Today the Global Certification Forum confirmed that we will see the Asus Fonepad coming to market in the near future. We have quite a few details about this tablet so far, but these are of course just rumors until Asus makes an official announcement. With Mobile World Congress (MWC) less than a week away, we may well see this new device announced in Barcelona. What we know for sure is that this tablet/phone will have 3G connectivity. This specific model doesn’t have LTE support, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see another version that supports LTE announced as well. We can be fairly confident of these specs:
- Intel 1.2GHz Z2420 processor with PowerVR SGX450 graphics
- 7-inch 1280 x 800 IPS display
- 1.2MP front-facing camera and 3MP rear camera
- 16 GB of internal storage
- SD card slot
- 4,270mAh battery
- 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of internal memory
- 340 grams and 10.4 mm thick
Regardless of an announcement at MWC next week this tablet will be hitting shelves in April or May and is expected to retail between $150 and $200. This is certainly respectable hardware for under $200, but is there any significant difference between this and a Nexus 7? The only major feature is the SD card slot. It’s a great feature for those of us who like to flash ROMs and experiment with various operating systems on a device, but it doesn’t seem to be a major selling point for most people. The Fonepad may well be a predecessor to a higher-end device that is powered by Intel, but we will have to wait and see. Rest assured, as soon as we have more information for you about the Fonepad or any new devices from Asus, we will pass it along to you.