ASUS ZenPad C 7.0 Review

As a casual tech reviewer, I always
get my hands on the latest IT gadgets that are available in the market.
Sometimes, I find it hard to recommend a certain product that has no clear
selling point and would not in any way attract any buyers. Other times, I find
myself hyped up on certain devices because of their cool new features or simply
because of their attractive price points. Sadly, these products usually do not
sell as well because of the user’s impression of the brand. Today, I am going
to take a look at one of the budget oriented Android tablet computers from ASUS
– the ASUS ZenPad C 7.0 tablet device that in my opinion, is a wonderful device
affordably priced for the mainstream users.

ASUS has come a long way with their
tablet computers. I personally owned the first generation fonepad series which was
the first ASUS Android tablet device that was running on Intel’s mobile SoC.
The fonepad is still working well today, and my parents are using it to play
Candy Crush and catching up TV on Mediacorp’s Toggle app on them. Fast forward
two years later, ASUS has gain a significant traction in the mobile market with
increasing smartphone market share. They have just recently released their
newest ASUS ZenPad C7.0 Android tablet device that still retains its core
value, providing users with great Affordability, Usability and Reliability.
What makes the ASUS ZenPad C 7.0 a good choice? Read on to find out more.

I have always wondered the
countless possibilities of how art can be integrated into designs of the latest
information technology gadgets. The ASUS ZenPad C 7.0 is exquisitely designed
by the designers at ASUS and is one of a kind. It is the first time that a
textured leathery plastic back cover is created for a tablet device. Instead of
being called cheap due to the use of plastic for its back cover, the
leather-like finish does bring some premium image to the device.

In terms of aesthetics, it is
definitely unique. In terms of usability and practicality, it gives the user a
much better grip on the device, and also at the same time is finger print
resistant. The SIM and microSD Card slots are concealed with a flushed cover.
In fact, this device has 2 SIM slots and can connect to multiple 3G networks.
In case you’re wondering if this device is able to make calls, YES, it does
have calling functionalities!

With the new ZenFone series of
smartphones, ASUS has also redesigned the Android UI on their Android devices.
The new UI is termed as ZenUI. ZenUI has improved the way of how users launch
and manage their applications as compared to the previous generation of Android
devices from ASUS. It is now a lot easier to navigate around the applications
with the new launcher. Additionally, the newly integrated settings page is also
categorized into sections based on functional capabilities. It makes changes to
settings so much simpler and straightforward.

Intel has been making huge
performance improvements to their mobile SoC solutions. The ZenPad C 7.0 tablet
device is based on Intel’s SoFIA 64bit quad-core chipset. As compared to
previous generation single core processor, there are huge improvements in terms
of this tablet’s computing capabilities. Below are some benchmarks to compare
between the performance of a previous generation fonepad and the ZenPad C 7.0.

The ZenPad C 7.0 plays videos well.
Images were crisp and clear with good colour representation. To add on, its
speakers are front faced, and sound is directed directly into your ears. This
combination of good audio and visual quality makes the ZenPad C 7.0 a good
entertainment device.

The size of the tablet is perfect
for eBook reading and with the Kindle app that is preinstalled in the ZenPad C
7.0, users have access to eBook easily. On top of that, ASUS has a built in
bluelight filter function that can be access from the top drawer toggle which
reduces the glare from screen that strains your eyes. This function is
welcoming for the users who use the tablet as a eBook reader.

The ASUS ZenPad C 7.0 is available
in Black, White, Red and Aurora Metallic. There will be definitely a colour
that suits you and your style.

Priced at 199SGD, there is nothing
much we could have wanted more from a Dual-SIM 3G enabled tablet device. In
fact, this is probably the only tablet out in the market that you can get at
such a price range from a decent brand and design. With significant improvement
from its predecessor, we thought that this tablet device is most definitely
worth the price, but could have been better in the points as stated below.

Currently, the ZenPad C 7.0 has a display resolution of 1024 x 600. This sub HD display resolution can be a sore in the eye for a very visual person who expects better image quality. A wiser choice for a better experience on the device would have been a 1280 x 800 display instead. 

Although there has been much improvements in the reduction of the width of the screen bezel on the ZenPad C 7.0, a narrower bezel could make it look a little more premium and usable.

The problem with ASUS and their Android devices is that they are always preinstalled with unwanted applications. For example, multiple unwanted applications such as Zinio, TripAdvisor and Clean Master are all preinstalled. These applications take up additional storage space and reduces the amount of space that can be used for storage other media data. 

The ZenPad C 7.0 is equipped with a 2MP rear camera and a 0.3MP front camera. Despite having software features to improve the quality of the images captured from the lacklustre camera, the photo quality is still not reaching the mark. However, we thought that it is in fact usable and works for video conferencing calls or simple image captures.

If you are looking for a sub 200SGD
Android tablet device with 3G functionalities, look no further, as the ASUS
ZenPad C 7.0 is probably the only choice that you have in the market. With its
unique and current design, it is sure to attract many buyers who are not
looking for the best of the best performance, but something for daily simple
computing needs, such as browsing the internet or updating of social media. If you
do have some extra cash, there are alternatives available that could be an even
more bang for the buck.