ASUS Fonepad 7 (FE170CG)

ASUS Fonepad 7 (FE170CG) Review – ASUS’ Fonepad line of device must be doing pretty well in the market as the Taiwanese tech powerhouse is constantly releasing newer variants of the Fonepad. This month, we had a chance to review the latest and most affordable Fonepad 7 to date. The FE170CG sports a design that is very similar to the other 7-inch Fonepads that came before it save for a few differences.

The main departure here is the textured rear which is nice to touch and also provides a little more grip to the device. Other than that, the buttons and ports still in the same place as its predecessors. Despite being a 7-inch device, we found the FE170CG very easy to hold in one hand in portrait more, which is great if you mostly use it for reading. With that said, you will still have to operate it with your free hand though. While its exterior may not have gotten a major overhaul, its software certainly did as the FE170CG is one of the very first devices to utilise ASUS’ ZenUI, which is a heavily customised user-interface which is very user-friendly and intuitive.

Features like “Do It Later” and “What’s Next” will definitely be a boon to users who are constantly moving from one task to another. Other notable features of the FE170CG include the support for dual-SIM cards, which is always a nice touch for those who rely on two numbers. The device does come with two cameras but both are a tad underwhelming and while the 2.0-megapixel rear camera takes decent photos in bright environments, it falls flat in darker environments as it lacks a flash. As for performance, the FE170CG’s 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Atom Processor and 1GB of RAM produced decent scores in our usual suite of benchmarks and was snappy with just a little hints of lag when navigating. Gaming performance was good when it came to more casual games such as Angry Birds but was laggy in more demanding ones.

Unlike fonepod 6, Battery performance was pretty good as it managed to last us more than a day with medium to heavy usage. At the end of the day, this version of the ASUS Fonepad 7 may not seem like a ground-breaking device but do keep in mind it is an entry-level device that is super affordable for what it brings to the table. It is great for the first-time Android user or students and seniors.

Pros

• Dual-SIM
• Very affordable
• Solid & study build

Cons

• Performance
• Cameras

ASUS Fonepad 7 (FE170CG) Specifications

• OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• CPU: 2×2 1.2GHz Multi-core Intel Atom Z2520
• RAM: 1GB
• Storage: 4/8GB, microSD (up to 64GB), 5GB ASUS Webstorage
• Display: 7-inch LED Backlight WSVGA (1,024 x 600)
• Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, HSPA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
• Connectivity: WLAN 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Miracast, microUSB
• Extras: 2-megapixel Rear Camera, 0.3-megapixel Front Camera, ASUS SonicMaster technology, Dual-SIM
• Dimensions: 192 x 110 x 10.7mm
• Weight: 290g