The ASUS ZenPad S (Z580CA) Review
by Brandon Chester on August 31, 2015 8:00 AM ESTBattery Life
The first generation of the iPad promised a ten hour battery life, which was exceptional when one considers what the battery life of smartphones and laptops was at that time. Since that time the battery life target OEMs aim for with tablets has usually hovered around that 10 hour mark. Whether or not a tablet lasts that long obviously depends on a mixture of the user's workload and the OEM's honesty in the battery numbers they report. As for the ZenPad S Z580CA, its 15.2Wh battery is rated for up to 8 hours of battery life by ASUS, which is lower than I would expect when the iPad Mini 2 is competing at the same price with a 10 hour battery life. Of course, the ZenPad S is 0.9 thinner at its thinnest point, which leaves less room to put in battery. This may be one of the cases where I would agree that a thicker device with a larger battery would be better, but that will depend on the outcome of our battery tests.
As always, all devices are calibrated to 200nits for all battery benchmarks, and they follow the standard order of web browsing, BaseMark OS II, PCMark, and finally GFXBench 3.0.
In our WiFi web test the ZenPad S falls about 43 minutes short of its rated 8 hour battery life. Had it been designed for a 10 hour rating this wouldn't be a huge deal as you'd still be talking about nearly 9.2 hours of battery life. However, 7.18 hours is a relatively short battery life for web browsing when you consider that the iPad Mini 2 lasts 9.83 hours in the same test, while the Dell Venue 8 7840 lasts 9.59 hours with the same SoC and a similar display area.
The ZenPad S does fairly well in BaseMark OS II's battery benchmark which mainly stresses a device's CPU. However, it's again outclassed by the Dell Venue 8 7840 which uses the same SoC and actually has a thinner chassis. In this case I would say that the ZenPad S doesn't have bad battery life at all, but I do wish it was a bit higher than it is.
The ZenPad S achieves the shortest battery life of our tested devices in PCMark's battery life test. Although both devices are close, its battery life is slightly shorter than that of the Dell Venue 10 7040, which I repeatedly noted as having extremely poor battery life. PCMark is a fairly good example of the battery life that a user can expected from a mixed workload, and the ZenPad S Z580CA's battery life of 5.33 hours is not quite where it needs to be.
The ZenPad S doesn't last quite as long as the iPad Air 2 in GFXBench's battery test, and sits a little more than 46 minutes behind the Dell Venue 8 7840. Evaluating how well a device does in GFXBench requires considering both the battery life as well as the performance. A device can last a long time but deliver performance that isn't even remotely playable. Conversely, a device can last a short time but have incredible performance, which would still be preferable to a long period of unplayable performance.
With a steady frame rate slightly above 19 FPS for most of the test, the ZenPad S doesn't quite offer smooth performance during the 3.69 hours that it ran for. In comparison, Apple's iPad Air 2 lasted longer and approaches upon 50 FPS, which is well above the 30 FPS that many 3D mobile games target. However, it's also worth noting that this is an on-screen test, and in games that render below a device's native resolution it's entirely possible that the ZenPad S would deliver smooth performance while maintaining its 3.69 hours of battery life. It's also worth noting that the iPad Air 2 costs significantly more than the ZenPad, and while we don't have information about the iPad Mini 2 in this test, it's very likely that its performance would be similar. In the end, the PowerVR G6430 GPU is still a fairly capable GPU, even if it can't run intensive 3D games at 2048x1536. I think the GPU performance and battery life in GPU heavy loads that the ZenPad S offers is more than acceptable for a $300 device.
Charge Time
Since tablets have significantly larger batteries than smartphones, they have always required high power chargers to recharge their batteries in an acceptable period of time. Even so, devices like the 2012 iPad took as long as six hours to charge even with a 10W charger due to the sheer size of their battery. Thankfully, reductions in platform power have allowed for smaller batteries while maintaining battery life, which leads to shorter charging times for tablets. At the moment, most tablets seem to take between 3.5 and 4 hours to charge, and with its 15.2Wh battery one would hope that the ZenPad S could go below that 3.5 hour figure. As you can see above, the ZenPad S doesn't quite meet that goal.
The ZenPad 2 charges slightly quicker than other tablets like the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2, Nexus 9, and the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. However, it doesn't charge as fast as the Dell Venue 8 7840. To be honest, I had expected a better result here because of the ZenPad's relatively tiny battery capacity. Dell's included charger provides 7W of power, which isn't as much as the 10W+ bricks that come with iPads and some other tablets. It's worth noting that I also checked the charge time when using ASUS's 18W QC 2.0 power brick, but measured no difference from the one that comes in the box. I would like to note that the lack of QC 2.0 support has absolutely nothing to do with the use of the USB Type-C connector. The USB connector is unrelated to the data and power protocols.
In the end users won't be getting a significant shorter or longer charge time than other tablets, but knowing that the battery is only 15.2Wh has me feeling a bit let down that the ZenPad S takes as long as it does to charge.
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BugblatterIII - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
I wasn't even talking about the GPS; way to jump to conclusions and run a mile with them!And I did get the dongle.
3DoubleD knows what he's talking about (oh and don't forget the interminable hangs on web browsing). MrSavage I suggest you read and learn.
My current router and motherboard are from Asus, no complaints. When it comes to tablets (and probably smartphones) I'd steer well clear. This review mentions some serious issues at launch; they shouldn't exist.
