A promising budget seven-inch

At the recent Computex exhibition, ASUS earned close attention from the public and the press. The manufacturer presented fundamentally new solutions (Transformer Book Trio), and also did not forget about the already well-known product lines. In addition to the Transformer Pad and Padfone, which we wrote about in a detailed report from the presentation, the family of “classic” ASUS Memo Pad tablets has also been updated. The updated seven-inch model, ASUS Memo Pad HD 7, came to us for testing today.

Specifications ASUS Memo Pad HD 7

• Model Number: ME173X
• SoC: MediaTek MT8125
• CPU: 4 Cortex-A7 cores @1.5 GHz (real frequency - 1.2 GHz)
• GPU: 1 x PowerVR SGX544MP @533 MHz
• Display: IPS, 7″, 1280×800, 216 ppi
• RAM: 1 GB
• Permanent memory: 16 GB
• MicroSD memory card support (up to 32 GB)
• Cameras: 1.2 MP front, 5 MP rear
• Internet: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Wireless modules: Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• Connectors: 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones and headsets, Micro-USB
• Accelerometer, compass, gyroscope
• Operating system: Android 4.2
• Battery capacity: 4050 mAh
• Dimensions: 196×120×10 mm
• Weight: 301 g

For comparison, we, of course, took the previous generation Memo Pad, a couple of budget tablets we tested and, as a kind of standard, the Google Nexus 7.

	ASUS Memo Pad HD 7	ASUS Memo Pad	Ainol Novo 7 Venus	Iconbit NetTAB Matrix Ultra NT-0704	Google Nexus 7
Screen	IPS, 7″, 1280×800, 216 ppi	TN, 7″, 1024×600, 170 ppi	IPS, 7″, 1280×800, 216 ppi	IPS, 7″, 1024×600, 170 ppi	IPS, 7″, 1280×800, 216 ppi
SoC (processor)	MediaTek MT8125 @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARM Cortex-A7)	VIA WM8950 @1 GHz (1 core, ARM Cortex-A9)	Actions Semiconductor ATM7029 @1.3 GHz (4 cores, ARM Cortex-A9)	Allwinner A31 @1 GHz (4 cores, ARM Cortex-A7)	NVIDIA Tegra 3 @1.2 GHz (4 cores + 1 auxiliary, ARM Cortex-A9)
GPU	PowerVR SGX544MP	Mali-400MP	Vivante GC1000+	PowerVR SGX544 MP2	ULP GeForce
Flash memory	8 or 16 GB	8 GB	16 GB	16 GB	from 8 to 32 GB
Connectors		Micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack		Micro-USB (with OTG support), 3.5mm headphone jack, Mini-HDMI	Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack, Micro-SIM (optional)
Memory card support	microSD (up to 32 GB)	microSD (up to 32 GB)	microSD (up to 32 GB)	microSD (up to 32 GB)	No
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB	2 GB	1 GB
Cameras	front (1.2 MP) and rear (5 MP)	front (1 MP)	front (0.3 MP) and rear (2 MP)	front (2 MP)	front (1.2 MP)
Internet	WiFi	WiFi	WiFi	WiFi	Wi-Fi (optional - 3G)
Wireless modules	GPS, Bluetooth 4.0	-	-	-	GPS, Bluetooth
operating system	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.0.3	Google Android 4.2.2	Google Android 4.1.2	Google Android 4.1
Battery capacity (mAh)	4050	4270	4000	3500	4325
Dimensions* (mm)	196×120×10	196×119×11.2	186×127×10.8	193×123×11	199×120×10.5
Weight* (g)	301	370	320	372	340
Price**	$149 (MSRP)	$111()	N/A(0)	N/A(0)	$155()

* - according to the manufacturer, except ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 and Ainol Novo 7 Venus, measured in the editorial office
** - for ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 and Google Nexus 7 the price for modification with 16 GB of memory is indicated

At the beginning of the year, ASUS announced the first generation of Memo Pad - a modest tablet in all respects with a single-core processor, a TN matrix and exclusively Wi-Fi. The second version of the tablet made a real leap, noticeably improving from all sides and, by the way, becoming lighter. Of course, compared to other tablets in the table, Memo Pad HD 7 does not look as bright, but it is still very decent.

Equipment

In the box with the tablet we found a USB network adapter, a Micro-USB cable and, which surprised us a little, a simple black plastic stand (unfortunately, the latter was not included in the photo).

Design

An engineering sample of the tablet was sent to us for testing, so the design may differ slightly from the version that goes on sale.

The appearance of ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 does not distinguish it from the budget segment, but, nevertheless, includes a couple of non-standard design solutions.

The front panel has hardly changed compared to the first Memo Pad. The size of the fields, the logo, the front camera lens in the center - everything remains the same.

The back panel is made of matte plastic. There is no texturing of any kind, but despite this, the tablet does not slip out of your hands. At the bottom of the back panel there is a long speaker slot. Although in landscape orientation it is blocked by the palm, the volume of the tablet practically does not decrease. On the other hand, the camera lens sticks out slightly. The back panel also features the ASUS logo, which is easily erased if scratched.

The front and back panels are separated by a dihedral frame.

