First Impressions: Asus MeMo Pad 8 | TechTree.com

First Impressions: Asus MeMo Pad 8

Intel powered tablet features a Full HD screen.

 
First Impressions: Asus MeMo Pad 8

The ASUS MeMO Pad 8 (ME581CL) is an 8-inch tablet with a Full HD IPS display. Similar to its ZenFone line-up, the Taiwanese company has partnered Intel to power this tablet. It is one of the first few Android tablets in India to support 4G. Let's find out how good it is.

Design
ASUS products are generally well-built, and the MeMo Pad 8 is no exception. The tablet is sturdy and compact. Design is clean and simple, which is a good thing.

What I didn't like is the glossy finish. Matte plastic would have felt much better. Plus, the colour selection isn't that great. Especially, the blue looks cheap.

The button placement is similar to what we get on the Asus smartphones. Lock and volume rocker on the right hand side. Bang opposite is an unprotected microSD card slot. This means that dust has free access to tablet's innards.

The MeMo Pad 8 has two speaker grilles on its back. Near the corner sits a 5 megapixel camera. The lens has a slight protrusion around it. Thankfully, the tablet does not wobble when placed on a table.

Display
The tablet sports an 8-inch Full HD screen. The IPS panel has wide viewing angles. The colour reproduction is very good. It is also one of the brightest panels at this price tag. Asus has implemented Gorilla Glass 3 for scratch-resistance.

When turned off, you can see a grid of touch receptors on the screen. This is not a good sign, as such patterns are usually seen on cheap Chinese tablets.

Specifications
The tablet proudly flaunts the 'Intel Inside' logo on its back. It is powered by a the Atom Z3580 chipset. This quad-core SoC (System on Chip) is clocked at 2.3 GHz. Gaming is taken care off by the PowerVR G6430 GPU. Other specifications include 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, and microSD card slot. On the connectivity front, you get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and A-GPS.

Road warriors will be pleased to know that the tablet comes with 4G connectivity. It only supports data, so no, you won't be seeing people holding this 8-inch tablet to their ear.

Software
The MeMo Pad 8 runs Android 4.4.2 (KitKat). On the top layer, you get ZenUI. If you have used any recent smartphone from Asus, you know what's in store for you.

The colour schemes are sophisticated. Icons are streamlined. Asus has done a good job with code optimisation. Everything seems to be fine-tuned for Intel's platform. During my week's usage, the tablet did not show any sign of lag or stutter under normal use.

In A Nutshell
The MemMo Pad 8 is promising tablet with a Full HD screen. The product offers pleasant user experience. However, Asus hasn't paid attention to detail. A tray mechanism or simple plastic flap for microSD card slot would not have cost fortune to the company. The biggest reason why the MeMo Pad 8 is going to be a hard sell is the fact that Apple's metal-clad iPad mini costs less than the Taiwanese company's offering.


Tags : Tablets, ASUS, Android, Intel

 
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