ZenPad S Review – Pre Order Z580CA, Z580C S 8.0 Asus Z500C

Updated Official Details:

Order Link For USA: (update May 10 – $269 On Sale – Free Shipping!)

Order – ASUS ZenPad S 8 Z580CA-C1-BK 8″ 64 GB Tablet – From Amazon.com HERE

Canada – International – Order from B&H Now:

$269 US – Asus ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580CA-C1-BK) Free Shipping To Canada/US – B&H


buy-zenpad-z580ca-s8The ZenPad S 8.0 has been unveiled. When Asus spoke about “hero” tablets, this is the type of product they must have been referring to. There are a lot of details to discuss. Here are the key details for you.

Price: Please take care in viewing the prices. There are different processors, RAM and storage configurations that vary from country to country. A Z580CA may be a different configuration than another Z580CA. The higher the price, obviously the more premium the hardware. We will list prices in the following currencies: USD, CAD, £, €, ₹, and others. Straight conversions into your country’s currency will not be accurate!

Z580CA-C1-BK (black) (1A043A) or Z580CA-C1-WH (white)
Quick Specs: Intel Z3580 @ 2.3GHz, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage

  • $299 US (confirmed price by big US based retailer)
  • $399 Canada
  • EUR 349,00 (France, Europe)

Z580CA-B1-BK (1A031A) (black) or Z580CA-B1-WH (1B023A) (white)  **Not Official**
Quick Specs: Intel Z3530 @ 1.3GHz (may actually be Intel Z3560 @ 1.8GHz), 2GB RAM, 32GB storage

  • $239 US (estimated)
  • $269 Canada (estimated)
  • £199.99 UK

Z580C-B1-BK (model 1A005A) or Z580C-B1-WH (model 1B005A)
Quick Specs: Intel Z3530 @ 1.3GHz, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage)

  • $199 US
  • $229 Canada

Z580C-1A007A (black)
Quick Specs: Intel Z3530 @ 1.3GHz, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage)

  • EUR 229 (France, Europe)

Z580C – Intel Z3560, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage

  • £169.99 UK
  • $189.99 to $199.99 US and $219 to $229 Canada (estimated, may not be available in this configuration in the USA or Canada)

Release Date: July 2015 – The Z580C is shipping from Best Buy already! (we are expecting Z580CA pre orders to start literally any day now in the USA and Canada)

ZenPad S 8.0 Models: Z580CA (premium model) – Z580C

Although there are two different ZenPad S8 models, there are fairly substantial differences. Below, we have bolded the premium specs of the Z580CA that are not included with the Z580C model.

Specs (Z580CA):

  • Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • 8-inch screen
  • 4:3 aspect ratio
  • 1536 x 2048 resolution
  • 324ppi pixel density
  • 2K IPS panel
  • Intel Atom Z3580 Quad-Core 64bit processor – 2.3GHz OR Intel Atom Z3560 Quad-Core 64bit processor – 1.83GHz
  • 2GB or 4GB RAM
  • 16GB/32GB/64GB storage
  • 5GB lifetime of Asus Webstorage Space, with an added 11GB for the first year, and 100GB of Google Drive for 2 years.
  • IMG PowerVR Series 6 – G6430
  • 5MP front and 8MP rear camera
  • Palm rejections
  • Active Pen Support (Z Stylus)
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n & ac, support Miracast
  • 1 x USB Type-C
  • 1 x microSD card reader up to 128GB (SDXC)
  • 2 x front facing speaker with DTS HD Premium Sound, Sonic Master technology
  • 4000mAh – 15.2Wh battery
  • Navigation: GPS & GLONASS
  • Bluetooth V4.1 and Bluetooth (low energy)
  • colors: black or white
  • 203.2 x 134.5 x 6.6 mm (LxWxH)
  • 298 g weight

asus-zenpad-s-8-0-pre-orderSpecs (Z580C):

  • Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • 8-inch screen
  • 4:3 aspect ratio
  • 1536 x 2048 resolution
  • 324ppi pixel density
  • 2K IPS panel
  • Intel Atom Z3530 Quad-Core 64bit processor @ 1.33GHz or Intel Atom Z3560 Quad-Core 64bit processor @ 1.83GHz
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB/32GB storage
  • 5GB lifetime of Asus Webstorage Space, with an added 11GB for the first year, and 100GB of Google Drive for 2 years.
  • IMG PowerVR Series 6 – G6430
  • 2MP front and 8MP rear camera
  • Navigation: GPS and GLONASS
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.1 and Bluetooth Smart (low energy)
  • 1 x micro USB
  • 1 x microSD card reader up to 128GB (SDXC)
  • 2 x front facing speaker with DTS HD Premium Sound, Sonic Master technology
  • 4000mAh – 15.2Wh battery
  • colors: black or white
  • 203.2 x 134.5 x 6.9 mm (LxWxH)
  • 317g weight