At the top left are the power and volume buttons. Despite the clear movement and normal force required to press, it is not always convenient to use them due to the fact that the back panel is strongly sloping. Especially if you hold the tablet with one hand.

Opposite the buttons is an uncovered slot for a memory card, emphasizing the budget-friendly design.

The remaining functional elements of the tablet are located on the top edge - a Micro-USB connector and a headphone jack.

In general, the design of the tablet turned out to be very, very economical - no metal, no cover for the microSD connector, not even a textured back panel, as was the case in the original Memo Pad. However, appearance will not be a drawback if the build quality is good - we, unfortunately, could not evaluate it for the reason described at the beginning of the section.

Screen

The tablet's screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface and, judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, does not have any anti-glare filter. The surface of the matrix itself under the glass is slightly matte, so the screen reflects both direct light sources (by the outer surface) and diffuse light (by the surface of the matrix), this reduces readability in conditions of strong external illumination. The reflection in the screen doubles, which suggests the presence of an air gap between the surface of the matrix and the outer glass. There is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen. The effectiveness of this coating is low, but still fingerprints do not appear as quickly as in the case of regular glass, and are removed a little easier.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 365 cd/m², and the minimum was 30 cd/m². The maximum value is quite high, but there is no margin, so in bright daylight the image on the screen is unlikely to be clearly visible, especially considering the lack of an anti-glare filter and the matte surface of the matrix. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. There is no automatic adjustment of the backlight brightness. In the screen properties settings, you can select the option Enable auto backlight, but what it affects remains a mystery. At lower brightness, there is virtually no backlight modulation (or rather, it is there, but it has a high frequency and small amplitude), so there is no flickering of the backlight.

This tablet uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

At the same time, we present another micrograph with a lower resolution and with a focus on the film covering the matrix:

Visible dots are artificially created surface defects that create the effect of a matte finish.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened slightly and, depending on the direction of the deviation, acquires a red-violet tint or remains almost neutral gray. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good. Contrast is typical for IPS - about 700:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 33 ms (18 ms on + 15 ms off). The transition between halftones 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 47 ms. The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.11, which is slightly lower than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve does not deviate much from the power dependence:

The color gamut is narrower than sRGB, but not by much:

Apparently, the matrix’s light filters mix the components with each other. The spectra confirm this:

This technique allows you to increase the brightness of the screen with the same energy consumption for backlighting. However, in this case, the coverage remains wide enough so that the colors on the screen have a saturation close to natural. The color temperature balance is not ideal: shades of gray have a color temperature close to the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is above 10 (of course, due to the excess of the green component, which also increases brightness to the detriment of color rendition). However, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is small, which has a positive effect on the visual perception of color balance. Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the measurement error at low brightness is high.

Among the pre-installed applications there is a utility with which you can make some color correction. On two tabs you can move the sliders for color temperature, hue and saturation, and also enable the Vivid Mode.

Only adjusting the color temperature can be of practical use (other settings, in fact, only increase the deviation of the colors of the image from the original). If you move the slider to the far right (+10, warm), the color temperature will decrease by about 1000 K, and if you move it to the far left (−10, cool), it will increase by about 1000 K. However, even without correction, the color temperature is close to 6500 K, so this setting is, in general, useless.

The matte surface of the matrix under glass, which does not have any anti-reflective properties, sharply reduces the value of this screen, which is quite decent in other respects: it is almost impossible to find conditions under which the screen would not reflect something located opposite it or light from the side. As a result, you can read something against a light background, but watching a movie is already very unpleasant.

Platform and performance

ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 is based on the MediaTek MT8125 platform, officially introduced at the end of May.

• CPU: ARM Cortex-A7 (ARMv7 architecture), 4 cores, 1.5 GHz
• Video processor: PowerVR SGX544MP, 1 core, 533 MHz
• Supports 1080p video recording/playback, cameras up to 13 MP
• Supports resolutions up to 1920×1200
• Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and FM
• Support for Miracast wireless multimedia signal transmission standard

Although the processor of this SoC supports a frequency of up to 1.5 GHz, in the ASUS tablet it is limited to 1.2 GHz. We observed a similar picture in the Acer Iconia A1. The CPU, by the way, is based on far from top-end Cortex-A7 cores. Was MediaTek able to make a competitive filling based on them? Let's evaluate this in tests.

All benchmarks were run with ASUS's power saving feature enabled. We have already clearly demonstrated its effectiveness in our review of ASUS Fonepad. As for performance, with power saving turned off it increases only slightly. For example, the SunSpider result decreases from 1547 to 1461 ms, which is unlikely to be noticeable in practice.

In SunSpider, the new ASUS tablet is a success, beating all designated competitors (although perhaps it's all about the test version). But in Super Pi the advantage of Google Nexus 7 is noticeable: perhaps the reason is the more advanced architecture of the latter.

The ASUS browser-based Mozilla Kraken tablet ran in 18669 ms, logically inferior to the Cube U30GT2 (17702 ms) due to the lower processor frequency. As a result, only the dual-threaded Fonepad was left behind.

Completing the processor tests, we tried another JavaScript benchmark, Google Octane, in the stock browser. ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 scored 1241 points.

