Asus is definitely on a good roll at the start of the year. The Zenfone 2 was a massive hit when it was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and people are already anxious for the device's release date.
However, as both Android and Asus fans are lining up for the Zenfone 2, the Taiwanese manufacturer might want to continue its announcement of high quality devices at affordable prices.
According to a report by Phone Arena, the electronics company just took off the wraps off from its newest phablet that supports SIM connectivity. The Asus Fonepad 7 is not the best slate or phone in the market in terms of specs, but with an affordable price tag, it would definitely be under the radar of budget consumers.
In the report, the Android-powered handset boasts a 7-inch IPS display, a rather low HD (1200 x 800) resolution, though it comes with 2GB of RAM for superior multi-tasking capabilities. Other specs under the hood include a quad-core CPU, powered by an Intel Atom Z3530 chipset.
While Intel has not been known to provide the best performance for mobile devices in recent years, Asus actually helped the chip maker expand its range of supported devices. Beginning last year when the Asus Zenfone 4, 5 and 6 were launched, Intel has now been seen as an upcoming supplier that can be an alternative to Qualcomm in the near future.
As for the Fonepad 7's other specs, the device has a 5MP primary camera at the back and a 2MP front shooter. It also packs either an 8GB or 16GB internal storage. Nevertheless, there is a microSD card slot that can hold up to 32GB of expanded storage.
While all of that is not that impressive in the tablet category, what actually makes the device a 'Fonepad' is its SIM connectivity. This means the device can be an oversized smartphone if so the user wishes.
In the report, the device supports micro SIM cards with 3G or even LTE connectivity. For people who want to get a productive device that they can use in work and play, the Asus Fonepad 7 will hit their sweet spot.
Just like the Zenfone 2, the Fonepad 7 will follow in its footsteps of affordable pricing and will reportedly cost only $250 when it gets released in Taiwan. Unfortunately, there are no details yet whethe Asus will make the device available internationally.
