Well, we’ve spotted a new ZenPad. New in a way, but not entirely new. Let us explain.
The ZenPad 8.0 (Z380M) is not a lot different than the original Z380C/Z380CX model. In fact you can say these are the same tablets with the exception of processors and Android version.
The Z380M comes with Android 6.0 which is named “Marshmallow”. The original Z380C comes with Android 5.0 named “Lollipop”. We don’t know for certain the timetable of Asus updating the Android versions on their initial ZenPad models in case you are wondering about that.
The processor is the significant difference (although not that significant) on the new ZenPad 8.0 (Z380M). Rather than an Intel like in the ZenPad 8.0 (Z380C/Z380CX), the Z380M comes with a MediaTek MT8163 quad-core, 64-bit processor.
So we need to stress the point here that the Z380M is pretty much an exact duplicate of the existing Z380C/Z380CX model. For some the Android update will be meaningful, but for others it doesn’t represent a must have update.
Another difference is that the Z380M can take up to 128GB micro sd card, whereas the Z380C/Z380CX has a maximum of 64GB micro sd.
From what we see, there may be different colors available for the ZenPad 8.0 (Z380M). These include: Dark Gray, Pearl White, and Rose Gold.
Commentary: We’ve seen this model pass through the FCC already so it may show up in retail in the near future. With the MediaTek processor, it’s entirly possible that this ZenPad will have an even cheaper price point. However, Intel may have offered up some discounts to the Z380C/Z380CX which could balance out the differences between the MediaTek and Intel processor version of this model. We should know very soon. With the existence of the Z300M, we are expecting a similar development with the ZenPad 10 in the next week or so.
[source: Asus.com]
