7-Incher With Smartphone Features

The ASUS Fonepad 7 offers the real estate of a tablet while carrying basic smartphone features. It’s a refreshed version of the original Fonepad, the second in its class, and has retained a few specs like the Intel processor and voice-calling support, all while ironing out a few kinks.

In terms of hardware, this Android 4.3-based device has a 7-inch IPS touchscreen display with a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution. The display is vivid and color reproduction is good, though we found it to be a bit too reflective when used under the sun. Its dualcore Intel CPU is complemented by a PowerVR GPU and 1GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of built-in storage that is expandable up to 64GB using a microSD card.

Its hardware is housed in a hard, all-plastic case, which we think ASUS has brought down a notch, since the original Fonepad had a brushed aluminum finish at the back. Still, the new Fonepad feels solid and sturdy. The case is fixed, which means that the battery is non-removable. The pattern on its rear side gives it a nice aesthetic touch.

The Fonepad 7 carries two cameras: a 1.2-megapixel frontfacing camera and a 5-megapixel main camera. The front camera’s image quality is sufficient for video chat; for snapshots, the main camera does a decent job, though it falls short at times, lacking contrast and producing indoor shots with noticeable noise.

Running on a dual-core Intel CPU, it may seem underpowered compared to the quad- and octa-cores used by other mobile devices; however, its Intel processor can definitely deliver. It scored 14201 on AnTuTu Benchmark and 6749 on Quadrant Standard. We were impressed by its smooth day-today performance with negligible lags. Web browsing was fluid, and so was running various apps. It can also easily handle games like Temple Run and Clash of Clans.

On the audio front, it didn’t impress us much because it didn’t have the dual-front speakers found on its predecessor. There were times when the sound wasn’t loud enough; at maximum volume, the audio tended to break. Moreover, it doesn’t ship with earphones. Its 3910mAh battery lasted long enough. After testing, its power lived for a day on a single charge with moderate use.

The ASUS Fonepad 7 didn’t disappoint in terms of speed, whether gaming, browsing, or handling apps and multimedia. The touch experience on its display is also very intuitive. Though it falls short on build and audio quality compared to the first Fonepad, it’s still a recommendable device.

AT A GLANCE

PROCESSOR
Intel Atom Z2520 (Dual-core, 1.2GHz)
CAMERA
5MP (Main), 1.2MP (Front)
DISPLAY
7” IPS LCD (1280 x 800)
OPERATING SYSTEM
Android 4.3 Jelly Bean