Asus seems intent on attacking Apple this year, with its current devices such as the Zenfone 3 Deluxe seemingly created to beat the Cupertino-based giant's flagship device spec-by-spec. Now, Asus is targeting yet another Apple device, the iPad Mini 4, through its recently-announced ZenPad Z8.

The Asus ZenPad Z8 is a powerhouse Android tablet with a set of very formidable specs. Display-wise, the device matches the iPad Mini 4 pixel-to-pixel, with a 2048 x 1536 resolution. The ZenPad Z8 is also equipped with a USB Type-C port, which is capable of charging the tablet, connecting it to external storage, monitors and other gadgets.

Notably, the ZenPad Z8's USB Type-C functions practically the same as the iPad Mini 4's proprietary Lightning Connector.

Asus' new tablet is powered by a six-core Snapdragon 650 chip, which is expected to match and possibly even exceed the iPad Mini 4's A8 chip. The ZenPad Z8 is also equipped with a dedicated Adreno 510 graphics processor, which is designed to process 4K video without any problems.

True to form as an Android tablet, the ZenPad Z8 is equipped with a micro-SD card slot for expandable storage. The tablet also has two cameras, an 8MP rear shooter and a 2MP front-facing camera.

While the Asus ZenPad Z8 does meet the iPad Mini 4 in almost all aspects, there is one area that the new Android tablet really triumphs against Apple's device - the price. Currently, the 4G LTE version of the Asus ZenPad Z8 is being offered through Verizon at a very affordable price of $249.99, a far cry from a 4G LTE iPad Mini 4, which starts at $529.

Benson Lin, Asus corporate vice president and general manager for mobile communications, is optimistic about the potential of the firm's new Android tablet.

"Asus is excited to launch the ZenPad Z8 with Verizon. The Asus ZenPad Z8 brings an incredible feature set and top-end specifications to Verizon customers at a very attractive price. We're thrilled to begin this relationship with Verizon and for users to experience the ZenPad Z8 on Verizon's expansive 4G LTE network," he said.

The Asus ZenPad Z8 is now available on Verizon for less than $11 per month under a 24-month contract. 

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