Asus slips out new ZenPad 10 – Z301MFL / Z301ML tablets

May 30, 2017 Categories: News, Z301MFL, Z301ML, ZenPad 10 by 1 Comment

We suspected Asus had the Z301MFL and Z301ML in the works but we weren’t expecting these to be unveiled during Computex 2017. Certainly easy for these two new tablets to fall through the cracks especially with the new laptops and ROG products unveiled over the past two days.

Okay, first let’s talk differences. The Z301MFL is the more premium model sporting a 1920 x 1200 display vs. the Z301ML which sports a 1280 x 800 display. Next there is a slight difference in processors with the Z301MFL having the MediaTek MT8735A @ 1.45GHz compared to the MediaTek MT8735W @ 1.3GHz inside the M301ML. Battery life according to Asus is 10 hours for the M301MFL and 13 hours for the M301ML. Aside from that they are pretty much identical.

What we’re happy about is the speaker setup appears to be the same as the original ZenPad 10 models. Front facing stereo speakers that actually were able to pack a punch. The weight of the previous generation tablets helped, but what we see on the new models we like. Front facing audio is preferred and natural.

Other specs common to both tablets include: Android 7.0, 5MP rear/2MP front cameras, USB-C charging ports, microSD card slot, micro SIM card slot, 18Wh battery, 490g, 251.77 x 172.17 x 8.95mm (L x W x H) size, and three colors (blue, white, gray).

Want the keyboard dock? Asus has that as you might hope with the ZenPad 10 series. Things appear very similar to the previous generation keyboard. We don’t see Z Stylus support.

Official Asus Promotional Video:

More details to come as we digest this new information!

 

[source: Asus.com Z301MFL / Asus.com Z301ML]

 

New Verizon ZenPad (ZT582KL) Z8 tablet shows up at FCC

May 4, 2017 Categories: FCC, News, US, ZT582KL by 0 Comments

There is a new ZenPad coming to the US market. The ZT582KL which would be the next generation Z8, is headed to Verizon according to FCC documentation.

There is next to no information about this new ZenPad other than it’s definitely got a Snapdragon processor inside. The original model, the ZenPad Z8 was an affordable tablet exclusive to Verizon which touted a top quality display with the lesser quality plastic build quality found on the ZenPad 3 8.0 (Z581KL). Based on the model number we also can expect this to be an 8-inch tablet.

We look forward to finding more details for you in the coming weeks!

 

[source: FCC]

New 10-inch ZenPad 10 (Z301ML) shows up at GFXBench

April 1, 2017 Categories: Leaks, News, Z301ML, ZenPad 10 by 3 Comments

It appears that Asus plans to update their lower priced ZenPad 10 with a new model soon, the Z301ML. Asus came out with a large number of Z300 variants but this appears to be an all new and higher spec model.

Based on the benchmark details, the Z301ML will be running a MediTek processor, the MT8173 @ 2.1GHz along with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Camera specs are not clear, but it seems like a 8MP rear and 5MP front camera. The ZenPad 10 (Z301ML) will be running Android 7.0 Nougat.

What we are expecting is the same tablet and keyboard dock combination. This appears to be the way of the Z300 Series unlike the Z500 series which is without the keyboard dock option.

The original Z300 models were a modest resolution which made them less than appealing. It does seem that Asus upped the resolution to 2048 x 1536 which is going to meet consumer expectation these days.

No word on the keyboard dock, other than it’s going to be numbered as the DK02. Could it keep the speakers or will it incorporate a battery this time? Nothing has been mentioned and details are not known at this time. The biggest issue in the past was a real lack of availability. We received a large number of emails from people asking where they can buy one. Hopefully this next generation version is in great supply.

[source: GFXBench.com]

Android Nougat update comes to ZenPad 3 8.0 (Z581KL)

April 1, 2017 Categories: Android Nougat, News, Software Updates, Z581KL, ZenPad 3 8.0 by 3 Comments

It’s official now! You can get the Android 7.0 Nougat update for the ZenPad 3 8.0 (Z581KL) model as of today. If you don’t get the notification, then go into your settings, about device and check for updates. This udpate is for the WW SKU version only. Here are some details:

Version: WW-5.3.7

File Size: 1.72 GB

Date: 2017/03/31

Notes:

We’ve seen the update rolled out to many of the Zenfone models, so hopefully this is just the start of Android Nougat for the ZenPad models. There are a few changes, some which are not listed here. Please let us know about the PC link app and whether it’s still functional after this upate.