ID Codes:

  • Z580CA / Z580C / Z8050CA / Z8050C – P01M
  • Z580CA – P01MA

UPC Codes:

  • Z580C-B1-BK : 889349078921

SKU:

  • Z580C-B1-BK : 7650139

Product Listings:

  • Z580CA-1A031A / Z580CA-1B023A
  • Z580C-1A005A / Z580C-1B005A

zenpad-s-z580c-z580ca-tabletOpinion Review – Our First Take:

Make no question about it, the ZenPad S 8.0 – Z580CA is THE tablet to buy. The Z580C is very respectable, however the extra features and specs in the Z580CA make it a more than worthwhile choice to buy. We do not yet know the pricing, but expect to pay extra for the future proofing. You are getting the features that are just now becoming mainstream and that will ensure this investment will last much longer. New ports and the new wifi standard are going to make a difference within a year or two. If you need to save some money, it’s worth considering getting a smaller storage capacity model of the Z580CA if there are two or three different choices available. When you consider that you can add a whopping 128GB SDXC card, plus you have online storage for free, there isn’t a strong argument to pay for a lot of built-in storage. The Z580CA is absolutely the “hero” device. Better cameras, better processors, better wifi, and more RAM. The only notable situation is with the battery and that it’s the same size in both models. Given the processor difference, we wonder how much difference there may be.

So you want to know when you can buy one? We can speak to the USA market and that might include Canada as well. We have already seen the P01M pass through, which we have verified as being the ZenPad S 8.0 tablet. This occurred in mid May. In the past, it can take at minimum of 3 weeks, but typically it’s 4 to 5 weeks before devices end up in consumers hands. That said, it opens the door this week and next week for pre orders. We suggest you follow us on Twitter or keep checking back with us for those pre order details. It’s coming faster than a lot of people think!

Early Review & Hands-On Impressions:

Overall, we were big fans of the updated tablet design by Asus this year. – Lee Bell on the ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580CA), June 5, 2015 (theinquirer.net)

It’s by far the most compelling tablet from ASUS so far. – Richard Lai on the ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580CA), June 1, 2015 (engadget.com)

Comparisons and ZenPad S 8.0 VS. Articles:

ZenPad Z580CA vs. ZenPad Z580C

ZenPad Z580C vs. ZenPad 8.0 (Z380C) (Z380KL)

Asus Z580C vs. iPad Air 2

ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580C) vs. iPad mini 3

ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580CA) vs. iPad mini 3

Asus Z580C vs. Nexus 9

Asus Z580CA vs. Nexus 9

Asus Z580C vs. Galaxy Tab S2 8.0

Asus Z580CA vs. Galaxy Tab S2 8.0

Photo Gallery – High Resolution Images:

 

 

 

asus-zenpad-s8-white-tablet-review

white-zenpad-s8-side

black-and-white-zenpad-s8-z580ca-tablets

asus-zenpad-s8-tablet

Black color ZenPad S 8.0 tablet.

ZenPad S8 Series - The Hero Tablet.

asus-tablet-s-8-z580ca-z580c

black-zenpad-s8-z580ca-z580c

white-zenpad-s-8-0

 


 Previous Updates, Rumors, Leaks, and Tidbits:

Okay this is only a tidbit of official information. The Z580C has been published on Asus.com so it’s real, although typo’s and misprinting are possible.

  • ASUS ZenPad S 8 – S 8.0 – Z580C (we also have seen a Z580CA model number listing)
    • In this model, we are suggesting there is going to be an 8-inch Transformer (now known as ZenPad S) which should mean a 10-inch Transformer also. With a bigger iPad expected, it’s possible too that there will be a bigger S tablet, perhaps 12-inch.
  • ASUS ZenPad S 10 – S 10.0 – Z500C
    • This is based on our speculation only. There has always been a 10-inch Transformer. It’s an Asus flagship so this should be no different. In the model number Z500C, we are putting a “0” to indicate the 10-inch size because in the case of the 8-inch ZenPad S model, you can see the “8” in the model listing.
  • ASUS ZenPad S 12 – S 12.0 – Z520C
    • At this early stage, we don’t expect to hear about a third model of ZenPad S Transformer. We do however think it’s possible that Asus will come out with a 12-inch model based on the expectation that Apple will be releasing a bigger 12-inch iPad. That could start a bigger tablet trend and Asus in the past has released larger 12 and 13-inch tablets. This listing is purely speculative on our part.