In comprehensive benchmarks, the new Memo Pad easily beats the Ainol Novo 7 Venus with a slightly newer processor architecture and higher clock speed. The powerful PowerVR video subsystem makes a significant contribution to the victory. The twofold superiority in Quadrant Benchmark over the first Memo Pad was quite expected.

In general ratings, our hero consistently found himself behind the ASUS Transformer Prime TF201 on Tegra 3. It can be seen that the MediaTek MT8125 processor part is pulling back, providing a lag that the more powerful video subsystem cannot eliminate.

Futuremark and Epic gaming benchmarks once again place the Memo Pad HD 7 above all non-Tegra 3 analogues. Let's see if the success can be repeated in GLBenchmark, because this is where the Google Nexus 7 comes into play.

	ASUS Memo Pad HD 7	Google Nexus 7	Ainol Novo 7 Venus	Cube U30GT2
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	2.6 fps	-	-	5.1 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	4.5 fps	-	-	4.8 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z24MS4 Onscreen)	-	-	-	4.7 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Fixed time Offscreen)	2.5 fps	-	-	4.9 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Fixed time Onscreen)	4.3 fps	-	-	4.5 fps
GFXBenchmark Egypt HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	10 fps	9.4 fps	11 fps	17 fps
GFXBenchmark Egypt HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	14 fps	14 fps	17 fps	18 fps

In the Egypt HD scene, the new Memo Pad is on par with the Google Nexus 7, which is not surprising. Ainol Novo 7 Venus, having a powerful Vivante GPU, is slightly ahead.

On the side of the fourth tablet in the table above, the Cube U30GT2 has a faster processor, and it’s too early to write off the Mali 400MP4 - here it is presented in a powerful version. The result of this confrontation is also expected: the “Chinese” noticeably takes the lead in offscreen mode (when a higher resolution does not affect the result), and even remains slightly ahead when displaying the image on the display.

Let's evaluate performance in games:

ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 copes well with games: apart from a couple of minor problems, only Dark Meadow failed.

operating system

The ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 tablet has the Android 4.2.1 operating system installed. It takes up about a quarter of the internal memory, leaving the user with 11.82 GB out of 16.

In general, the firmware of the new Memo Pad is hardly distinguishable from the firmware of the ASUS Fonepad, which is based on the same version of Android. The whole difference, in fact, is only in the set of pre-installed software: Memo Pad, for example, has the “Parental Lock” application, with which you can control the device through the Device Tracker website. In addition, we note the “Mirror” application, which is remarkable in its simplicity and convenience, providing instant access to the front camera.

Video playback test

We did not find an MHL interface or a separate video output in this tablet, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”) and a standard player. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 × 720 (720p) and 1920 × 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). In tests we used the standard video player. The results of this test are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Number of passes
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Fine	few
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	Fine	No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes“green” ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.

If we limit ourselves to frame rates of up to 30 fps (virtually all movies and TV series fall into this), then the quality of playback in terms of alternating intervals between frames (or groups of frames) and the number of dropped frames is more or less good. However, uniform alternation of frames is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames and even to the skipping of individual frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 (720p) on the tablet screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly across the width of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on screen is not the standard range (i.e. 16-235 range), it is closer to the extended range (0-255), so black in video frames is lighter than the black that can be displayed on screen, and white in video is darker possible white. As a result, without level correction, in the vast majority of cases, the video image will have a contrast lower than is possible on this screen. The situation can be corrected by a player with the ability to adjust levels, but a standard player is definitely not one of these.

The hardware video decoder ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 repeats the “successes” of ASUS Fonepad:

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3		only sound is played
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally, video is programmatic	only sound is played
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3		plays without sound
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally, sound is programmatic	plays without sound
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally, sound is programmatic	plays without sound

The only difference in comparison with the previous ASUS tablet that came to our editorial office is that the Memo Pad HD 7 is capable of decoding tracks in AC3 format in hardware; Due to this, the first two files contain at least sound. In addition to the standard “Gallery”, “ASUS Studio” is capable of playing video files on the tablet, which works with the same success.

Autonomous operation

When testing battery life, we used ASUS' ready-made power saving modes for all of our testing scenarios, with the exception of gaming.

ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 confidently holds the bar set by ASUS Fonepad, proving that the main merit for this belongs not to the energy-efficient Intel platform on which the latter is based, but to the developments of ASUS itself.

Fully charging the ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 with Wi-Fi turned on takes about three and a half hours.

Wireless network support

The tablet is equipped with Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS modules, we can confirm the stability of their operation. Judging by the Wi-Fi speed, the tablet is equipped with one antenna operating in dual-channel mode.

By the way, the MediaTek MT8125 single-chip system used in the tablet is also available in versions with built-in 3G HSPA+ and 2G EDGE modules. All of them are compatible with each other at the chip level. Thus, if a tablet manufacturer on this platform wants to release a 2G/3G version, they can save on board design.

Cameras

ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 is equipped with two cameras. The front has a resolution of 1.2 megapixels, the rear - 5 megapixels. The latter shows good pictures, without obvious artifacts and with good color rendition.

