Asus is expanding its ZenPad Android tablets to four models with the launch of the $299 8-inch ZenPad S 8.0 Z580CA.
The new model doubles the RAM (to 4GB), offers a faster 64-bit quad-core 2.3GHz Atom Z3580 processor, and increases embedded storage to 64GB when stacked against its $199 sibling. It’s also the first Asus Android tablet with USB Type-C reversible connector and first to work with optional active stylus.
The launch is occurring in a market in which North American shipments of “slate” tablets will fall 13 percent this year and rebound by 5 percent in 2016, Strategy Analytics forecasts.
The Z580CA is available at Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Newegg, Tiger Direct and the Asus store. An optional Asus Z Stylus arrives early September for $29.99 in the Asus store. The device joins the ZenPad C 7.0 Z170 at $99, ZenPad 8.0 Z380CX at $129, ZenPad 10 Z300C at $179, and ZenPad S 8.0 Z580C at $199.
The company hasn’t had a $299 Android tablet in a couple years, a spokesman told TWICE.