1.Remove  redundant app shortcuts “Audio Wizard”、 “Share Link” 、“System update” from all apps menu.
2.Remove ”PC Suite” (CD ROM)
3.Remove “Tap and hold to show menu” form Settings > ASUS customized settings > Touch key setting. Add “Tap and hold to activate Multi-window ” in Touch key setting.
4.Quick Settings supports multiple pages , user can swipe left to right to see more quick settings if using more than 12. User can enter edit screen by tap the edit button on top right corner to determine which settings enabling or disabling.
5.Default Tap and hold Recent apps key to activate Multi-window
6.Add “Game Genie”
7.ZenUI Keyboard added New Unicode code 9.0 emoji and skin tone.
8.The preloaded Holo Spiral, Bubbles, Black Hole, and Phase Beam live wallpapers are not compatible with Android N and will be removed after system update.
9.Add bundled notifications switch. (Settings > Notification > Configure notifications.) When multiple notifications for a single app are received, they can be bundled together into a single group. This group can be expanded to see the individual messages.
10.For user who use Easy mode, a Launcher app menu will show on the screen after upgrading from Android M to Android N. Please select your default launcher again.
11.Update various app version: Webstorage、Facebook、Instagram、SuperNote、MyAsus
12.Add Lock screen wallpaper slideshow Change wallpaper every time you wake up your device. And users can go to “Settings” -> “Lock screen” -> “Wallpaper slideshow settings” for setting.

[source: Asus.com]

[Update: It’s up!] Our review for the ZenPad 3S 10 (Z500M) is coming!

November 16, 2016 Categories: Review, Z500M, ZenPad 3S 10 by 0 Comments

[Update: Our review is up! Read our detailed ZenPad 3S 10 review here]

Just a quick update here. We have a lovely ZenPad 3S 10 (Z500M) to review and we are working as fast as possible to get our review up.

So far we like what we see. It’s as advertised. A beautiful looking device that’s priced right. We had an opportunity to review most every previous ZenPad tablet from last year so we have a good basis for comparison and opinion on what’s changed and what’s improved.

One thing is certain. Asus has struck the perfect balance of specs, design and price. We do have plenty of ZenPad 3S 10 resources on the site, so check those out while we get this review done up.

After handling and using the ZenPad 3S 10 over the past number of days we can already recommend it! If you don’t need to wait for our review, we have shopping resources listed here.

asus-zenpad-3s-10-z500m-official-006

Petition started to encourage Asus to bring Android 7.1 Nougat to their devices

November 14, 2016 Categories: News, Software Updates by 37 Comments

One of our visitors Dave informed us of an online petition that was started in hopes of getting Asus to bring Android 7.1 to their devices. The petition can be found here. The petition initiator is a guy named Anthony Van Dyck from Italy.

If you go onto the Asus ZenTalk forums, you can clearly see the volume of requests and questions about the new Android updates. The requests are steady and constant across any Android device made by Asus. The petition is great and will help, but certainly Asus knows about the requests and customer demands when it comes to getting Android updates.

As we pointed out recently, more ZenPad tablets got the Marshmallow update that most people likely realized. The good news is that Asus is reducing their Android tablet offerings which should in theory result in a bit more TLC (tender loving care) when it comes to rolling out software updates. Not a guarantee, but the odds increase.

I think on a personal level, I think most Android updates are overstated. The improved features a lot of times are minor in nature and a lot of people might not even realize the additional features. Sure, in the beginning of Android the updates were major and game changing. Regardless of how the updates will or will not improve the user experience, I can also appreciate that when something is new, people want and expect it. It’s newer and therefore it must be better. I say a stable and bug free OS is better than a new Android update that might be buggy. And of course this is always the risk to a device when a manufacturer rolls out an Android update.

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