The biggest phablet: 7 inch Asus Fonepad reviewed

There is one thing that we all agree on, and it’s that this isn’t a one handed phone. You’ll want two hands for this, except when it’s held to your ear, and at that time, you’re really going to be stretching those digits all across the body, which is quite well built, even though it is very wide.

Another thing we desperately want in this device is a 4G connection. There’s nothing wrong with 3G, nothing at all, but as 4G begins to penetrate all sections of the market – even coming as low as $299 in some devices – we’re left wanting a faster connection in the Fonepad, especially to make use of proper HD streaming video.

We can live with the 3G here, though, especially for the price. Most of our speeds were found between the 3 and 7Mbps mark, which isn’t bad, and occasionally hit 10Mbps. But we’d still prefer 4G LTE. Maybe next time.

What we can’t live with, though, is a smartphone camera that lacks flash.

Yes, the almighty rear LED flash is missing in action on the Fonepad camera, and the rear module is only a lowly three megapixel, which is just far too low for a device purporting to be a phone.

Maybe we’re snobs, but rear cameras start at five megapixel for the low-end these days, and three just feels positively two or three years ago, which is probably where this module comes from.

A better on-screen keyboard would be awesome, too. Spelling suggestions occur only when you haven’t accidentally misspelled something, and at that point, they all just magically go away. Thankfully, you can replace the keyboard easily, which is a recommendation we’re making for anyone who buys the Fonepad.

On a minor note, some apps may not work on the Fonepad because of its use of an Intel x86 chip, rather than the regular ARM variety we see in Android phones and tablets. We didn’t find any that raised red flags, but you might.

Conclusion

Too big to be a phone for many (us included), the Fonepad is a neat device for customers unsure whether they need a big phone or just a tablet with a phone inside.

There’s no doubt that there are many of you wondering why an iPad Mini and the other handheld tablets can’t have a phone inside, and the Asus response is that you can, with this product able to do both things – tablet and smartphone – as well as each other.

We’re not big fans of holding such a massive phone to our head, but if you need both, and want them in the same product, the Fonepad represents excellent value thanks to its low price solid battery life.

Overall
Features
Value for money
Performance
Ease of Use
Design
Reader Rating0 Votes
Excellent value; Offers between two and three days of usage depending on how hard you go; Screen has great viewing angles;
No 4G; Too big to be a phone; You'll need big pants if you plan to haul this around in pockets; Camera lacks a flash and is low in megapixels;
4