The FonePad made its debut at the 2013 Mobile World Congress and is a new breed of 7-inch tablets to feature Intel Atom processors as opposed to the more conventional Snapdragon or Exynos chips in other tablets. Intel claims that its Atom chips designed for mobile internet devices offer better power efficiency over competitors.
The tablet is encased in an aluminium body (available in Champagne Gold or Titanium Grey) and feels like a premium version of the Nexus 7 with almost identical dimensions and the same display resolution of 1280×800 pixels pushing a pixel density of 216ppi. Powering the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean FonePad is an Intel Atom Z2420 1.2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM.
Two variants are available, an 8GB unit for Asia which comes with a 3MP rear facing camera and a 16GB version for Europe without a rear camera. Over at the front, both versions get a 1.2MP secondary shooter.
Above all this, the most attractive feature of the FonePad is its asking price. Starting from USD249 or about RM780, the FonePad sits between the entry level ASUS Memo Pad and the Nexus 7.
Combine the attractive price with a premium build and the ability to make phone calls right out of the box, and you have a very good value for money tablet that will give other tablets in the segment a good run for their money, the iPad mini included. The FonePad is indeed well worth a look.
So when can you take a look at it? ASUS Malaysia is getting ready to launch the FonePad sometime mid-April. We’ll keep you posted on official pricing and availability. In the meantime, check out our hands-on video of the FonePad right after the jump.
