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 $299 device, and the sequential write speed is actually the fastest we've seen in an Android tablet. However, it's disappointing to see that Android devices can now adopt USB 3.0 without terrible connectors by using USB Type-C, yet they still have NAND that won't even saturate a USB 2.0 link in the best possible scenario. Relative to the NAND in other Android devices the ZenPad S performs well, but the speed of eMMC flash memory still leaves much to be desired.
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jjj - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
You guys are out of touch. 300$ for what is a midrange tablet? -with misguided AR and horrible design but lets put that aside. This would have been high end 3 years ago. At 40% lower prices it would be ok-ish - at lest for Apple users that got used with the irrational 4:3 AR and are in love with how briefcases used to look 30 years ago. Odd niche to address but w/e.PC OEM mentality, just dropping parts in a box. They aren't selling lettuce, they are supposed to be in tech and do much better than nothing. They just need to gift wrap some parts together and that's somehow way too difficult for them. They sell out to Intel, they use no neurons in product design and then they whine that the tablet market is not doing well. And that's not just Asus but Asus at least used to be slightly better than others.
boeush - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
What's so misguided about 4:3 AR? It's basically the same as the standard 8.5" x 11" paper sheet. It's close to the AR of a typical book. It's pretty great for consuming text-based or text-heavy media (hello - Internet?), or just scribbling on for kicks and doodles (or notes). Only thing its not perfect for is movie watching, but who watches movies on a tiny friggin' tablet screen - unless one's desperate?BugblatterIII - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
4:3 is way better for everything apart from movies. It was one of the main reasons my last tablet was an iPad rather than another Android. I'm glad there are now some Android options.ddriver - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Not really.Aside from multimedia, widescreen is better for gaming - more immersive, and also for professional software, where in most cases the UI revolves around a hefty side bar and a central viewport. Having a 4:3 screen means you either lose your viewport or your sidebar.
Honestly, the sole upside to 4:3 might be text editing, but flip a widescreen at 90 degree and suddenly 4:3 is not that much of an attractive prospect.
The only reason people like 4:3 is because apple is still stuck there, and those people are apple fanboys who care not about usability but to be exemplary corporate zealots.
ddriver - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
The one thing 4:3 is really good for is browsing poorly designed websites. That's about it... If that's what your computing routine boils down to - go for it.BillyONeal - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
As a Nexus 7 and Surface owner, can confirm 16:9 is garbage for anything but movies.FunBunny2 - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Yeah, but *computing* is so 1990s. All these devices are primarily entertainment vehicles. In due time, may be less than a year, there'll be a 16:9/10 watchy thingee so you can consume "Straight Outta Compton" on the way to your cubicle.cwolf78 - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
As another Nexus 7 owner, I agree wholeheartedly. I will not be purchasing another 16:9 tablet. The shape is just too awkward for anything other than movies which I can't stomach watching on a tablet in the first place.BurntMyBacon - Thursday, September 3, 2015 - link
I'm also a Nexus 7 owner and I think the shape is perfect. Its just narrow enough to fit in my pocket. Wait, you want to actually use the device. Whaat?BugblatterIII - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
So anyone who disagrees with your opinion is an Apple fanboy and/or mostly browses lousy websites?I don't like Apple; I reluctantly bought an iPad because it was the best choice for me at the time.
I have a 24" 16:10 monitor. I always use it in portrait. For videos and games I use my TV. It's a very nice set up and meets my needs perfectly.
If ever you want to have your views taken seriously then you need to be less dismissive of the views of others.