Putting six speakers inside a tablet cover is smarter than it sounds

Acting as a folio case and a stand as well as an audio booster, this cover even comes with its own built-in battery, which nearly doubles the ZenPad 8's power reserves (adding 3,450mAh to the tablet's integrated 4,000mAh battery). This is the first tablet with 5.1-channel audio and the first to receive DTS-HD certification. I'm not sure how important the latter will be to the typical user, but having tried the audio cover in the wake of Asus' press conference, I can say that it gets loud and clear enough to merit attention.

It's easy to dismiss the idea of jamming a big array of speakers into a case as a terrible gimmick, however Asus has executed it remarkably well. The ZenPad 8 in front of me got loud enough to be heard clearly over the cacophony of frantically moving journalists in the vicinity. The sound distorts at the maximum volume, but even so, it's a distinct upgrade over the integrated loudspeaker on the tablet itself. This cover makes the ZenPad 8 much more viable for watching movies with friends than the average tablet.

There's a groove inside the cover for the tablet to rest in. It puts the ZenPad 8 into the perfect landscape position for watching stuff, though it isn't adjustable should you wish to do anything less conventional. Despite carrying extra equipment, the audio cover doesn't weigh down the ZenPad excessively and I can imagine carrying the two as a set wherever I go. It's certainly a more compact solution than carrying a discrete external speaker, and the results it produces don't seem to be recognizably worse than what you'd get from a decent Bluetooth speaker.

The Asus ZenPad 8 and its full range of covers will roll out globally in August. Take note that specifications may vary with location, as Asus says some regions may only get the ZenPad with 1GB of memory and 8GB of built-in storage, though all will have a MicroSD card slot for added expansion.