ASUS announces range of new Android tablets, including a “5-in-1” Android/Windows hybrid
As we expected, ASUS had a lot to show at Computex Taipei this week. New Fonepads, new MeMoPads and new Transformer books are aplenty here, so let’s not wast any time jumping into what’s new.
MeMO Pad 7 and 8
For starters, we’re getting two new MeMo Pad models — one in a 7-inch outfit, and one that’s just an inch larger. The 7-inch MeMO Pad is billed as a 64-bit Android device thanks to Intel’s quad-core Atom Z3745 chipset (clocked up to 1.86GHz). It’ll feature a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera, and also has “high definition” resolution — 1280 x 800, to be exact.
MeMO Pad 8 steps things up just a tad with its Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core chipset clocked up to 2.3GHz. ASUS calls it the world’s lightest 8-inch Android tablet at just 299 grams, and it also doesn’t have much girth at 7.45mm thin. This particular tablet is said to have “full HD” resolution, so we can expect 1080p at the very least. It also houses 802.11ac WiFi and an LTE modem inside for those who prefer to get their data from a cellular network.
Fonepad 8
Next up to bat is the Fonepad 8, which is basically a huge phone. It’s an 8-inch kit with 1280 x 800 resolution, and has Intel’s 64-bit Atom Z3560 quad-core processor at 1.8GHz. It also features dual front-facing speakers for those who value booming sound.
For software, Android-based ZenUI is on-board with a new flat design and over “1,000” software improvements. Whether all those improvements are tangible remain to be seen, though ASUS says features like “What’s Next” and “Do It Later” are among the many other enhancements that will help you in your day-to-day life.
Transformer Book V
Moving up the food chain, we run into perhaps the most interesting device yet — the Transformer Book V. ASUS is calling this the first 5-in-1 device thanks to its ability to run both Windows 8.1 and Android either in tablet or laptop mode, as well as an Android phone that can be docked inside the tablet.
As a laptop, it features a 12.5-inch HD display, a “next-generation Intel chipset,” and can run both Windows 8.1 and Android (you can swap between the two modes at the easy touch of one button). It’ll also house 1TB of storage when docked.
Take it off the dock and you can still run Windows 8.1 and have access to up to 128GB of internal storage, though you’ll need to dock the 5-inch Android phone inside the tablet in order to switch to Android. As far as that phone goes, it houses a quad-core Intel processor itself, as well as LTE and a 2,500mAh battery.
ASUS had other goodies to show off, such as new high definition monitors, all-in-one Windows devices and Windows notebooks. You can read more about those at the press released linked below. No word on when and where we can expect to see any of these devices, but that doesn’t keep us from being excited about their arrivals. Let us know how you feel about all of these in the comments below!
[via ASUS]