What do we think? It’s entirely possible that Asus is coming out with a 8-inch ZenPad S and that’s it. We may not see a 10-inch version at all. Would this be surprising? It depends. Asus wants to reduce their number of tablets. Was opting for a 8-inch only, part of the efforts to reduce number of models? It’s pretty clear that consumers like the 8-inch size tablet. Putting a keyboard dock that uses the 8-inch size is certainly challenging based on how the netbook computers handled it. It really took a 10-inch form factor for Asus to get a full sizes keyboard onto a netbook. With a 8-inch ZenPad S, those same challenges exist. We certainly hope that there is more than just a 8-inch, but if we don’t see any leaks prior to Computex, then it appears 8-inch is it. Hard to imagine no 10-inch model based on the historical success of the Transformer series. The fact is we’re seeing two ZenPad S 8.0 model numbers and that’s it.


As far as we understand, the ZenPad S is real and it’s going to be a likely best seller. Right now there are no official details or specs. We can however, offer our opinion as to what the ZenPad S is going to be.

First, we expect the price to be right there with what the Transformer Pad series has been. We expect there to be a design and build quality that is more premium and will feature the now trademark circular or “zen like” pattern. We would be expecting an Android release, and we’re unsure if there will be 2 versions of the ZenPad S, one with Android and one with Windows 10. The branding at this point, is unknown when it comes to differentiating between Android and Windows based ZenPads. In the past Asus has used Intel Atom processors, but perhaps the ZenPad series will move to Snapdragon processors instead. At the Asus financial report, CEO Jerry Shen indicated that the Intel processors don’t offer very much in terms of savings or discounts. Asus and Intel have been strong partners in the past, so it’s hard to imagine that Asus would do a complete reversal, but at this point we just don’t know. The ZenPad S is obviously going to be thinner, lighter and faster than previous Transformer Pad tablets on 2014. The question is whether Asus can get to an iPad Air 2 type thinness or not.

Current Asus Transformer – What changes will the ZenPad S bring?

zenpad-s-transformer- (1) zenpad-s-transformer- (2) zenpad-s-transformer- (3) zenpad-s-transformer- (4) zenpad-s-transformer- (5) zenpad-s-transformer- (6) zenpad-s-transformer-

42 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. Meh April 6, 2015 at 4:04 am #

    My fave device all time is my tf700 infinity. It’s due for a replacement. Hoping that asus delivers a special product!

    • Staff May 18, 2015 at 3:19 pm #

      At this point it looks like 2 models are in the works. An 8 inch and 10 inch model.

    • Shawn July 23, 2015 at 4:44 pm #

      I’m looking to replace my original TF-101. It’s way long in the tooth. If i knew about the infinity when i brought my prime i would have waited for the infinity. The CA is going to be it’s replacement. Hopefully going from 10 to 8 inches won’t be too much of an adjustement.

  2. mehman June 7, 2015 at 6:37 pm #

    I have no clue how asus could not charge ipad prices for this. I mean this z580ca is so loaded it’s going to cost a lot imo. If not, how can asus do it?

    • Staff June 7, 2015 at 6:40 pm #

      I think they are getting some discounts from Intel which helps. Intel wants/needs to prove to everyone that their Atom is a legit mobile processor. I’m sure they are discounting.

  3. SteelyDan June 7, 2015 at 6:38 pm #

    I’m loving the white version. No question I’m in line for that z580ca model. It’s future proofed which helps a lot. Anyone know when it’s coming out and how much it’s going to cost?

    • Staff June 7, 2015 at 6:40 pm #

      No word on price or release date. Best guess is mid June pre orders and shipping early July. Asus said affordable with ZenPad, so that means it has to be less than iPad territory.

  4. yahoo June 12, 2015 at 3:28 pm #

    im so glad i waited i had the nexus 9 3 times but i shipped em back to much money

  5. AP June 26, 2015 at 11:40 am #

    Dear Friend,

    Can you please check if they’re comming with 100GB google Drive storage instead of 16GB Asus webstorage please (or both)?

    • Staff June 26, 2015 at 3:16 pm #

      Thanks. We definitely should make mention in our details. Yes, these ZenPads come with 2 years of 100GB Google Drive, 11GB Asus webstorage for 1 year, and 5GB lifetime Asus webstorage. There is something about limited time storage that I’m biased about. It’s a bit sneaky because once you fill those up, who is going to remove files when the free time ends? Thanks for the comment!

  6. S.Prime June 27, 2015 at 3:22 pm #

    IMO, the Z580CA could give Asus some solid sales figures in the tablet market, if they don’t over price it like HTC did with the NEXUS 9.

