Recent news indicates that Asus will indeed be using fewer Intel processors on their next generation Zenfone smartphone. Instead, it appears that Snapdragon and MediaTek processors will be used instead.
In 2015, Asus went big on Intel processors in their Zenfone models and their ZenPad models. There were some indicators and rumors that Intel was offering a substantial subsidy which does makes sense when you see the price points that Asus was able to achieve with those products. In fact at a recent Asus investors conference, Asus CEO Jerry Shen indicated that the subsidies being offered by Intel were not as substantial. Reports on other news outlets have also indicated that the amount of subsidy being offered by Intel has shrunk.
Asus did offer a few ZenPad tablets with either Snapdragon or MediaTek processors in their first generations. Is moving away from Intel going to be a big deal?
I think we should really wonder about the flagship ZenPad S tablets that may not have Intel. I wonder if having a Snapdragon processor rather than Intel will mean a higher price point. Price changes might be my biggest concern, although Asus is pretty clear and consistent on getting price points that are much lower than the competition. So I’m confident that whatever they decide on, the price to value will be a win for consumers.
We also may be under the false assumption regarding Asus moving away from Intel processors for the ZenPad tablets. It’s entirely possible that this is needed for the smartphone category and is not so critical for tablets. That said, the tablets that has been discovered online recently does have a Snapdragon processor and not an Intel processor.