The ASUS Fonepad 8 is one of the largest and most affordable phablet on the market. At only S$299, it provides you with all the features and functionality that you need out of a tablet/phone combo.
ASUS designed the Fonepad series with affordability in mind. The Fonepad 6 and Fonepad 7 were released in 2013, while the Fonepad 8 were launched in late 2014.
The dual-SIM gives you much needed flexibility especially when you’re travelling and wants to slot in a cheap local SIM, but still wants to remain contactable on your regular number.
It is easy to slot in/out the two micro-SIM cards as both slots are in a special compartment on the left side of the phablet, along with the microSD card slot, that allows you to expand the 8 or 16GB internal storage of the Fonepad 8 by up to another 64GB.
Top right corner of the Fonepad 8.
The phone supports 3G for both SIM cards but not 4G/LTE.
I found usage of dual SIM straightforward like in other dual-SIM Android phones.
The internal, non-removable 4,000mAh battery provided long hours of usage without worry of running dry.
Even with intense usage and video viewing, the Fonepad 8 easily lasted an entire day and then some.
On my more typical day, there was usually at least 20-30 percent battery left at the end of the day.
Fonepad 8 is available in four colours—black, white, red and gold. White and gold models include white bezels, while the black and red models feature a black fascia. Out of the box, the pre-loaded ZenUI color scheme matches the device’s back cover color, which is plastic and features a non-slip diamond-pattern coating.
ASUS rates the battery life to 14.2 hours of Wi-Fi Web browsing, 12 hours of HD video playback, and 21 hours of 3G talk time.
When fully charged, the battery supposedly lasts for up to 600 hours on standby.
Optional accessory: Micro USB Charging Stand. The business card-sized stand charges and props up your seven or eight-inch tablets that support micro USB charging. The magnetised design adds portability and comes with a carrying bag.
In terms of appearance and physical ergonomics, the Fonepad 8 has a narrower aspect ratio than most tablets which makes it easier to hold with one hand.
ASUS boasts that it was specially designed with a narrow bezel at the sides to minimise the width of the phablet to enable holding with one hand.
With the thin 5.06mm side bezel, the Fonepad 8 is as narrow as many 7-inch phablets.
ASUS claims it is the narrowest 8-inch tablet on the market.
I found it did make for comfortable holding in one hand, while using the other for touch input.
The Fonepad 8 is 8.9mm thick and weighs 310g.
The optional Micro USB Charging Stand props smart devices up to a perfect viewing angle for watching movies or surfing the web. The embedded USB 2.0 port allows connection of flash storage devices, external hard drives or a USB mouse.
As with other large phablets, it does look rather silly to hold the device against the ear to make voice calls.
Another optional accessory is the ASUS View Folio Cover. It displays all the information you need without having to open the cover. Check the time, pick up incoming calls or check notifications easily. The soft microfiber interior and polyurethane exterior protects your tablet from dust and scratches.
Voice quality is as good as any regular smartphones, but I tend to use a Bluetooth headset, simply for the hands-free convenience.
Display-wise, the IPS display is bright with the LED backlight generating up to 400 nits of brightness, good enough for viewing outdoors.
The resolution is only 1280 x 800 so you get to enjoy HD videos on the device.
You can tweak the colour display using the ASUS Splendid utility that comes with the phablet.
Additional entertainment-focused features include easy access to Miracast and DLNA multimedia streaming at resolutions up to 720p, high-quality front-facing stereo speakers, and support for the aptX audio codec that delivers consistent audio quality over Bluetooth.
The SonicMaster speakers with 1.0W at the top and 1.5W at the bottom, generates 2.5W combined output for Stereo sound.
For cameras, the main rear camera has five megapixels while the rear two. The cameras do not come with flash.
The optional View Folio Cover doubles up as a stand. The two-way folding design provides comfortable video viewing or typing. The magnetic latches keep the cover secure to protect the display from scratches and knocks. All ports and connectors are easily accessible with the View Folio Cover fitted.
Pixel count may be on the low side but the rear camera took pretty good photos on a sunny day, although the front camera was a bit grainy indoors.
The rear camera records video in 1080p Full HD and allows full resolution photos to be taken while filming.
In terms of user interface, ASUS overlays its ZenUI over the Android 4.4.2 KitKat to bestow more functionalities.
These include “What’s Next” a feature that’s similar to Google Now in helping the user keep track of tasks, appointments and events, providing notifications and reminders to keep you organised.
“Do It Later” focuses on task management and provides the equivalent of a “KIV” functionality to flag tasks for subsequent follow-up at a more appropriate or convenient time.
Processing power
The Fonepad 8 ships with an Intel Atom Z3530 Moorefield quad-core processor running at up to 1.33GHz.
The Fonepad 8 with a gold back – suitable for Chinese New Year!
It’s a 22nm system on a chip (SoC) with four CPU cores, 2MB of shared cache, and it includes support for 64-bit instructions.
Graphics performance is delivered by an integrated Imagination Technologies PowerVR G6430 GPU with four execution clusters running at up to 457MHz.
The G6430 supports the latest 3D graphics standards, including OpenGL ES 3.0 as well as media compute support via OpenCL and RenderScript for more efficient media encoding or transcoding.
The processor also integrates a low-power sensor solution that enables Fonepad 8 to deliver contextual information to apps with motion, gesture, audio or location sensing, along with contextual analyses, without impacting battery life.
Tags: Android, Android 4, Asus, Fonepad, Fonepad 8, KitKat, mobile, phablets, reviews, smartphones, tablets