MrSavage - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
If you recall, the Prime just came out, some hadn't even shipped, and Asus showed of the Transformer Infinity at CES to the dismay of many. The fact is this. That was a ground breaking product, in its second iteration. Nobody else was attempting what they did. Design wise a fail? Sure. But to me, I give full credit for a company that has the balls to release innovative and cutting edge products. They didn't repeat the mistake. Hold a grudge? LOL, go ahead. I'll always praise innovation even if it means problems. Apple antennagate? Happens to even the best companies out there.BugblatterIII - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
The bits they failed on weren't the innovative bits. The keyboard worked very well for example. It was the actual tablet bit where they fell down. They shouldn't have shipped it in that state; they used seriously under-specced hardware and that's probably the real reason they were never able to fix it with firmware.A few years on perhaps they've learned, or perhaps the decision-makers have changed. However the fact they're launching with major issues suggests otherwise, and those who do not learn from history are doomed to take Summer School.
You call it holding a grudge; I call it learning from experience. Same reason I won't touch Belkin.
3DoubleD - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
Agreed. The innovative bits were great. The keyboard with extra battery life - fantastic. Screen was beautiful, even if it was only 720p. Two SD card slots and a full sized USB port - great. ASUS' Android wasn't even too bad (pretty close to stock with some small, helpful additions). But screwing up one of the core components of the system was not a failed innovation, it was poor engineering and quality control. It was also a not a common failure that was unique to the Prime, despite all phones and tablets having eMMC devices. It was such a failure, crippling the usability to such an extent that a recall should have taken place. Hilariously, the previous Transformer tablet has aged far better, while having all of the innovative features, so again, I don't think ASUS should get a free pass because it was 'ballsy'.3DoubleD - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
"It was also a not a common failure, *but* was unique to the Prime..."MrSavage - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
I registered to ask this question. You guys are known for your "technical" analysis. The issue with reviews is with the basis of comparison or lack thereof. Instead of saying this is the best $299 8-inch Android tablet on the market, you can't and really don't. Instead, you suggest spending another 1/3 of the price for something else!? Or yet get an old, outdated iPad mini 2?What are front facing speakers worth to a tablet user? What is a stylus input worth to a tablet user?
It would seem that the reviewer doesn't know the Samsung Tab S2 8.0. Explain what that extra $100 in price gets you, that's better than the $100 cheaper Android tablet. The point is, expand on a spec basis what makes the extra $100 a better buying option. Perhaps your readers only shop for the most expensive product. In that case, each review will be price based. The most expensive on the market = the best. Thus, a review just explains why the premium cost is worthwhile. To write in the review that looking at the $100 more expensive Tab S2 is worth considering? How about why? Why is that worth it?
DanNeely - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
*sigh* Up until I saw the display and battery sections I was somewhat interested in this tablet.Is there anyone selling an 8" android tablet that isn't either a cheap wretched piece of crap or fundamentally broken in some way (eg Samsung's backwards buttons, Kindle's lack of Google apps, etc)?
MrSavage - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Unrealistic consumer? Wants - long battery life, best display on market. Wants - cheapest price possible. Seriously? If battery life is crucial, there are things called external battery packs. $20 perhaps? Not tied into a device and can be used for other devices. Display issues? Check the specs on the new Tab S2 8.0 and then look at the price. I think I go back to the first two words I wrote in this comment. Something to think about.DanNeely - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
How exactly do you go from my not wanting a cheap piece of crap to my wanting something as cheap as possible? For that matter I just cited Samsung's tablets as an example of a device with a fundamentally broken mis-feature.I want a good tablet without anything stupidly wrong on it. I'd gladly pay $400 for something like the Tab S2 8 if Samsung didn't insist on ruining all of their Android devices by screwing the buttons up.
As it is, the Android tablet market has gotten worse than the PC laptop market. The latter at least has enough options that, even though virtually every product has at least one item where they either cheaped out one component to something awful to save a dollar on the BOM or made an generally idiotic design option, I can at least find something that doesn't have a flaw that's a show stopper for me. (XPS 13 laptop, the black tape lens cap on the neckbeard/nose hair camera is less noticeable than the tape over a more conventionally placed camera.) I've been on/off looking for an android tablet all summer; but every time I see something to catch my eye midway through the review there's something that triggers an immediate "OH HELL NO!!!" response.
MrSavage - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
You are simply being unrealistic, that's my point. Android isn't Apple. Go ahead and go spec by spec through the Z580CA and Tab S2 8.0 comparison and then add the extra $100 you would be spending on that new Samsung.If you think for a moment that the Z580CA is a cheap piece of crap, then no doubt why you are without an Android tablet. You are taking this review as the final word.
Battery life can be solved pretty darn easily, unless their is some issue with portable charger and Type-C.
I am curious though, what's the "hell no" aspect of the Z580CA? I hope it's not the wifi which has been reviewed on a firmware that needs updating/tweaking.
Display wise? I think the reviewer has a built in bias against display enhancements. Lots of charts and graphs talking about display. However, do you really think any of those graphs and charts mean anything to the real world, end user? If you are an elite user, then go ahead and look outside of Android and pay double or triple the price for an Apple display.
I hear what you want. You want an Apple quality device with Android OS. I think the manufacturers have tried and failed at that game and it's why price is their primary goal. Perhaps you can hope for a ZenPad Pro or something similar.
Personally? I would rather have a thicker, heavier and even slightly higher priced Z580CA if it meant bigger battery. However, I can easily get around battery life issues. No ideal, but possible.
Front facing speakers are of no value to you? Stylus input is of no value to you?
The bad thing about charts is that a device which is priced 20% to 40% cheaper will be compared against the most premium expensive models on the market. Is it logical to have them all bunched together? Do car review put Ferrari's against Honda in their speed or performance comparison tests? Some comparisons are illogical.