IFA 2013: Asus hands-ons

Fonepad 7 hands-on

Asus Fonepad 7 is the successor of the huge 7" Fonepad phablet announced at the MWC in Barcelona in February. It bumps the specs of the Fonepad with a faster processor, a better camera and a newer Android version, but axes the battery capacity.

Asus Fonepad 7

The Fonepad 7 comes with the same 7" 1280x800px IPS display used in the original Fonepad. It's really nice with accurate colors, very good contrast and viewing angles.

Asus Fonepad 7

The new Fonepad 7 runs on a slightly faster Intel Atom Z2560 platform with a dual-core 1.6GHz processor with hyper-threading, PowerVR SGX544MP2 @400MHz dual-core graphics and 1GB of LPDDR2 RAM. This isn't a very powerful chipset either, but the Fonepad 7's isn't that demanding since it's required to run the Android OS on only an HD display, not a FullHD one. Once again, the hardware turned to be enough to handle the Jelly Bean OS and provides snappy performance.

The Asus Fonepad 7's entire back is made of metal, just like its predecessor. It provides a great grip and feels really solid in hand. Unlike the glossy plastic used on the Fonepad 6 Note, the Fonepad 7 body is not that susceptible to fingerprints and smudges.

Just like the Fonepad Note 6, the Fonepad 7 comes with dual front speakers flanking the 7" display. There is also a 1.2MP front camera around for video chats.

On the sides of the Fonepad 7 we find the usual controls such as the Power/Lock key and the Volume Rocker on the right and the micro-SIM bed on the left.

Asus Fonepad 7

The top of the phablet has the lonely 3.5mm audio jack, while the microUSB connectivity port is at the bottom.

The 5MP camera lens is on the metallic back.

The Asus Fonepad 7 also runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean skinned with Asus's own launcher.

There is no pricing and availability for the new Fonepad 7 just yet, but we guess it will hit the shelves by the end of the year.

Asus Fonepad 6 Note hands-on

Asus announced the Fonepad Note 6 back in June with quite a scarce specs sheet and almost no information on the software features and stylus compatibility. And here we are, at IFA in Berlin, witnessing the thing going official for the second time. This time around though, we get to know more details and even try the phablet ourselves.

Asus Fonepad 6 Note

The Asus Fonepad Note 6 is built around a 6.0" Super IPS+ display with 1080p resolution and 450 nits brightness. Its 367ppi density might not be that close to the mightiest flagships out there, but is more than enough to pass as what has been established as a retina-like level of sharpness.

Even though the Fonepad 6 Note is going to compete with the upcoming Galaxy Note III flagship and other well-known phablets such as the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, LG Optimus G Pro and even the old-gen Galaxy Note II, the Asus gadget isn't running on a top-notch chipset.

The Fonepad 6 Note is powered by Intel's Atom Z2580 platform with a dual-core 2.0 GHz processor capable of hyper-threading, PowerVR SGX544MP2 @533MHz dual-core graphics and 2GB of LPDDR2 RAM. It's still a really capable chipset that runs the Android Jelly Bean hassle-free. What's even better is the Fonepad 6 will cost a lot cheaper than some of its rivals making it a great alternative for those on the budget.

Asus Fonepad 6 Note

The Asus Fonepad 6 Note is made entirely of glossy plastic and that's the reason its black flavor gets smudged with fingerprints all over in just a minute. The white Note is quite the opposite, it's really beautiful and we'd opt for it in a heartbeat.

Almost the entire front is occupied by the 6" 1080p display. The stereo speakers really stand out though and we suspect they are among the key features of the device. The Fonepad 6 Note's screen offers lively colors, good viewing angles with little contrast loss, and is very bright at those 450 nits.

Asus Fonepad 6 Note bets on the unibody design so the battery is non-removable as is the rear panel. The microSIM and microSD slots are on the left side of the Fonepad 6 Memo, while all the hardware controls - the Power/Lock key and the Volume rocker - are on the right.

Asus Fonepad 6 Note

The top of the Fonepad 6 has the lonely 3.5mm audio jack, while the bottom houses the microUSB connectivity port and the stylus. When you pull out the stylus, a specially-designed widget will pop up on the display allowing you to take quick notes.

Fonepad 6 Note's back is where the lonely 8MP camera is. It uses Sony's BSI sensor. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take some camera samples.

The Asus Fonepad 6 is running on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with a very lightly customized Asus launcher on top of it. It comes with a few pre-installed stylus compatible apps that should come in handy. The stylus input is good and does the job, though it can't even come close to the support Samsung is offering on its Galaxy Note lineup.

There is no official pricing and availability, though previous info suggests the Fonepad 6 Note will be hitting the market by the end of the month at price of about €300-€350.