The ASUS ZenPad S (Z580CA) Review
by Brandon Chester on August 31, 2015 8:00 AM ESTGPU Performance
Rather than using Intel’s HD series iGPUs, the Atom Z3530 and Z3580 SoCs in both versions of the ZenPad S use Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR G6430 GPU. Since this implementation is identical to the one in the ZenFone 2 it’s not likely we’ll see a large gap in absolute performance. However, the larger chassis of the ZenPad may allow it to dissipate heat more effectively, which could help performance in long-term sustained workloads. It’s also worth noting that the less expensive Atom Z3530 model of the ZenPad S will suffer from reduced performance in GPU heavy workloads due to the 1GHz reduction in max CPU clock compared to the $299 model, as well as the drop in GPU speed from 533MHz to 457MHz.
In 3DMark we actually see a noticeable gap between the ZenPad S and the ZenFone 2. The latter ends up scoring around 2000 points higher in both sub-tests, which leads to an overall score which is also around 2000 points higher. I would mostly attribute this to software differences rather than any issues with throttling, and the next tests will help to confirm that assumption.
The ZenPad S doesn’t perform as well as the ZenFone 2 in BaseMark X’s on screen tests, which isn’t surprising given that it’s pushing 1.6 million more pixels. In the off screen tests we see both devices perform roughly equally, and this is reflected in the overall score. In other reviews, such as my review of the Dell Venue 8 and Venue 10 I mentioned that G6430 is a bit slow compared to the competition at that price point. For a $299 it fits perfectly, and coincidentally a lower clocked version of it is what’s used in the iPad Mini 2 which is also $299.
In GFXBench we again see the ZenPad S performs worse than the ZenFone 2 at its native resolution, but the overall GPU power of the two devices is equal. Like the Venue 8 and Venue 10, the PowerVR G6430 implementation in Atom Z3580 outperforms Apple’s A7 by a significant degree in the T-Rex HD test, but not in any other.
It’s clear from our tests that the GPU performance of the ZenPad S Z580CA is roughly the same as Apple’s iPad Mini 2. Since both devices have the same price, the ZenPad S is right where it needs to be in this regard. Performance in programs running at a device’s native resolution will obviously be slower than the ZenFone 2 due to the ZenPad S’s higher resolution, but I think G6430 provides more than adequate performance to run the display, and is the best you’ll be able to find in a $299 device right now.
NAND Performance
The performance of a mobile device's internal storage can have a significant impact on performance. When any applications are performing reads or writes in the background, a low NAND solution can cause the tasks the user is currently performing to grind to a halt. On top of that, there are fairly obvious implications for the time it takes to move music, movies, pictures, and other media to and from the device.
Both random read and random write speeds on the ZenPad S are very good for a mobile device. In both cases it ends up being the fastest tablet on record.
The sequential read speed on the ZenPad S is good for a $299 device, and the sequential write speed is actually the fastest we've seen in an Android tablet. However, it's disappointing to see that Android devices can now adopt USB 3.0 without terrible connectors by using USB Type-C, yet they still have NAND that won't even saturate a USB 2.0 link in the best possible scenario. Relative to the NAND in other Android devices the ZenPad S performs well, but the speed of eMMC flash memory still leaves much to be desired.
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PixyMisa - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
I have two Nexus 7 2013s (one died and wouldn't charge any more, but a wireless charging pad brought it back to life).Still holding on and waiting for something better that doesn't cost three arms and a leg.
I also have an Xperia Z Ultra that I picked up cheap. That's not bad, but a little on the small side for tablet use.
Sunburn74 - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Does Anandtech plan to update the review once a stylus is available? For some of us, the stylus input would be a real deal maker (or breaker if it is subpar).Brandon Chester - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
I specifically asked ASUS to send the stylus and cover if they could, but all I got was the tablet. I have to send this back so I doubt I'll ever be able to look at the stylus. I really wanted to.vladx - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
What nonsense is this about the camera? The day photo definitely looks the best along with S6 Edge one. Saying the iPad one looks better is a joke.The rumours are true, this site is more and more biased by each day passed.
Brandon Chester - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
I don't know if you viewed them at full size or not but ASUS's camera processing has been widely panned by pretty much every site that looked at the Zenfone 2, and it is literally unchanged here. If there's some level of bias there then it must exist at every tech site ever.The image quality is not even remotely comparable to the shot from the S6 Edge. A good area to examine is the walls of the school, they're completely destroyed by heavy noise reduction to the point where the lines start curving and shifting. It's just not a good image.
DanNeely - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
It's really that the problems are only obvious in the full size image. The resized images in the gallery aren't large enough to see the problems.This's a sitewide comment, and not directed at you personally; but people who look at the full size images as well as the ones in the gallery are probably in the minority. I think a set of 1:1 crops of a detail area or two that make things like the destructive processing the Asus does readily apparent would really make problems more apparent.
eek2121 - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
I didn't even finish reading the first page of this article and I thought to myself...ASUS made the nexus 7. Why the hate?Michael REMY - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
as Anandtech still continue to ignore sony xperia tablet, i can not consider seriously this review of the asus zenpad. i trust all the review of Anandtech else the tablets ones! I hope one day you could try or review the xperia z3 compact tablet or even the xperia z4 tablet because it changes all the done and the way to judge the other tablets on the market.DanNeely - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
It's not AT ignoring the Sony Tablet. It's Sony ignoring the tech press. AT (among others) have regularly asked for review samples of various products. Sony's almost never willing to provide them. As a result they get next to no press coverage beyond demos at big shows and product release announcements. That's entirely on them.MrSavage - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
People running big websites aren't capable of buying a review unit off a store shelf? Imagine that. Having to pay for a review unit? Perhaps giving it away later as a giveaway contest? Nobody knows about tax write offs? Sure, if it's not free then we don't review it. If it's the best tablet on the market who cares. We won't inform our site visitors of that great product because there was no freebie sent out. Credibility wise, I would not be saying this is great or the best because I chose not to review other top tablets because I didn't get a free one in the mail to review. I wish sites were open about the bias or friendly handshake agreements. The best tablet of the free ones sent out to big websites. Not the best, but just the best from the ass kissing companies who sent out review units. Sad excuse in my books. I call it a disservice to my visitors if that's my mentality.