Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought the Zenpad S because of the price and features. I was still using a Nexus 7 until the Zenpad S came along with all its value forcing the upgrade. Hardware: I opted for the budget friendly 2gb/32gb model because I didn't think the additional RAM would benefit me and I just don't need 64gb storage. I don't take pictures with a tablet so the 5mp/8mp cameras of the Z580CA wasn't attractive either. I wasn't aware until after I purchased the Z580C that the Z580CA model's CPU is 2.3ghz compared the 2gb/32gb model's 1.3ghz. That additional processor power might've been enough to push me into that model had I not already received, setup, and enjoyed the Z580C so far. Performance: The Z580C is pretty peppy. Applications open and close quickly, webpages scroll smoothly and zippily, and after playing Asphalt for ten minutes I'm pretty satisfied. I also played some Words with Friends and Solitaire and that went super well too. I'm also pleased with wifi so far (in comparison to my Nexus 7). Pros: The obvious pros are the great price, 64bit quad core CPU, 32gb storage expandable to 128gb, 2gb memory, 2k screen, left & right front facing speakers, and light weight. It's 1.5 ounces lighter than my Nexus 7, a little taller and wider while significantly thinner. You can feel the 1.5 ounce difference. The 4:3 aspect ratio is awesome. I know it's nothing new in tablets, but it makes a world of difference browsing web pages in portrait. I love it. Cons: The main negatives I hear about the Zenpad S is the screen dimming on its own and the poor sound quality. It does dim automatically on some applications but going into the power management section and turning off power save functions and then manually setting the screen brightness has worked around this for me. Maybe Asus will fix this in a software update soon. Regarding the speaker quality. This is a 10.6oz., 6.9mm thick tablet- how people expect booming bass and bright highs puzzles me. The speakers are fine and they point at your face. They are good. I've also heard people complain about the power button being stiff. Yah, it's a relatively stiff press but it's still effortless. And with the tactile soft click you know when you've done it right. It's a non-issue. Plus, I really like and prefer to double tap on the screen to wake up the tablet instead. Another cool feature. OS: Coming from a Google device with the unmolested Android OS I was wondering how the "Zen UI" version of Lollipop Asus installed would be and the truth is, it's fine. It took a couple minutes to get used to. Within minutes I had a new launcher and everything setup how I want. Aesthetics: One thing I thought would bug me was the Pick-Up-Stix counter style "brushed aluminum" backing but, in hand, it just looks black. At specific angles you can see the cross hatch pattern but it feels nice and is fingerprint proof. This doesn't matter at all really but the back of this tablet looks really nice. The slim polished edge of the aluminum backing that separates the Pick-Up-Stix counter style brushed aluminum from the leather-look plastic is beautiful. The branding on the leather-look plastic is very subdued which I like. This tablet really looks great. Overall I have to say, as everyone will say, the Z580C is a very good value. Is the Z580CA a better value? I don't know I don't have one. If this one came with a longer power cord I'd give it 4.5 stars so I want to give it 4.49 stars but I can't. So I rounded. ***************************************************** 9/3/15 - After a couple weeks with this tablet the excitement has definitely settled down...a lot. There've been several ASUS updates, one to the ASUS's side of the OS I think (still L5.0), and many to all of the ASUS installed applications. The tablet is noticeably less zippy. It's not a sloth or anything, but it makes we wonder if I really should have waited a couple weeks for the Z580CA version instead with it's increased processor, memory, and gpu power. The screen dimming thing seems to have subsided through the updates...I think. I realized today I haven't noticed it happening for a couple days other than going from a bright area to a dark area which is normal. The only thing that's a little weird still is the ASUS vivid picture maker brighterer doodad. I notice it very rarely, but sometimes when I open an application that's colorful, like Words with Friends, the colors are super hot and washed out looking for a few seconds then corrects itself. Battery life has been average. I charge it every day-day and a half. I use it for for a few hours a day to stream videos, plays mediocre games, check email, and surf the information super highway. I still think it's it's fantastic bargain and have no real major complaints about it. ****************************************************** I bought a case- it fits perfectly. I like it. http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-TS-108-Galaxy-Tablet/dp/B00CTHQ5JM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442344492&sr=8-2&keywords=ts-108 ***************************************************** 10/5/15 After almost two months I still enjoy this tablet. Some things of note after more use: I really like whatever coating is on the screen. My Nexus7 would be covered in fingerprints and swipe marks after several days but this screen stays relatively clean except for single fingerprint marks on frequently poked areas of the screen. This makes the screen very easily cleaned with a few wipes of a cloth. I've had it powered up for two weeks at a time without issue. Charging is not slow. My experience has been 2-3 hours to get to 95% from 15%. I did buy a cheapie 6' charging cable and it takes ~50% longer to charge. But I bought it mainly to use the tablet while charging so it doesn't really bother me. But a 6' cable is awesome! Do it! Still happy. "No Ragrets" here.