The rear camera is also suitable for shooting text. Focusing is fast, and blur appears only at the edges of the image.

The tablet is also capable of shooting video at 1080p resolution. The test file (MPEG-4/H.263, 23.6 Mbit/s, 1920×1088, 28,055 fps) shows us generally normal recording quality, the biggest drawback of which is the periodic decrease in the number of frames per second (clearly visible in moving car in the video). Also, during filming, instant artifacts appeared on the screen a couple of times, but, fortunately, they are not present in the finished recording.

The front camera also provides good image quality in video chats.

conclusions

The second generation marked major progress for the ASUS Memo Pad series. All aspects of the tablet have undergone improvements, from the display to the SoC, which matches the performance of NVIDIA Tegra 3. As a result, the new version, ASUS Memo Pad HD 7, no longer looks like an “ugly duckling” among its competitors and boasts good gaming performance and the ability to shoot video in Full HD, as well as very long battery life. Alas, there were some significant omissions: in the absence of an anti-glare filter, the ease of use of the ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 while traveling becomes questionable.

At the moment, the most important parameter in the budget segment remains in question - price. In Germany, you can purchase ASUS Memo Pad HD 7 for €126 (excluding VAT). At the manufacturer's presentation on the eve of Computex 2013, a very attractive amount of $149 was announced - similar to what the first Memo Pad started with. However, on the way to Russian stores, its price increased by more than one and a half times, which, of course, worsened its position in the domestic market. We hope that this story will not repeat itself with ASUS Memo Pad HD 7.

To tell the truth, I liked the new MeMO Pad line even when it was announced at IFA 2014. Thin and light tablets with excellent screens, LTE support and the new ZenUI shell. The only thing that marred it all was the dirty, glossy back.

Characteristics

• Class: Middle segment
• Form factor: monoblock
• Case materials: glossy plastic
• Operating system: Android 4.3
• Network: GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE (microSIM)
• Platform: Intel Atom Z3560
• Processor: Quad-core 1.83 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Storage memory: 16/32 GB, microSD memory card slot (64 GB cards supported)
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 (A2DP, EDR), microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset,
• Screen: 7’’, capacitive, IPS matrix, 1920x1200 pixels (FHD), automatic backlight level adjustment, has oleophobic coating
• Camera: 5 MP, Video recording in 1080p (1920x1080 pixels)
• Front camera: 2 MP
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS (A-GPS support)
• Sensors: accelerometer, spatial position sensor,
• Gyroscope, light sensor

Equipment

• Tablet
• Charger
• PC cable (also part of the charger)
• SIM tray eject tool

The kit is standard, nothing special can be said about it.

Appearance, materials, control elements, assembly

If you look at the front side of the tablet, then most of all it resembles... a large Nokia Lumia. The same sharp edges and slightly rounded ends, the same strict design. Of course, the large top and bottom frames immediately catch your eye, and the side frames are also not particularly thin compared to modern flagships.

From the back, the device most reminds me of a kind of wallet or business card holder. The glossy back looks like it is the opening part of a case, apparently because of this, associations with a wallet appear. And since we’re talking about the back panel, I’ll also note that it’s made mostly of glossy plastic, it’s slippery and easily soiled, so this material is one of the key disadvantages of the device.

The front camera and light sensor are located on the front, and the main camera eye is located at the back.

On the left side you can see the volume rocker and the power button, as well as a tray for a microSIM SIM card. The keys are made of rubberized plastic, they have a short, soft press, and are comfortable to use. But there are certain complaints about the tray. So, you can only open it with a branded paperclip; the same i-clip is too big for it. In addition, it is not very clear on the tray which side to put the SIM card in; I somehow mistakenly installed it on the wrong side and barely pulled it out.

Stereo speakers and microUSB and 3.5 mm headphone connectors were installed at the top and bottom ends. The stereo speakers have good clear sound (for a tablet), but the volume headroom is small. So, in a quiet room there are no complaints about them, but an attempt to watch a video using speakers on a Russian Railways train was unsuccessful; the sound was barely audible.

I have no complaints about the assembly. The tablet gives the impression of a monolithic device. There are no backlashes or gaps.

Dimensions

The dimensions and weight of MeMO Pad 7 can easily compete with most modern tablets. I was especially pleased with the thickness and weight of the new product. Yes, they are, of course, larger than those of the same MediaPad X1, but the tablet still feels quite light in the hand.

Compared to iPad Mini Retina

Screen

In my opinion, FHD resolution is optimal for seven-inch devices. The picture at this resolution looks quite clear, and the load on the processor is not excessive. As for the MeMO Pad 7 screen, I have no complaints about it: excellent picture clarity, a high level of maximum brightness and a wide range of its adjustment. So, the minimum value will be quite enough for reading in the dark.

But the screen does not behave very well in the sun; apparently, there is no anti-reflective coating.

Traditionally for Asus devices, there are Splendid utilities for adjusting the screen temperature and “Reading Mode”, which makes the white color softer for less strain on the eyes.

