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Asus adds high-end 8-inch model to its tablet range, now branded ZenPad – and the ZenPhone Selfie

ZenPadS80

Alongside the ZenWatch 2, Asus has also announced a flurry of new tablets – now using the Zen branding – and a new ZenPhone.

The highlight, and the only tablet Asus talked about in any detail, is the ZenPad S 8.0, an 8-inch model with impressive specs. The metal body contains a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor, 4GB RAM, hi-res 2048×1536 IPS display in 4:3 ratio, up to 64GB storage – and a shiny new USB Type C connector … 

Based on the ZenPhone 2, the 6.68mm thick tablet runs Lollipop 5.0 with the company’s own overlay on top. An optional stylus will be available. Asus will be launching it alongside a lower-end 8-inch model, and both 7- and 10-inch tablets. The 10-inch model will apparently have a removeable keyboard, but that’s all the company has said about it.

Asus also announced the 5.5-inch ZenPhone Selfie – yes, really – with 13MP cameras both front and rear. The front-facing camera has an 88mm wide-angle lens, extendable to 140 degrees with panorama mode enabled, making it ideal for group selfies. Otherwise, the new phone is pretty similar to the existing ZenPhone 2, but with a Snapdragon 615 processor. No pricing or availability has yet been announced.

zenphone-selfie

More details below.

ASUS Presents Zensation at Computex 2015

Jun 1, 2015

Computex, Taipei, Taiwan (1st June, 2015) — ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih went on stage at Computex today during the Zensation press event to unveil a stunning range of new products designed to bring harmony and simplicity to people’s personal and professional lives. Inspired by the power and beauty of nature, the Zensation theme showcases the ASUS design philosophy of incorporating diverse elements to produce balanced creations that provide incredible experiences and accessible beauty to users.

Mr. Shih first introduced a range of consumer products aimed at delivering ultimate mobility, entertainment, and productivity experiences. These include ZenFone Selfie, a full-featured smartphone designed with advanced camera technology for capturing the best possible selfies; ZenPad 8.0, an 8-inch tablet with refined styling, incredible entertainment capabilities, and the world’s first tablet to offer customizable functionality; ZenPad S 8.0, the world’s first tablet with 4GB of RAM that delivers extreme performance with ultimate style; and  Zen AiO Series, premium all-in-one PCs that provide a perfect balance of beauty and performance for an extraordinary home computing experience. Finally, for creative professionals, such as digital artists and photographers, Mr. Shih introduced ASUS ProArt PA329Q, a 32-inch 4K/UHD (ultra-high-definition) monitor that delivers breathtaking levels of detail.

“I am thrilled to be at Computex to unveil our newest Zen-inspired innovations,” said Mr. Shih. “These exciting new creations strike a compelling balance of power and beauty, and perfectly embody our In Search of Incredible vision of creating seamless and connected digital lives for everyone.”

Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Client Computing Group, Kirk Skaugen, joined Mr. Shih onstage in celebration of the new products and the ongoing partnership between the two companies. “We believe everything that computes and communicates will work best on Intel architecture,” said Kirk Skaugen. “The new ASUS products featuring the latest Intel technology bring great performance, exciting new innovation and experiences to consumers.”

ZenPad

ZenPad is a series of premium tablets that combine refined styling with incredible entertainment and productivity capabilities to redefine the tablet experience and bring true luxury to consumers. Available in three sizes — the 7-inch ZenPad 7.0 (Z370C/CG/CL), the 8-inch ZenPad 8.0 (Z380C/KL) and ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580C/CA) with optional Z Stylus, and the 10-inch ZenPad 10.1 (Z300C/CG/CL) with an optional keyboard — and offering models with  Wi-Fi, LTE/3G connectivity and phone functionality, there’s a ZenPad to suit any kind of user.

ZenPad is crafted to provide exceptional entertainment experiences. It has an expansive HD IPS display featuring the exclusive ASUS VisualMaster suite of visual enhancement technologies — including ASUS Tru2Life and TruVivid — that brings advanced image-processing found on high-end TVs to a tablet for the first time and provides comprehensive visual optimization. ASUS Tru2Life analyzes each pixel in an image before it is displayed and performs an intelligent contrast and sharpness adjustments to boost dynamic range, revealing even the smallest details to ensure an incredibly realistic viewing experience.

ASUS TruVivid improves screen clarity, brightness, and touch responsiveness by transforming the conventional four-layer display design — composed of cover glass, a touch panel, air gap, and an LCD module — into a two-layer, fully-laminated design that eliminates the air gap, resulting in higher optical transparency for brilliant color and improved brightness.

Complementing its stunning display, ZenPad is the world’s first tablet to integrate DTS Premium Sound™ technology for incredible audio. The built-in DTS-HD coder-decoder (codec) provides high-fidelity sound from all types of multimedia content, and lets users play back or stream movies and music with up to 5.1 channels of DTS surround sound to a connected audio system. ZenPad also includes DTS Sound Studio™ to transform stereo audio into virtual surround-sound that users can enjoy either through ZenPad’s speakers or using headphones for immersive entertainment experiences at home or on the go.

