ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML: Everything you need to know

The ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML is a new Android tablet that was announced during Computex 2017 in Taiwan. Its main features are a reasonable price, Android 7.0 Nougat and an optional keyboard dock. LTE is included as well.

While this is not a high-end tablet it offers a couple of improvements compared to previous ZenPads. The design hasn’t changed much but we’re getting a kind of cloth texture on the back. Other highlights are a USB Typ C port and DTS-HD-Premium speakers.

ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML Highlights

• First ASUS tablet running Android 7.0 Nougat with ZenUI
• LTE is included at no extra charge
• Relatively inexpensive for a 4G tablet
• Optional keyboard dock with better sound

ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML Design

The design of the ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML is very similar to previous generations. While the body is completely made out of plastic it does not feel cheap. In fact, the build quality is quite nice and thanks to the fabrics texture on the back it feels very nice. Obviously, an aluminum body would have been nice, but that is not something we can expect from inexpensive devices.

With 8.95 millimeters it is not the thinnest tablet out there. The weight is alright at 490 grams though.

Around the 10.1-inch display are quite big black bezels with the ASUS logo in the upper left corner. The front camera offers a resolution of 2 megapixels. On the sides, we’re getting volume rockers and a power button. You can charge it with the USB Typ C port and there is a 3.5mm headphone jack as well.

On the bottom of the device is room for a microSD card and a nano sim card. On the back, ASUS is giving us a 5-megapixel camera without a LED flash. They call it Pixel Master Camera.

Display and Hardware

As the name suggests, the ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML has a 10.1-inch IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The resolution is quite low though, on the panel we’re getting 1280 x 800 pixel only. While I think an HD-resolution is fine for 8-inch tablets the pixel density is pretty low on 10.1-inches.

I already took a closer look at the tablet during Computex 2017 in Taipei. All aspects of the display like color, brightness and viewing angles are very good. But as I said, the pixel density is really low. If you’re used to a high-resolution display of your smartphone you might not be happy with this.

Inside the new ZenPad 10 runs a 1.3GHz MediaTek Mt8735Q quad-core processor. We’re also getting 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. ASUS might be offering 3GB of memory and up to 64GB storage in the future.

The battery has a capacity of 4670mAh and is said to last up to 13 hours. I’m not sure if this really is the case in the real world. But if it’s 10 hours then it’ll be fine.

As I said, ASUS is offering the tablet with 4G LTE as a standard. Other technical features are WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS.

Full Specifications

Tablet	ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML
Operating System	Android 7.0 Nougat
Display	10.1-inch IPS with 1280 x 800
Processor	1.3GHz MediaTek MT8735W quad-core
Storage	16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Expandable	microSD
RAM	2GB or 3GB
Rear Camera	5MP
Front Camera	2MP
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2
Charging	USB Typ C
Battery	4680mAh
Security	No fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	251.77 x 172.17 x 8.95 mm
Weight	490g

Android 7.0 Nougat and ZenUI

ASUS is shipping the ZenPad 10 Z301ML with Googles latest Android 7.0 Nougat. As usual, there’s the so called ZenUI running on top of it. This is ASUS’s own interface that customizes Android quite a bit. I like the design but it might take some time to get used to all the features.

Like with most manufacturers there are a couple of apps preinstalled. Obviously, we’re getting the ones from Google like Gmail, YouTube, and the Chrome browser. Other apps from ASUS are a special note taking app, weather app and so on.

Where to buy the ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML

I’m very sure that the ASUS ZenPad 10 Z301ML will be available almost worldwide. You can buy it right now in Europe starting at 249 euros without the keyboard. It should be available in the United States, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Japan and other countries soon.