    • Staff June 27, 2015 at 3:39 pm #

      Thanks. I agree completely with your take on it. It’s clearly a winner at the right price, but let’s hope it doesn’t take a while before coming to market. That’s my only concern.

      • S.Prime June 28, 2015 at 12:14 pm #

        With no new Nexus tablet on the horizon, I am hoping to see Asus bring it to market sooner than later.

  7. S.Prime July 11, 2015 at 8:35 pm #

    Best Buy is listing the Z580C for $199.Personally, I am waiting for the Z580CA.

  8. RAHUL July 17, 2015 at 2:38 pm #

    ASUS BEING A GREAT TABLET COMPANY SHOULD THINK OF SHIPPING IT PAST

  9. RAHUL July 19, 2015 at 3:26 pm #

    coomon guys please tell the availability in india

  10. Shawn July 21, 2015 at 11:35 pm #

    I just jumped the gun and per-ordered the CA from B&H. I hope it’s worth it. I really have to stop early adopting like this…

  11. S.Prime July 25, 2015 at 9:12 pm #

    I went by Best Buy today and tried out a Z580C that they had on display and I must admit that the display was awesome and the sound was unbelievably good for a tablet. The screen changes were smooth and quick and video from YouTube and a local demo file were impressive. The specs say Android 5.1 but the demo had 5.0 and even after a system update that was available it was still 5.0, but there could be other updates. The 8″ form factor felt a little strange compared to my Nexus 7, but it was easily managed in one hand in portrait mode while navigating with the other hand, so it would be just a matter of adjusting to it for me. One of my hardware distributors is listing the Z580C as available in August 2015, but have nothing on the Z580CA yet. Also there is already a root method for the Z580C on XDA. Personally I am waiting on the Z580CA.

  12. DBrianK August 2, 2015 at 10:04 am #

    I wonder when the white version of Z580C is coming. Can’t wait 🙂

    • Staff August 2, 2015 at 4:45 pm #

      I’ve noticed that aside from the white Z170C, that the white ZenPads are not showing up anywhere right now.

  13. S.Prime (Jim) August 4, 2015 at 9:58 pm #

    I noticed today that Best Buy increased the price on the Z580C to $229, but B&H still shows them for pre-order at $199. So, to protect the $299 price on the Z580CA, I pre-ordered the Z580CA today from B&H. Free shipping and the ability to cancel before it ships, if it becomes available at a better price or shipping date, before B&H ships, what have I got to lose?

  14. S.Prime (Jim) August 17, 2015 at 10:43 pm #

    B&H charged my credit card today for my Z580CA and my B&H order history shows “In Stock, order sent to warehouse.”

  15. D.Ferreira August 19, 2015 at 6:20 pm #

    My ZenPad 580CA arrived in the Mail today.. It’s at my house and I cannot wait to get home and check it out!!!…
    I want to find out if anyone knows which Z-Stylus model we need yet..??

    • Staff August 19, 2015 at 7:38 pm #

      Oh great! We’re very jealous!!

  16. Jim September 6, 2015 at 1:08 pm #

    Since receiving my Z580CA my Nexus 7 2013 has been sitting idle and I have added a cheap trifold case to the Z580CA, while awaiting a better alternative from Asus. Apparently the bootloader is unlocked on the Z580C and the CA and root can be achieved on both models using a temporary recovery while tethered to a computer, but Asus updates, after rooting, reportedly result in a bootloop state. So if you decide to root use Titanium Backup to freeze updates. There is a thread on XDA explaining how to root both models, just be aware that it is not a one click method and that there is no custom recovery like CWM or TWRP for our models, at this time. We are trying to get a dedicated section on XDA for the Z580C and the Z580CA, which should spur development for our Intel based Android tablet. Fortunately Asus has made the factory images available for both models, so if you bootloop your tablet you can recover with the factory image. Reports indicate that rooting and freezing the Asus bloatware increases performance on both models, so I am anxiously following the development and trying to control my desire for a rooted Z580CA, but honestly that may not last much longer.

  17. Vic September 15, 2015 at 11:38 pm #

    According to this site the Asus Zenpad S 8.0 z580ca supports USB HOST. And it also say the device support USB 2.1, and also the site failed to mention 4GB ram (for that processor, right?) and USB Type-C.

  18. Vic September 15, 2015 at 11:40 pm #

    This site mobilewithprices (mod edit)

  19. Vic September 16, 2015 at 12:00 am #

    edit:
    That site I mentioned above also say z580ca supports Active Noise Cancellation! Is that true?

    It says usb 2.1 on the review but it says 2.0 (slim port) on the specification.