ZenPad 8.0 (Z380)

ZenPad 8.0 features clean lines, embossed-leather patterning, and premium styling influenced by fashion accessories such as clutch bags and wallets for a luxurious appearance unique among mobile devices. Ergonomic rounded edges make ZenPad 8.0 comfortable to hold and carry, and its polished metallic frame adds a bold visual accent.

ZenPad 8.0 is the world’s first tablet to feature an innovative interchangeable cover design that lets users easily customize their tablet with functional back covers. These can provide extra features and additional color options, while perfectly matching ZenPad 8.0’s looks. Zen Clutch is a fashion-forward accessory that combines elegant style with premium materials to provide a sophisticated carrying and protection solution for ZenPad 8.0. Zen Case is another stylish accessory that lets users outfit ZenPad 8.0 in their choice of five sleek or vivid colors and features a fine leather texture. Audio Cover brings immersive 5.1-channel surround sound to a tablet for the first time. Power Case extends ZenPad 8.0’s battery life, giving users up to 15 hours of usage to easily get them through their day or even the longest international flights.

ZenPad 8.0 is available with LTE/Wi-Fi connectivity and phone functionality (Z380KL) or as a Wi-Fi-only model (Z380C).

ZenPad S 8.0 (Z580CA)

ZenPad S 8.0 offers the premium ZenPad experience, delivering ultimate style and beauty together with extreme performance. Featuring a gorgeous, Zen-inspired design that fuses aesthetics with functionality, ZenPad S 8.0 is crafted with clean lines, a metallic finish enhanced by an exquisite hairline pattern, and brilliant diamond-cut edges. Just 6.6mm thin and weighing only 298g, it is extremely thin and lightweight, making it perfect to take anywhere and comfortable to hold and use for long periods of time.

ZenPad S 8.0 is equipped with a 2K QXGA (1536x 2048) IPS display with a wide 178-degree viewing angle and an incredible 324ppi pixel density for a stunning, beautifully-detailed viewing experience. It also comes with ASUS Tru2Life Plus, which includes all the benefits of Tru2Life and also improves video with fast action scenes by reducing blur, resulting in for smooth, detailed motion. ZenPad S 8.0 takes tablet performance to the next level. It is powered by a 64-bit Intel® Atom™ Z3580 processor and is the world’s first 8-inch tablet with 4GB of RAM, delivering blazingly fast performance when running the most demanding games and apps, and offering incredibly smooth multitasking.

ZenPad S 8.0 can be used with the optional Z Stylus, making it the perfect device for creative expression. Designed especially for ZenPad S 8.0, Z Stylus provides a natural writing and drawing experience that’s as easy as using a pen. With pinpoint accuracy and sensitive multi-touch technology, Z Stylus is perfectly suited for creative tasks such as sketching, painting, and even design work.  It supports up to 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and up to a 1.2mm writing tip.

 ZenFone Selfie

ZenFone Selfie is a unique smartphone designed to capture the best possible selfies, quickly and simply. Featuring front and rear 13MP PixelMaster cameras with dual-color, dual LED Real Tone flash, ZenFone Selfie captures beautiful, natural-looking selfies in gloriously high resolution. The rear camera features a large f/2.0 aperture lens and laser auto-focus technology to ensure near-instant focusing for clear, sharp pictures — even in low-light conditions where traditional cameras struggle.

ZenFone Selfie includes the brilliant ZenUI Beautification mode for live digital cosmetics. A few taps is all that’s needed to soften facial features, slim cheeks, and enhance skin tone to add vibrancy, and all in real time — injecting instant verve into any composition. ZenFone Selfie also has Selfie Panorama mode, which exploits ZenFone Selfie’s f/2.2-aperture front lens and 88-degree field of view to capture panoramic selfies of up to 140 degrees. With Selfie Panorama mode enabled, selfies become a party with all friends included — plus the ability to capture panoramic scenery for stunning backdrops.

ZenFone Selfie has a large 5.5-inch screen that fits in a body that’s a similar size to that of most 5-inch smartphones, for a maximized viewing experience in a compact body that fits comfortably in the hand. It has a high-resolution 1920 x 1080 Full HD IPS display with a wide 178-degree viewing angle and staggering 403ppi pixel density that renders every image in eye-delighting detail. ASUS TruVivid technology brings color to life in brilliant clarity, making selfies and other photos look their best. Tough Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 covers the display to help protect against scratches and drops.

ZenFone Selfie features the industry’s first octa-core, 64-bit processor for the perfect balance of multimedia performance and battery efficiency — the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615. This extraordinarily powerful chip equips ZenFone Selfie to provide the very best multimedia and entertainment experiences, carefully balancing high performance with superior power-efficiency.

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