Asus ZenPad S 8.0 review

Asus UI

Unlike the Google-branded Nexus 7, which obviously used the vanilla version of Android, Asus is free to use its own interpretation of Google’s operating system for its own-brand tablets. The ZenPad S has the newest version of Asus Home, which has borrowed some design elements from Google’s Material UI and combined them with the company’s own creations. The attention to detail is superb, with the option to change the colour of each app’s UI elements if you wish, but it has some odd default settings too. All your apps are automatically split into folders, for instance, which leaves two thirds of the screen empty. Grabbing your most-used apps and rearranging them into your preferred order takes quite a bit of fiddling, but it’s only a one-off effort.

Camera

Another area Asus hasn’t skimped on is the rear camera. The 8-megapixel sensor should be a step up from the 5-megapixel or lower cameras typically found on sub-£200 tablets, and the custom camera app has a surprising number of modes and extra features including time lapse, HDR and even depth of field effects. The live view is deceptively grainy and lacking in detail, but the results speak for themselves.

^ The sky might be blown out and the colours slightly desaturated, but detail is surprisingly high

^ With the right exposure settings, the ZenPad S can capture lifelike outdoor images

Whether shooting outdoors or inside, as long as there’s plenty of light, images looked clean and free from noise, with plenty of detail. There was a tendency to blow out skies and other bright subjects, and colours were a little washed out at times, but photos are still perfectly usable for social sharing. Things degraded indoors with no natural light, where noise was a bigger issue. The low light mode forces the camera to take 2-megapixel stills, and the results weren’t very convincing, so it’s best to avoid it if possible.

^ With enough light, indoor shots can be detailed – although still lacking colour saturation

^ Low light shooting is still mostly out of the question, though, as there’s no flash

Conclusion

The ZenPad S looks very impressive on paper, particularly when you consider it costs £170 for the 16GB model – significantly less than the iPad Mini or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2, arguably the two premium tablets to beat right now. On closer inspection it’s clear to see why; the design might be gorgeous and the display resolution very high, but performance is only mediocre and battery life isn’t great either. If you’re looking for a gaming tablet to take on the move, this probably won’t fit the bill, but for web browsing and watching videos on the sofa, it’s a great buy.

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