If you think 5-inch android phones are already huge, think again. ASUS just announced their new 7-inch phablet with phone functionality unlike traditional tablets. I would still classify this one as a tablet, though, as 7-inches is just too massive for a phone.
ASUS Fonepad appears to be like the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. Although these two can send SMS and make calls, I can’t still imagine myself holding it while talking to someone because it’s looks really weird if it’ll done in public. Tablets that come with SIM slots were usually only used for data browsing and very few can act like a phone. An example is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 line of tablets which can both make and receive calls and messages.
The Fonepad is the first ever device to carry Intel’s new processor which supports hyper-threading. It’s actually the 1.2GHz Atom Z2420 and along with that powerful processor is 1GB of RAM and PowerVR SGX540 GPU. The ASUS Fonepad also run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to help the tablet give a smooth experience to the user. Check out the full specs below.
ASUS Fonepad Specs
- Android 4.1 Jelly bean
- 7” WXGA IPS display, 1280×800 pixel resolution, 216ppi
- 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 single-core processor
- PowerVR SGX540 GPU
- 1GB RAM
- 8 and 16GB internal storage
- microSD card slot support for up to 32GB
- 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi hotspot
- HSPA+
- Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP
- GPS and A-GPS, GLONASS
- Dimension: 196.4 x 120.1 x 10.4 mm
- Weight: 340g
- 4270mAh Li-Ion battery
Google Nexus 7 is currently the king of affordable yet power packed tablets in the market and despite being an ASUS product, the company continues to expand their tablet portfolio by releasing one after another. It’s actually a good thing because people are being given more choices. If you’ll remember, the ASUS MeMo Pad is a cheap tablet with a single core CPU, 1GB of RAM and Jelly Bean – which has landed for a low price of only Php7,000 here in the Philippines. ASUS Fonepad is priced at $249 (USD) or roughly Php10,000 before taxes and subsidies.