The ASUS ZenPad S (Z580CA) Review
by Brandon Chester on August 31, 2015 8:00 AM ESTSystem Performance
A common trend among the tablets I've reviewed in the past few months is that they've used Intel's mobile SoCs rather than the ARM SoCs that you'll see in most tablets and smartphones. All the tablets I've reviewed have come from manufacturers that traditionally made Windows PCs and laptops, and the long-term relationship they would have with Intel is a reasonable explanation as to why they've partnered with Intel for the processors in their tablets. Like both models of the Dell Venue 7000 series, and the top tier model of the ZenFone 2, the ZenPad Z580CA is powered by an Intel Atom Z3580 SoC. This is a quad core Atom part built on Intel's 22nm process, with a max burst frequency of 2.33GHz. In the case of the Z580CA it's paired with 4GB of LPDDR3-1600 memory, which is twice as much as the amount in the Dell Venue tablets.
To evaluate the ZenPad Z580CA's performance I've run it through our standard benchmark suite. The first set is our web benchmarks which is influenced both by a device's browser optimizations as well as its CPU, followed by BaseMark OS II to evaluate several aspects of a device's hardware, and finally PCMark which emulates tasks that a user would perform while actually using a device.
The ZenPad S performs well in our web browser benchmarks. There’s clearly differences at the OS level as well as possible BSP (board support package) differences between the ZenPad and other Intel-based Android devices like the Dell Venue tablets and the ZenFone 2. In Kraken we see a result closer to the middle of our chart, sitting among the Venue 8, Venue 10, ZenFone 2, and Apple’s A7-based iPads. It’s worth noting that as we no longer have those iPads for testing, the results for those devices were performed on iOS 7 and don’t benefit from any enhancements made to Apple’s rendering engine in subsequent releases.
In Google’s Octane benchmark the ZenPad S sits high on the chart with a score that isn’t quite as high as the Nexus 9 or the iPad Air 2, but sitting not far behind. There’s an enormous improvement over the ZenFone 2, and I’m not sure what to attribute this to as both devices use the same hardware platform and both are Android 5.0 underneath ZenUI. Since the test isn’t very long it’s not likely that it has to do with differences in thermal throttling between the two, and most likely is rooted somewhere in the software differences between the ZenFone and the ZenPad.
As for the 2013 and 2015 iterations of WebXPRT, the ZenPad S seems to perform much better in the latter test than it does in the former. While in WebXPRT 2013 it sits behind the iPhone 6 and the Nexus 9, in the 2015 iteration it surpasses both of them. In both cases it’s still behind the iPad Air 2, but for $299 you’re getting a lot of performance for your money.
Like all the Intel-based Android devices that I’ve tested, the ZenPad S doesn’t score very high in BaseMark OS II. The score in the graphics sub-test is tied with all the other G6430 devices for last, which says more about how far GPU performance in mobile has come in two years rather than the ZenPad S simply being slow. The score in the system sub-test which stresses the CPU and RAM is the lowest on the chart. In the end all Intel Atom devices don’t perform well in BaseMark OS II, but when a device is $199 like the ZenFone 2 or $299 like the ZenPad S Z580CA I think the performance that the Atom SoC provides is more than sufficient.
Our final test is PCMark, which emulates tasks that users will perform in the real world like browsing the web, playing and seeking videos, editing photos, and more. The ZenFone 2 performed very well in PCMark, but it ended up being carried to an extent by a disproportionately high photo editing score. The ZenPad S takes this even further with a higher photo editing score, and ends up taking the top spot in the overall ranking. There’s definitely a large software influence in these tests, which isn’t unlike the real world performance that is being tested, which requires both good hardware and optimized software to provide good performance. That being said, I think the ZenPad S ranking first on the basis of its extremely high photo editing score is a little bit questionable, but even without that test it would still score highly overall.
My conclusions about the system performance of the ZenPad S Z580CA are not unlike those in my ZenFone 2 review. When a device is $199 or $299, Intel’s Atom Z580CA SoC is faster than any ARM-based Android device at that price. PCMark doesn’t support iOS, and so there’s no way to know how well the ZenPad S compares to the iPad Mini 2 outside of web performance, but based on the JavaScript benchmark results it’s clear that the ZenPad S should be competitive with it, if not faster.
