Testdriving The New Asus MeMo Pad 8!

Thankfully, my days of schlepping around with a cumbersome laptop (and those annoying cords!) are a thing of the past. Whilst I feel like the last person on earth to get a tablet computer, it’s better late than never right? A couple of weeks in, and my aching arms and burdened shoulders are but a mere memory….

Left: The tablet getting a workout! Image: BWA’s Instagram. Right: Entering the space age (ie note the slimness)

What I got: Asus MeMO Pad 8 ‘Limited Edition’

One of the best things about this tablet computer is its wafer-thin design and overall sleekness. Considerably thinner than your average magazine and about half the surface size, the tablet slots into a handbag (or even an envelope clutch) with ease. Taking up next to no room at all, it is also super lightweight (feels practically weightless.)

The screen appears very large compared to the overall size of the tablet with very little “dead space” around the face of the tablet – there is a lot of screen, which is obviously fabulous.

I was extremely impressed by the clarity and colour on the Asus tablet compared to my workhorse Toshiba laptop and too-small-to-do-anything-productive iphone 5. Honestly, the images seem to leap out on the tablet, showing great detail and vibrant colour. Late night surfing of detail shots from NYFW on style.com (and BWA of course) were a dream on the tablet vs the “squint and expand technique” required on my phone!

Admittedly, I’m not particularly well versed in all of the technical specifications of the product (Mmm, megabytes and megatrons, excuse me?) but the tablet handles my day to day usage and the odd YouTube tutorial with ease – it’s very fast and never seems to stall. Pages load quickly and are very responsive.

Battery wise, the Asus MeMO Pad 8 is fantastic. Lasting all day (or more than a day depending on usage) it has great stamina! With a charger that’s akin to your regular phone charger it’s not too big to carry around with you if need be. On the standard “power saving mode” I found the tablet went to sleep a little too eagerly for my liking, but it was easy to change my preferences in the settings.

It’s equipped with all of the standard tools you need such as calendar, email, image gallery, 2 cameras (front and back) – and there are even a few extras such as a MIRROR! It came pre-loaded with apps such as Facebook, kindle, google drive, youtube and many others which was handy and saved considerable time getting set up. You can even draw, write or doodle on the screen with a pen or pencil, though I am a bit nervous to actually do this!

I am really loving this product, and would gladly recommend it to anyone looking for a stylish and user-friendly tablet that gets you up and running without any hassle.

Rating 9/10

The Limited Edition Asus MeMO Pad 8 was provided for review, and all opinions are my own. This product is only available for purchase here.