Asus has already revealed plans to launch a new line of tablets under the ZenPad name this year. While the company hasn’t shared much information about the new tablets yet, details are starting to emerge.
Notebook Italia and Notik.ru have uncovered some info about the upcoming Asus ZenPad 7 (Z170C) and Asus ZenPad 8 (Z380C) tablets.
The details come from retail listings and FCC documents. Recent listings from Indian shipping tracker Zuaba also confirm the existence of the 7 inch model.
OK, so what do we actually know about the tablets?
Asus ZenPad 7 (Z170C)
This 7 inch tablet appears to be an entry-level device. It sports an Intel Atom x3-C3230 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 9GB of storage.
It’s said to have a 1024 x 600 pixel IPS display, a microSDXC card reader, front and rear cameras, and it will likely come in WiFi-only or 3G models.
The ZenPad 7 will likely replace the entry-level Asus FonePad 7 (FE170CG).
Asus ZenPad 8 (Z380C)
Not only does this model have a larger screen, but it’s said to feature a higher-resolution 2048 x 1536 pixel display, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB to 64GB of storage.
It’ll also likely have an Intel Atom Moorefield (Z35xx series) processor and will most likely also be available in WiFi-only or 3G/4G variants.
We’ll likely hear more about the upcoming ZenPad tablet series during the Computex trade show in June.
There is next to no way that 7-inch model has that resolution. Zen is supposed to indicate “quality” and with all due respect, that information is incorrect. Fire me if I’m wrong!
Nice knowing you :-p
Seriously, though, these models aren’t meant for the mainstream markets but for the emerging/low end markets…
Not all of Asus products are intended for all regions… many are for specific regions and while they may be reported on here we may never see them sold outside of the Asian markets…
Products based on Intel’s x3 (SoFIA) SoCs are especially primarily intended for the Asian markets… It’s one of the reasons Intel has it manufactured by TSMC on their 28nm FAB so it can avoid VAT and be sold and distributed locally in those markets and actually compete without subsidizing costs against similar very low cost products from MediaTek, etc…
Only the Moorefield based models may be seen in other markets but those won’t be as cheap or as power efficient…
It’ll still be another year before we get to Broxton for Intel based products with cellular modems that can compete with the higher end offerings…
Though, for now it looks like Intel will offer Cherry Trail x5/x7 coupled with a Intel Modem chip to provide options for some premium phone based models like MS Lumia phones but the older Moorefield SoCs will likely dominate for most of the year… at least as far as Intel based products with Cellular Modems are concerned…
Nice one! 😉
Looks like we have a friendly bet on this one. 1024 x 600? No way I’ll be convinced of that resolution in a 2015 Asus tablet that is carrying the “Zen” branding.