  20. Vic September 22, 2015 at 4:17 am #

    Hey! Guess what. When I was looking around this site for an alternative to the Zenpad S, I came across the Z380KL (plus: SnapDragon615 Octacore, minus: HD screen). The article here mentioning that this tablet being launched in Malaysia. Well, “KL” does sounded like “Kuala Lumpur”. Then I browse through some months old Malaysia mobile magazine (printed), there I find out about the ME581CL. It turns out, this so called MeMO Pad, seems more fit to my requirements for a tablet. Apart from its rather small 5MP rear camera and uncertainty of the variant available (it seems the same story with all ASUS products these days), including but not limited to the existence of an microSD card slot (on gsmarena.com several user opinions claims the variant that they owned DO HAVE microSD slot, only “not covered by a flap”, and I also heard that the ME581CL have “no-call” function. No Flap, and No Call? Is that true? So the 4G capable sim card slot on ME581CL is strictly only for Internet connectivity? This just sounded wrong. Zenpad.org, I need you to answer thelse, please. As the most reliable source of info for all ASUS tablets, I think you should’ve covered the MemoPads as well, not just the Zenpads, and a bit of TransformerPads and FonePads. Even in the ASUS “Tablet History” page there’s only a picture of the ME581CL MemoPad.
    To think that I don’t even live in Malaysia (close), the magazine was I bought it when I was travelling into the country! I consider myself lucky.

  21. NY'er September 23, 2015 at 3:37 pm #

    Z580CA in stock on asus site now.

  22. Jim October 2, 2015 at 11:06 am #

    Has there been any news on Marshmallow for the Z580C/CA?

    • DenverTech March 22, 2016 at 1:29 am #

      My guess is never. Asus has been very hush hush about Marshmallow for the Z580C/CA, and the latest firmware is still Lollipop. I wouldn’t hold your breath.

  23. Dharmik February 24, 2016 at 5:24 pm #

    Hello,

    I am a big fan of Asus Zenpad S8. When should it will available on India? I have one concern. It’s available on Amazon to buy. Is warranty applicable if i buy it from India?

    Please, reply as early as possible. I am waiting for response.

    Thanks!

  24. Gwen July 25, 2016 at 5:12 pm #

    I have a question regarding the ZenPad Z580C’s SDXC card reader. What type of cards can it use to best advantage ?
    – Bus speed 12,5 MB/s (normal speed)
    – Bus speed 25 MB/s (high speed)
    – Bus speed 50 MB/s (USH-I)
    – Bus speed 104 MB/s (UHS-I)
    – Bus speed 156 MB/s (UHS-II)
    – Bus speed 312 MB/s (UHS-II)
    Thanks

  25. UberStCrew August 28, 2016 at 6:21 am #

    Google has recently released Android version 7.0 while the Asus flagship tablet Zenpad S 8.0 (Z580CA) is still on Android 5.0. The tablet hasn’t received any updates since May.

    This is why myself and probably many others will not be buying another Asus tablet. If you don’t support your product then don’t expect people to continue buying them.

  26. Jeff September 13, 2016 at 4:08 am #

    Asus recently published Marshmallow firmware (V5.4.3.0) for the Z580CA. I plan to try it out as soon as tomorrow (when I receive my tablet).

    • Staff September 13, 2016 at 2:14 pm #

      Thank you sir for posting that!

  27. Mark A January 8, 2017 at 5:52 am #

    I have a couple ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580CA version) but I’ve noticed they’re not on sale anymore. What’s up with that, is a new model coming out? (The sound is poor, somewhat low so I’m starting to lean toward the Nvidia Shield K1 which has loud volume and crisp screen but Full HD 16×9 rather than ASUS 4.3 ratio.)

    Also, one has a power button that is hard to trigger? How to replace? Anyone had trouble with it?

    • Chris January 20, 2017 at 8:36 am #

      Hi Mark,
      did anyone of the Zenpads come with an Asus Stylus? If you have an extra, would you be willing to sell it, since it’s nearly impossible to get one at the moment in Germany?

      • Staff January 27, 2017 at 1:05 am #

        I would suggest turning to eBay or run an ad on craigslist in a different country and arrange someone to buy one and ship to you. It works!

    • steve September 30, 2017 at 2:50 am #

      I dont used the power button double tap the screen on and the same to go off
      And I did have the Nvidia Shield K1 great tablet for games
      Sound like you would be better off with the K1

  28. Chris January 19, 2017 at 11:37 pm #

    Hi Mark A.
    Do you have a Asus stylus for any of those tablets and be willing to sell it? It is nearly impossible to get at the moment in Germany.

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