Also on 4pda, I read about a problem with “dynamic brightness”, according to forum members, when watching videos or photos at minimum brightness, its value changes depending on the colors of the picture - with dark colors the brightness is less, with light colors it is more. I specifically checked for this problem on my sample and did not find it. So, if you are faced with a similar situation, then this is apparently a defect and you should contact the service center.

operating system

The device runs Android 4.4.2 and the proprietary ZenUI shell. I really like how Asus has modernized its shell; it can safely be called one of the advantages of the tablet. I have dedicated a separate material to this shell; those who wish to familiarize themselves with it in more detail can follow the link below.

Performance

To begin with, I will note the daily operation of the device. As for flipping through desktops, scrolling through menus, settings, and the work of the built-in browser, there are no complaints about the device. But when using a proprietary keyboard, it is noticeable that text typing is slow, but this is a problem with the keyboard itself, and not with the tablet as a whole.

In my engineering sample, the installation of benchmarks was blocked, so I asked the owners of the tablet to “help” me. I express my deep gratitude to the user from the 4pda forum with the nickname valium527 for the provided screenshots.

According to rumors, the new PowerVR G6430 video accelerator should work at the level of Qualcomm's Adreno 330, my experience shows that this statement is close to the truth. In any case, all the powerful games that I launched on MeMO Pad 7 ran smoothly, although in Asphalt 8 the game did not give the opportunity to select maximum settings.

Autonomous operation

I used this tablet on a trip to watch videos and I can say that it has excellent battery life. Depending on the route, I watched videos from MeMO Pad 7 from three to six hours a day. He lived in this mode (with mobile Internet turned on and synchronization turned on) for one or two days.

Wireless interfaces

This is one of the first tablets with an Intel chipset that supports our LTE frequencies. And this support works perfectly; in Moscow and other cities I used our 4G networks without any problems.

Conclusion

At retail, the tablet will be sold in two versions - Wi-Fi 16 GB and Wi-Fi + LTE 16 GB. The cost of the Wi-Fi version is 10,000 rubles, Wi-Fi + LTE - 13,000 rubles. For this money you get a thin and light tablet with an excellent screen, LTE support, a fast and convenient shell and good battery life. Of the key shortcomings, I will only note the dirty back cover, but Asus has released several branded cases that mitigate this problem.

Among the competitors, I see two models. Firstly, this is the Nexus 7 2013. This device is a little thicker, it does not have a memory card slot, but it is the fastest to receive the latest version of Android, due to the release of Android 5.0 this is especially important.

Another competitor is Huawei MediaPad X1. This tablet is thinner, lighter, has a cool aluminum body and is similarly priced. It loses only in screen quality; in my impressions, the MeMO Pad 7’s display is still better.

And although the MeMO Pad 7 has two strong competitors, in my opinion it performs well when compared directly with them. But you will have to decide what to choose from these three models. If you need current updates, look towards the Nexus 7 2013, if you want a comfortable shell, a high-quality display and support for memory cards, pay attention to the MeMO Pad 7, and those who want to purchase a compact tablet in an aluminum case can safely take the MediaPad X1.

At the moment, the market for ten-inch tablets can be called somewhat “overheated”. Class B and C brands are attacking famous flagship models with the fury of Asian pirates. Here price is everything! And, nevertheless, trendsetters, among which ASUS is definitely among them, have something to offer users, even with this price bacchanalia. What exactly can attract us to ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10 – we’ll find out from the pre-New Year test.

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is the first 10-inch tablet from A-brands that belongs to the budget segment. In terms of characteristics, the model of stars from the sky is not enough. In addition to the attractive price ratio (about 2300 UAH), brand and form factor, it is interesting only for its IPS screen and quad-core processor, although of unknown origin. But not every user needs a tablet for advanced games and the opportunity to once again show off in a conducive company. Memo Pad 10 (ME102A) is aimed at those users who want to join the growing clan of tablet owners (perhaps without even really understanding what purpose they need this gadget for), but are not yet ready to spend a large sum on portable entertainment or step over their own pride and prejudices to buy “Chinese”. Let's see if it really makes sense to choose an inexpensive and not outstanding branded device when there are so many nameless "stars" on the market.

Specifications

By the phrase “there’s not enough star in the sky,” I mean, first of all, the low screen resolution of the Asus Memo Pad 10 (ME102A) – 1280x800 pixels. What is known about the tablet’s processor is that it is quad-core, clocked at 1.6 GHz, with Mali 400 graphics. The tablet runs Android 4.2.2 out of the box, like its FullHD predecessor, Asus Memo Pad FHD 10 (review). The RAM capacity is 1 GB, which is already an unimpressive figure for the market. But in fact, with such a display resolution, 1 GB is enough. Despite the presence of a slot for memory cards, the model is available in two versions: with 8 GB and 16 GB of built-in “storage”. The tablet's battery capacity is 5070 mAh. On the one hand, against the backdrop of the same “China”, this figure looks sad (some state employees have a capacity of up to 10,000 mAh). But as practice shows, this is precisely the case that the main thing is not size, but the ability to spend resources correctly. Thus, the technical characteristics of the model include “up to 9.5 hours of HD video playback.” Compared to the general background of inexpensive 10-inch tablets, such a promise represents a golden mean. Therefore, the final verdict can only be made after field research.

