Asus ZenPad 3S 10 Android Tablet Debuting Next Month for $299

Asus ZenPad 3S 10 is a full-size Android tablet whose U.S. launch is coming in early November at $299, setting it head-to-head against the Apple iPad Air 2.

Asus ZenPad S3 10

This device will have a 9.7-inch display with a 1536 x 2040 resolution, giving it quite respectable pixel density of 261 ppi.

The ZenPad 3S 10 will be built around a 6-core MediaTek MT8176 processor, with four cores running at 2.1GHz, and the other two running at a slower clock speed to save power — Asus estimates the 5900 mAh battery will be up to 10 hours on a single charge.

Rather than the new Android 7.x Nougat, this tablet will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow. There will be 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage. No microSD card slot will be included, but it will be bundled with 5 GB of online storage from Asus and 100 GB of Google Drive storage space for two years.

Other ZenPad 3S 10 features will include a fingerprint scanner in the Home button, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and support for Miracast. There will be an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front one.

The Competition

This offering from Asus will have to go up against the iPad Air 2, which has the same price, display size, and screen resolution. Another strong competitor running Android will be the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7.