Gadget Review: Asus Fonepad 8, a budget tablet with great features

Price: Rs 13,999

Rating: ****

Specifications: 8-inch IPS LCD (1280 x 800 pixels), 1.33Ghz Intel Atom Z3530 quad core, 2GB RAM, 16GB + micro SD (up to 64GB), dual SIM with 3G & calling, 5MP rear + 2MP front camera, WiFi n, GPS, GLONASS, 4,000mAh battery, 310 grams Asus seems to have hit a sweet spot with the Zenfone range and they want to apply the same formula to the new Fonepad 8.

Pros: Affordable yet premium looking tablet with dual SIM, 3G & calling, slim 8.9mm design, textured back panel offers easy grip & resists fingerprints

Cons: 720p resolution screen feels low for this size of screen, camera quality is passable at best, no LED flash provided.

This is an affordable yet spec-heavy 8-inch Android tablet with a 64-bit quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16 GB storage, expand able memory, dual SIM sup port, 3G, calling and GPS. In many ways, the Fonepad 8 feels like a larger Zenfone 5. It even has the same Zen UI customisation which looks good and is functional without draining too much of the de vice's resources.8-inch tablets usually have narrow bezels as com pared to 7-inch ones and the same is true here. The tab is light (and narrow) enough to be comfortably held in one hand and you can get in either the standard black or the white and gold (like our re view sample).

The front panel is white and the back panel is a light gold plastic (non removable) with a textured pattern that provides a firm grip and prevents any fingerprints, scratches or smudges. We really wonder why every manufacturer doesn't take the same approach. The screen has an oleophobic coating that resists fingerprints but your results may vary with this. We could still see lots of fingerprints after some use. You may baulk at the 720p screen resolution. Most people won't notice individual pixels and it helps keep price down and keeps performance brisk (so there is reason for it apart from just the cost). Some other nice features are the loud dual speakers (on either side of the display in landscape -perfect for video), Asus WebStorage and some useful apps like MicroFilm (create movies), a data transfer wizard, PC link (mirroring the tab display to a PC) and Remote Link (remote control of a PC). The camera quality was disappointing so you shouldn't expect much here. The rear camera is passable outdoors in good light but falters everywhere else. The front camera will also frustrate you with blur ry photos and video so best avoid it.Performance is good for all your multimedia, web and gaming needs. Battery life is 9 to 10 hours of continuous use with medium brightness.

If you want a full-featured tablet in a budget, Fonepad 8 is probably your best bet. It's got everything going for it. We only wish it had a higher resolution screen.

If you don't really need calling, you can take a look at Xiaomi's MiPad.

Priced at Rs 12,999

Specifications: The MiPad is more of a performance tablet with an Nvidia Tegra K1 processor, 2GB RAM and an excellent 7.9-inch, 2048x1536 pixel IPS LCD screen.