Frame

Externally, the Asus Memo Pad 10 (ME102A) differs from a typical budget Android tablet... only by the nameplate on the front panel. The average state employee is usually devoid of any distinctive features, especially on the “face”. Memo Pad 10 proudly displays the manufacturer's logo. The body is made of white glossy plastic, which has a slight flicker in good lighting. The plastic visually resembles that in the Galaxy S III and Note II smartphones and faithfully retains traces of fingerprints. It is atypical for Asus devices. Most of the tablets from this manufacturer are distinguished by their design in a “metal” style.

The tablet turned out to be completely non-compact, but the weight of the model is within the usual half a kilo (522 g for the meticulous). But it still weighs less than the Memo Pad FHD 10. On the back, Asus has immortalized its brand origin in an embossed logo. The logo itself appears to be metal. These are not modest state employees of unknown origin, on which the vendor’s name is usually applied timidly, with barely noticeable paint.

Memo Pad 10 features another recognizable feature of the latest Asus tablet models - stereo speakers. Both are located on the back panel, but in the place where it gradually begins to round off. Therefore, when the tablet lies on some surface, the sound from the speakers is practically not muffled. It is also difficult to close them with your hands. The speakers are loud and of high quality, do not wheeze, and allow you to watch videos even with a small group without headphones.

On one of the short ends, next to the speaker, there is an audio output and a slot for a memory card. Fortunately, without plugs and other tricks that complicate the process of replacing the card. The tablet even recognizes microSD cards with a capacity of 64 GB, which is commendable for a budget employee. At the opposite end there is a volume key and a microUSB connector. The location for the two-position volume control key is convenient and memorable, which is important: to the left of the nameplate above the screen. There are also no complaints about the location of the microUSB connector. The tablet is equipped with a USB-OTG cable for connecting external USB drives (although we didn’t have it in the box, but it will be available in sales copies). Since large memory cards are also supported, there should be no problems with free space on the tablet.

One of the long ends is empty. On the other, top one, if the tablet is used in landscape orientation, there is a screen lock key and a microphone.

Despite the fact that the Asus Memo Pad 10 is far from inch-sized, the model’s ergonomics are doing well, and you can feel the company’s experience in tablet manufacturing.

Contents of delivery

Screen

Asus Memo Pad 10 is equipped with a 10.1-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The pixel density is almost 150 ppi, this is a modest figure by the standards of a modern tablet, but it is the low screen resolution that the tablet owes to its good performance and low price.

The color gamut of the Asus Memo Pad 10 screen is smaller than the sRGB space, so the image looks a little faded. Color temperature is closer to the reference 6500K than most displays. This is why images that are familiar from mobile devices (games in particular) look unusually warm. In general, all display parameters measured by our colorimeter, except brightness, qualify for a “very good” rating. Already now I had to set the brightness to maximum during the day to watch movies. In summer, during daylight hours, you can only work with the tablet indoors. And here again we could attribute everything to the budget model, if we had not previously encountered unexpectedly bright and high-quality displays in frankly budget models, and dim and poorly calibrated ones in far from budget ones. But in any case, if you do not take into account the low resolution, the display of the Asus Memo Pad 10 is one of the best representatives of its class among all the devices that have been in our hands.

Tablet model	White field brightness, cd/m2	The brightness of the black field, cd/m2	Contrast
Asus Memo Pad 10	249.55	0.36	693:1
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition)	362.71	1.18	307:1
Fidget Pad X10HD	228.97	0.92	249:1
GoClever Orion 101	197.58	0.4	494 :1
Sony Tablet Z	380.03	0.7	543 :1
Globex GU104C	155.06	0.34	456:1

Performance

Asus Memo Pad 10 (ME102A) runs out of the box running Android 4.2.2, on top of which a lightweight Asus proprietary interface, almost indistinguishable from stock Android, is used, equipped with a number of additional settings and proprietary Asus applications. The amount of RAM matches the needs of the tablet. The processor model and manufacturer are not indicated anywhere, including in benchmarks, but they resemble our new friend RochChip RK3188 (perhaps you have other options?). In real life, the behavior is more similar to the Alwinner A31, adjusted for the fact that the Asus tablet works stably, applications install normally and do not crash in the future, which is not at all typical of this miracle of engineering. The Memo Pad 10 tablet can handle heavy graphics and playback of huge video files, but the interface moves slowly. Games such as Real Racing 3 and Temple Run 2 run great. The latter does not slow down at maximum settings, including in the section with water, which is the most difficult in the game. The tablet shows very high results in all benchmarks.

Autonomy

Asus Memo Pad 10 (ME102A) is equipped with a 5070 mAh battery, which is 1070 mAh more than the 10-inch model with a FullHD display. However, this is one of the most modest indicators on the market. When playing HD video, the tablet lasted almost seven hours. At the same time, the screen brightness was set to maximum (during the day it is comfortable only at these settings), and all communications were turned on. I suspect that the coveted 9.5 hours can be achieved with Wi-Fi and GPS turned off and the screen dimmed (that is, somewhere on an airplane or train where these modules are not needed). But in the end, seven hours, in my opinion, is a very good result. Another positive point: when the tablet is in standby mode, it does not quietly discharge. And if it lies in oblivion somewhere in the far corner for a couple of days, being fully charged, then the percentage of battery charge will still remain almost untouched after the end of the period of oblivion. All this indirectly indicates that the tablet’s processor is made using a 28-nm process technology. And again, the main suspect is RK3188, to which the editors gg reacted very favorably.

