Watching new products come to market is always an exciting time. We have thoroughly enjoyed following the process and evolution of Asus tablets from the beginning.
When we spot something interesting and unknown, we like to talk about it. Today, let’s look at a mysterious ZT500KL.
Theory A: This is simply a misprint/typo.
Theory B: This is not actually a ZenPad but a Zenfone or a device from some other Asus product line-up.
Theory C: This is a ZenPad Transformer.
No question that typos can and do happen. So with a ZT in the name, if that was supposed to be ZE, then the mystery is over. ZE is for the Zenfone products. Based on the ZT we can rule out ZenBook (UX) and a lot of other Asus product categories.
So let’s look at this product assuming that there is no typo. ZT is interesting. All ZenPad tablets have Z followed by the model and size numbers. Such as Z580CA. The Z5 is reserved for the ZenPad S series. If we look at the VivoBook Flip series of laptops, they use TP. The P can quite easily be part of the “flip” reference. The ZE in Zenfone can reference the “e” in fone. Asus in the past has used TF for their previous Transformer Pad 2-in-1 devices. With ZenPad tablets, there is the ZD300 which is the bundle of a ZenPad 10 with the keyboard “D”ock.
The point is that most often the second letter has some significance to the product. It’s not random. So if we could hope for anything, we would hope that the ZT would be for ZenPad Transformer. It’s possible, but it’s just a best guess at this point.
Let’s break down the model number a bit more. The KL is easy. We are certain that it is indicative of a Snapdragon (K) processor and LTE (L) capable. As for the 500 in the name, we what this could mean. The “5” has been indicative of the ZenPad S series. The “00” says one thing to us. It says 10-inch size. How so? The ZenPad S 8.0 models are Z580, and the “8” is indicative of the size in inches. Have 500 says to us that it’s a 10-inch device.
So our hopes are for a 10-inch ZenPad Transformer that has the same premium design of the ZenPad S Series. If this model was simply Z500KL then we would be suggesting it’s a 10-inch ZenPad S tablet, with a possible branding of ZenPad S 10.0 or something similar. It’s the “T” that has us hoping for a new Transformer.
If you think about it, Asus has pushed out some Windows based 2-in-1 products over the past year. The omission was the Android based Transformer Book products. In a sense Asus is due for a new model.
There has been quite a lot of news about Asus not utilizing Intel processors as much in their upcoming devices, so the Snapdragon processor in this particular device brings further credibility to this being an actual new product.
What we can say is that there is no indicators anywhere right now as to the existence of the ZT500KL. We don’t have much at all to go with at this point, so please don’t think that there is more to this right now. If we see any more indicators, we will be sure to update this article with corrections or further proof supporting out theory.
