Asus is out to confuse us, we’re sure of it. Shortly after revealing the new PadFone Infinity, the company has shown off another Android tablet, this time called the FonePad.
Not to be confused with the 5-inch Full HD phone that docks into a 10.1-inch tablet, the new FonePad is a Nexus 7-alike tablet that can also make phone calls. It would seem that Asus wants to merge the idea of a smartphone and a tablet into the same thing with its latest range of products.
Much like the Nexus 7 that Asus also manufactures for Google, the FonePad is designed to be an affordable 7-inch Android Jelly Bean tablet. It features a 7-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution and an Intel Atom Z2420 processor, the latter of which Asus has opted for in order to get the best battery life possible – 10 hours is the stated life from a single charge.
The big deal with the FonePad is the fact that it can make calls, effectively making it a rather big smartphone. It has 3G connectivity thanks to a SIM card slot, which means you’ll be able to get online when out and about as well as make calls, if you really want to.
Just as the Nexus 7 started off with, there will be 8GB and 16GB models, priced similarly at around £150 for the 8GB model and £179 for the 16GB. Unlike Google’s tablet however, the FonePad does have a micro SD card slot so that you can expand the storage capacity.
On the back of the FonePad is a basic 3 megapixel camera that will happily snap shots and record video in 720p HD quality, and up front there’s a 1.2 megapixel sensor to cope with video calling.
So remember; FonePad is a 7-inch tablet that makes calls, PadFone is a 5-inch phone that turns into a tablet. We’re off for a lie down.