Interface

You can read about the interface features of Android devices running the Asus brand and running Android 4.2 in this review. Of course, the Asus Memo Pad does not have applications for working with the stylus, since there is no stylus, but otherwise the devices are very similar. It’s worth adding that the 10-inch tablet has a very convenient keyboard layout, on which the company’s talented (in the good sense of the word, of course) employees fit the entire alphabet. Other manufacturers of the so-called first echelon should follow an example.

Camera

The tablet is equipped with a 2-megapixel main camera and a 1.2-megapixel front camera. The front camera is located well, on the long side of the tablet, almost in the center. On a large screen, with a low resolution, the image of the front camera looks completely blurry. But in general, the quality is decent for video calls, you can be seen and heard normally.

The camera interface is well known to those who don't skip reviews of Asus Android devices. Despite the weak module, Asus did not cut down on the camera capabilities. The settings have several preset shooting modes, including night and HDR, and the camcorder allows you to record videos in slow motion. The interface is convenient, especially for those who are not used to delving into settings.

The main camera performs its nominal function. Video is recorded in 720p, but it lacks autofocus and flash. It shoots very quickly, and for such weak equipment, in my opinion, it does a decent job. Although the faded colors and inability to take close-up pictures are unlikely to allow the tablet owner to capture beautiful landscapes or cute trinkets.

Competitors

The Asus Memo Pad 10 falls between two camps. On the one hand, these are the frisky “Chinese”, who offer literally all the wonders of the world for the same money: a FullHD display, more serious equipment, right down to a case and headphones, and a 5-megapixel camera. You will almost certainly have to pay for this with unstable operation of applications and the fact that in tablets with FullHD displays from unknown factories, the interface often moves even more slowly and from time to time freezes completely. If you are on a limited budget and if the Asus tablet is not suitable for whatever reason, and you continue your search, I would advise you to avoid devices that use the Alwinner A31 and display resolutions higher than FullHD (applies only to “Chinese”). There are a whole bunch of offers in this segment, and the quality is approximately at the same level, so there is no point in singling out any specific models from the rest.

The second camp is A-brands. They often implement their best developments in 10-inch tablets, so you won’t be able to find an affordable one among them. Asus itself has the Memo Pad FHD 10, which will cost at least 1000 UAH more. The same is with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 – prices for younger versions start at 3,400 UAH. True, with a price difference of 1000 UAH, the characteristics of the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 are not particularly superior to the budget Asus tablet.

Bottom line

The Asus Memo Pad 10 is a smart alternative to budget 10-inch Chinese tablets. Unlike most representatives of this segment, the Asus tablet works stably and has excellent ergonomics. If you have a small budget and want to buy a 10-inch tablet for entertainment, then this model is an excellent candidate for purchase. The price to pay for a good name will be a low screen resolution and poor (if compared to the Chinese) equipment. But in my opinion, such sacrifices look completely justified. Moreover, the tablet’s performance is doing very well.

4 reasons to buy Asus Memo Pad 10:

• the most affordable branded 10-inch tablet;
• High enough performance for heavy games and large video files;
• decent autonomy (despite the actual small battery capacity);
• availability of Bluetooth and GPS;

2 reasons not to buy Asus Memo Pad 10:

• low screen resolution;
• you can afford, for example, Asus Memo Pad FHD 10.

I think it’s no secret to anyone that in the segment up to ten thousand B-brands dominate; first-tier manufacturers simply cannot squeeze in there for many reasons, one of them is an aggressive price war. And yet, Asus almost managed (the retail price of the tablet is ~12,500 rubles) to enter this segment with a very good offer.

Equipment

• Tablet
• Charger
• PC cable
• Warranty card

The tablet box looks quite simple, apparently, this is due to Asus’s participation in the fight for environmental conservation.

Design, materials, control elements

The model looks like a typical representative of Asus tablets, it is very similar to the Asus Transformer TF201, only the back is made of plastic rather than aluminum. Most of the front panel is occupied by a ten-inch touch screen, and above it is the front camera peephole.

On the left side you can see microUSB and microHDMI connectors, and just below there is a slot for a microSDHC memory card (cards up to 32 GB are supported). In addition, the microphone and “Reset” holes are located here.

On the right there is a volume rocker and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The rocker has a short stroke and is not always easy to find in the dark.

They decided to place the power button on the left side of the top end. It also has a short stroke, but unlike the rocker, it is convenient to use.

The back is made of matte plastic, pleasant to the touch. In the MeMO Pad Smart line, Asus decided to play with the colors of the case; a total of three colors will be available: white, dark blue and pink. The Russian office made fun of me a little and gave me a pink sample to test; it certainly looks impressive, but on the subway and bus I kept catching surprised glances from other passengers. Still, this color is aimed at the fair sex.

