Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C review: Assembly line

Introduction

Of all the emerging Asian smart device manufacturers, Asus has easily one of the most diverse portfolios of devices around. From PadFone to Fonepad to Transformer Pad, the Taiwanese manufacturer provides a tablet for every market segment and user, with a new one popping up virtually every month. And the company's growing Memo Pad family is no exception.

The Asus Memo Pad 7 has so many iterations, in fact, that it's necessary to specify that we're reviewing the ME176C model, specifically. The ME176C is the lesser member of the new line of Memo Pads introduced by Asus last month. It features the same screen as the older Memo Pad HD7, but runs on Intel's Atom Z3745 chip rather a Mediatek one, and that should provide a huge performance boost.

Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C

The ME176C has also been updated to the latest Android build, sporting version 4.4.2 KitKat, with tons customizable extras from Asus. Like its predecessor, this Memo Pad 7 is firmly in the entry-level price point, with a WXGA screen, 8/16GB of internal storage, 1GB RAM, and a 5MP/2MP rear/front camera combo.

Let's take a closer look at what else the Memo Pad 7 ME176C brings to the table:

Key features

• 7" 800 x 1280 IPS LCD of 216ppi
• Intel Atom Z3745 chipset, 1GB of RAM
• Quad-core 1.86GHz processor
• Intel HD GPU based on Ivy Bridge
• Android 4.4.2 with Asus customizations
• 5MP back and 2MP front cameras
• microSD card support up to 64GB
• 3,910mAh battery
• Multiple color options
• Competitive price

Main disadvantages

• No cellular version
• Plastic build
• Low-res screen

While for the most part the specs sheet doesn't seem like anything worth writing home about, one thing that does jump out is the Intel Atom Z3745 processor. Based on Intel's Bay Trail-T 22nm architecture, the Z3745 is the same processor found on full-fledged Windows hybrid laptops like the Acer Aspire Switch 10. We're excited to see what kind of performance the ME175C will be able to achieve on this low-res droid even if it only has 1GB of RAM.

The Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C in our studio

As you can tell by our own photos, one thing that jumps out from a design standpoint is the vibrant color combinations. Our own bright yellow is complemented by equally eye-catching Red and Blue colors, besides the traditional Black and White options.

We'll be getting our review underway starting with our detailed look at the hardware and design strategy on the next page.