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MrSavage - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Aside from possibly mentioning the stylus support in the review. I would imagine with that logic, you would assume the S Pen is no biggie when it comes to the Samsung Note. Like just a passing point. It's not like the note taking is a selling point (a big one at that) of the Note series. But in this tablet review, your readers wouldn't even know it existed. I guess you decide on what's the responsible way of reporting on a product.Kepe - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
The difference is that a Galaxy Note always comes with the pen. How could you review something you don't have? If ASUS had sent him the stylus, he would've written about it. You can't possibly assume that a review mentions every optional extra there is available for a device. "Oooh, your laptop review sucks because you didn't mention the carrying bag or the Kensington lock available for that laptop!!"MrSavage - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Friend, again, the point is what? A stylus is a BIG VALUE ADD. No? I give you the example of the Samsung Note to prove that it's a big selling point. To have that feature in the Z580CA yet not have it mentioned it actually irresponsible. You speak of it like it's some smart case that wasn't available at the time of publishing. Optional extra? LOL. List 8-inch tablet with stylus support. Then narrow that list down to similarly priced tablets. None? Right. Leave it out of the review because stylus is just so meh. You are dazzled by charts and graphs that compare apple with oranges and are willing to see a graph to make a determination on screen quality rather than going into a store and looking for yourself.Kepe - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
omg. Now you're saying a stylus doesn't add value to the product. Then why are you crying about stylus support not being mentioned in the review?And the thing with screen quality is that it is all about accurate color reproduction. So if there is a faintly red flower in a photo, it should look faintly red on your display. If it looks like a hot super bright red flower on a display, then that display is not accurate and isn't good. Even if it makes some things "look" better. Samsung Galaxy S3 for example. Pictures look super pretty on its display. You know why? The display oversaturates everything, and as such it is actually not accurate and not a good display. If you personally like to look at oversaturated things, then buy the SGS3, no one is stopping you. BUT the fact still remains that the display isn't accurate. This was of course just an example. Some things can't be quantified by just looking at it or feeling it somehow.
And this is my last reply to you. Hope ASUS pays you well. Have a good night with your mediocre, badly made tablet. Thanks to the review, I will look elsewhere if and when I need a new tablet.
superflex - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Is ASUS paying you in Hot Pockets?You're a pretty poor troll.
MrSavage - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
@superflex if you care to debate any of the points I'm making, go ahead. I likely know more about the product than most, so I'm going to inform people and hope that people with a large audience will be responsible. If for nothing more than being professional. Like I said, you think I'm wrong about anything I've said in the comments, please advise me. I have a thick skin. People might have learned that the Z580CA has stylus support, so to say that makes me a troll? I only take issue with unprofessional.Winterblade - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Is just sad that everyone just forgot another great alternative, the Xperia Tablet Compact, too sad it came dead on arrival due it's high price, I actually found one in clearance for about $230 USD and could not be happier, the build quality is superb, the performance is too, it was even updated to 5.1.1 within the first few hours I had it. If only Sony had managed to sell it for around 300-350 I think it would have been a very very good alternative for people that like mid sized tablets. BTW, the Z3 have an aluminum frame AND is lighter AND thinner than the Zenpad so... it is posible to achieve a lighter device without going full plastic.DanNeely - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Sony has a negligible presence in the US market; and their longstanding refusal to provide review samples more or less guarantees their largely being ignored by the US tech press.They make above average hardware; but it doesn't matter to me. I'll be carrying my grudge against them over the rootkit to the grave.
et20 - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
Thank you for the review.This tablet looked interesting and there's nothing like an Anandtech review to clarify things.
I was interested in the cheaper model so I had proportionately low expectations, but the poor screen calibration is a deal breaker. Too bad.
MonkeyPaw - Monday, August 31, 2015 - link
As a bit of feedback, I think better pictures of the products are needed in these reviews. As I look at these photos, I just can't help but think of someone awkwardly holding a tablet out with one hand while trying to photograph it with the other. I know not everyone is a photographer, but good, clean, properly lit product shots go a long way for a professional look. Make a little product photo booth out of white paperboard/foamcore and mount a camera on a tripod for flashless photography.