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Asus Fonepad Note Review: First Look

Samsung, LG, ZTE, and Huawei have all produced devices that begin to blur the lines between phones and tablets, so why wouldn’t Asus jump on the bandwagon? The company today announced the FonePad Note at Computex 13, a 6-inch device clearly aimed at taking on Samsung’s own Galaxy Note 2 and upcoming Note 3.

Not content with a phone that sits in the 5-inch range, Asus is instead equiping the FonePad Note with a 6-inch display. The IPS+ panel features a 1920×1080 resolution – a nice bump up from the 720p of the Galaxy Note 2.

The device itself features an Intel Atom Z2560 dual-core processor clocked at 1.6Ghz. It may not be a quad-core chip that companies like Samsung and LG tend to favour, but Intel has proven that its mobile chips can handle their own while providing surprisingly good battery life.

Other specifications for the FonePad Note include 2GB of RAM and a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera. The device will also come with a HSPA+ radio, but Asus hasn’t said whether there will be an LTE model as well.

As if that wasn’t enough, Asus is including a stylus of its own with the phone slash tablet. Just like the Galaxy Note 2, the pen will slot into the back of the device when not in use. Otherwise it can be easily accessed and used as a note taking device, or even as a makeshift pen for quick doodles. Asus says that software will be specifically bundled with the FonePad Note so that people can make use of the stylus.

One of the most welcome features on the FonePad Note, however, is the inclusion of dual speakers on the front of the device. Asus seems to have taken a cue from the HTC One, which has similar speakers of its own. The company didn’t go into detail about the speakers, but hopefully we can expect the same sort of audio experience from the FonePad Note as we did from the HTC One.

Unfortunately, no pricing or availability details have been confirmed. With the device looking to take on today’s 5.5-inch plus phones like the Galaxy Note 2 and ZTE Grand Memo though, we would expect a release in the coming months. 

We’ll bring you exact details of the release date and price when Asus makes them available as well as a hands-on with the device in the coming weeks.

Specification

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