Asus Zenpad Z370CG is the one of the latest variant of Zenpads by ASUS launched in India just few weeks ago. We review the Ze npad Z370CG today and the review is based on our experience of almost a week of usage of the device. Even though Zenpad Z370CG offers voice calling too via the 3G SIM support, we didn’t test it for calling as in our opinion a 7 inch device is not recommended as a phone as it is too big to handle in one hand.
ASUS Zenpad Z370CG specs
- CPU : Intel Atom x3-C3230 quad-core processor
- RAM : 2 GB
- Display : 7-inch, WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) display with Gorilla Glass protection
- Storage : 16 GB of internal storage
- Camera : 8-megapixel rear camera with AF and 2-megapixel front camera
- Connectivity : 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS, Miracast
- Operating System : Android 5.0 lollipop with ZenUI
- Battery : 13W, 3450mAh, Non-Removable Li-polymer Battery
Hardware Build and Design
ASUS appears to have done a good job when it comes to the looks abd build quality. The device is light, thin and the textured back cover (partial texture gives a look of flip cover) gives it a premium and feel. You can hold the device easily and use it for long periods, but you will often feel the tablet is a bit small. Ideally, the best tablet size is 8 inches and not 7 inches. This is what, we at Androidpure think when it comes to size of tablets and your opinion may vary.
Removing the back cover gives you access to SIM card (single SIM) slot and micro SD card slot. The battery though is not even visible and is non removable. The back also gives access to a slot for fixing the audio cover (can be bought separately). The volume rocker and power/wake button are at the usual conventional places i.e at the same side.
The Zenpad 7.0 comes with 7-inch, WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) display with Gorilla Glass protection. This resolution even though appears good enough on a 7 inch screen, yet you may feel the difference if you have used higher resolution displays. The display came with decent viewing angle and even though you can use it to watch movies etc but may face difficulty if you change your viewing angles too much.
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The Antutu Benchmark score for Zenpad 7.0 came out as 20,600+ score which is an average score for devices priced above Rs. 10,000. We expected a better score.
Gaming Performance
Sadly the Zenpad 7.0 failed to impress us when it came to gaming. Even though it ran the usual small games like Subway Surfers easily, it failed miserable when we tried to play graphics intensive games like Asphalt 8. Initially, we felt as if we had a faulty device. We did a factory reset, rebooted device and started playing Asphalt 8 again. The device lagged too much, with too many frame drops and it played the games like frame by frame. So, if you are looking to play some heavy games like Asphalt 8 on this zenpad, you will be disappointed. This device can only play small games and not the graphics intensive games. We got no idea on why this is happening as we know that even ASUS Phonepad 7 ran these games better.
Camera : Nothing special
When it comes to camera, the performance is nothing special but just like any other camera . Just like any other tablet, the pics taken by this are also just good enough for sharing on social networks and front camera good enough for video calling. It comes with 8-megapixel rear camera with auto focus and 2-megapixel front camera. The camera app though comes with many camera modes which can help you shoot some nice pics though, in different lighting conditions.
Operating System and UI
The Zenpad 7.0 is powered by Android 5.0 Lollipop with custom ZenUI. ZenUI powers all the ASUS smartphones and tablet & hence comes with same sets of pro and cons that we usually talk about in our review of these devices. The ZenUI looks clean and user-friendly. It comes with some decent apps like Power Management for power saving with different modes for battery. Just a small advice, you should disable the “vibrate on pressing navigation keys options” under settings as it comes enabled by default and you may feel odd while using it apart from draining the battery. The UI is smooth and works well without any issues. The only problem. it comes with preinstalled bloat apps many of which should be uninstalled, as it’s not used by most users.
It comes with 1 x Front Speaker with DTS HD Premium Sound. The output sound is decent enough in normal conditions, but if you are using the tablet under noisy surroundings then you may feel that sound is not that much good. ASUS provides an additional accessory of Audio cover if you want 5.1 surround sound for your tablet.
Battery Life
The device is powered by 13W, 3450mAh, Non-Removable Li-polymer Battery. It can last easily for 6-7 hours of continuous usage along with some good standby time.
Conclusion
We can say that Zenpad 7.0 is a good everyday tablet for browsing, video playback and general usage. But if you want a gaming tablet, then this is not for you. Also the pricing of device appears a bit more if you look into the fact that it didn’t perform well for heavy games.