On the back you can see a mesh of two stereo speakers, as well as the peephole of the main 5 MP camera.

There are no complaints about the assembly, the tablet is perfectly assembled, nothing creaks, does not play, or wobbles.

Dimensions

In terms of length and width, the MeMO Pad Smart is a typical representative of ten-inch tablets, but I was very pleased with the thickness and weight. The fact that the tablet tapers at the edges also makes it more comfortable to hold with two hands.

• Asus MeMO Pad Smart 10- 263x181x9.9 mm, weight 580 grams
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1- 256x175x9.7 mm, weight 588 grams
• Acer A211- 260x175x12 mm, weight 711 grams

Screen

The device uses a 10.1” diagonal display, resolution – 1280x800 pixels, matrix type – IPS, multi-touch is supported up to ten simultaneous touches. There is also a light sensor.

Apparently, this is not the vaunted S-IPS matrix, but it feels just a little worse. The screen is really cool, it has excellent viewing angles, natural colors, high brightness and good picture clarity. However, in the sun it glares, and the image quality deteriorates significantly.

operating system

The tablet runs Android 4.1.2 with some minor additions from Asus.

Firstly, a proprietary notification panel is installed with quick access to switches and settings. You can turn it off if you wish.

Secondly, App Backup and Web Storage utilities are preinstalled. By the way, the cloud from Asus does not have a very high download speed, I tried to download my backup from Padfone 2, which I uploaded there a couple of months ago, and it took quite a long time to download these 150 MB (about 30 minutes).

Thirdly, they use branded wallpaper with a tree, I personally really like them.

Otherwise, we have “pure” Android 4.1 with all its advantages and disadvantages. By the way, Asus did not remove the browser from 4.0, as Google did in the Nexus line.

Performance

The processor is a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 running at 1.2 GHz. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, the internal storage capacity is 16 GB, there is a slot for a memory card. I have already talked about Tegra 3 and its features many times, so I suggest you familiarize yourself with that material yourself.

There are no complaints about performance and speed; the combination of a good processor and Android 4.1 was finally able to overcome the interface slowdowns. There are also no complaints about the games; let me remind you that a separate store with exclusives from NVIDIA is available for Tegra.

Autonomous operation

Unfortunately, I was not able to find out the battery capacity of this model, but this did not stop me from conducting several autonomy tests.

In HD video viewing mode at maximum brightness with airplane mode turned on, the tablet lasted 7 hours 30 minutes.

In reading mode (10% brightness + airplane mode, automatic paging mode enabled), the operating time was almost 9 hours.

The results, in my opinion, are very good; you can easily use MeMO Pad Smart in quiet mode for about a week.

In addition, the tablet has a power saving mode; you can fine-tune the behavior of the device when it reaches a certain percentage of charge.

Multimedia

The IPS screen is excellent for reading, demonstrating high font clarity and a low minimum brightness threshold. Personally, I enjoyed reading books and articles on the Internet from this device.

Natural colors and high brightness levels allow you to comfortably watch any HD video, and Tegra 3 can handle most videos in FullHD resolution.

Sound

I usually don’t write about sound separately, but the MeMO Pad Smart really pleased me with this parameter. Firstly, the stereo speakers have a good volume reserve, secondly, even at maximum volume they do not wheeze, and thirdly, the latest tablets and Padfone from Asus come with a pre-installed Audio Wizard program, which is a global equalizer. Be sure to try this program if you buy a tablet. For example, the “Music” mode significantly increases the volume of instruments, and the “Video” mode, oddly enough, is great for listening to vocals.

Of course, MeMO Pad Smart is not a specialized audiophile device, but the sound quality of its external speakers pleased even a musical philistine like me.

Interfaces

Wi-Fi (b/g/n)– there are no complaints about the operation of the module; it catches the network perfectly, even in places with a poor signal. The device supports Wi-Fi Direct function.

GPS– cold start takes ten seconds. This is a very good indicator.

Bluetooth v3.0 EDR+A2DP– all popular profiles are supported, you can transfer files using Bluetooth, connect headsets and even Bluetooth keyboards (however, for the keyboard to work correctly, I recommend installing the Russian Keyboard program).

The device also has an accelerometer, light sensor, gyroscope, and electronic compass.

Camera

The tablet has two cameras: a 5 MP main camera and a 1.2 MP front camera. I don’t think anyone will use the main camera often, except for shooting text, and it copes with it with a bang.

The front camera supports Skype video calls, although the device is not yet officially certified to work with it. The image quality is very mediocre.

Conclusion

Personally, I liked the MeMO Pad Smart, after testing many Chinese and semi-Chinese tablets, products from the A-brand feel like a breath of fresh air: no slowdowns, no crashes, no problems with games or program incompatibility. Stability is just one of the advantages of MeMO Pad Smart.

In addition, I was very pleased with its screen: a really good quality IPS matrix. And the rest of the tablet didn’t let us down: powerful hardware, nice design, several colors, Android 4.1, dimensions.

The only drawback I would say is the lack of modifications with a 3G module.

pros:

• High-quality IPS matrix
• Android 4.1
• Thin and light
• Speed ​​and stability
• Good external speakers

Minuses:

• Lack of 3G module