple tasks, then the latter is a good option, too. For the price, the configuration that we recommend is not bad. When using it, it doesn’t show signs of lag. You can play light games that will load quickly, but you need to avoid heavy games.
Contrary to expectations, this tablet doesn’t overheat or warm up prematurely, not even when the brightness is set at the maximum. As for the battery, it lasts about 8 hour, but it doesn’t charge fast. A downside is the fact that it cannot charge wirelessly, so you will only be able to use the USB Type-C cable that is included in the box.
Asus offers a few options when it comes to the internal storage. You can go for the 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of built-in storage. Do not forget that the tab includes support for microSD cards up to 128GB, too.
As for the speakers, they render good sound quality when watching YouTube videos or Netflix, but not when listening to loud music. To clarify this aspect, it wasn’t built for that purpose. The tablet’s speakers do well at low and mid-volumes, but are so successful at full blast. There’s a lack of bass that can be observed in every tablet. What you can do to optimize the sound is use the AudioWizard app, where you can adjust some settings.
Should you buy the Asus ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580C)?
Asus ZenPad is a stylish tablet with a clean, colorful display and an interface that users find
intuitive and easy to use. This is not the case of every tablet, especially in the same price
range. It has a small screen, so it is obvious that it has not been designed for complex
activities or tasks that require a wide screen surface. Criticism that revolves around that
area is simply unjustified. It is ideal for reading, watching videos, using Social Media, writing
emails or surfing the web. It is the size of a book, so you will have no trouble putting it in
your bag while commuting or traveling. Although it can suit any basic user’s needs, it is
probably better for the needs of students and seniors, who need portability, a small size, a
beautiful design and ease of use more than fancy features.