IFA roundup

The second set of products Asus announced fit into its Fonepad range of devices. The Fonepad Note 6 is a six inch full HD phablet going head-to-head with Samsung's Galaxy Note. However, Asus' product is marketed as a tablet rather than a smartphone like Samsung's offering.

The Fonepad Note 6 does, however, feature HSPA and 3G for making calls and data. Running on Android 4.2, with an Intel Atom Z2580 processor running the show, the Fonepad Note 6 has been designed for those who want a large screen for running apps, with the functionality to make calls, according to Asus.

Multimedia features include an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.2-megapixel camera on the front, with either 16GB or 32GB storage versions available. The Asus Fonepad Note 6 also includes a microSD card slot for extra storage and, just like the Samsung Galaxy Note series of devices, a flip cover is available to protect the screen and rear.

A 3200mAh battery will likely keep the device going for a lengthy amount of time, although that six-inch 1920x1080 pixel, super IPS+ display could consume power pretty quickly.

Details on pricing haven't yet been released, but it's pretty likely the device will only be available SIM free rather than on contract via networks.

Although Asus hasn't yet detailed the suite of applications to support multitouch and stylus support, it's thought the company will release note-taking and other S-Pen-like features to make it a decent business device.

The Fonepad 7 is another device joining the Note 6. It's an update to the original Fonepad 7, with the ability to make and take phone calls.

The seven-inch 1280x800 pixel IPS screen makes the tablet comparable to the Nexus 7, with a smudge-resistant coating to prevent the front of the device becoming sticky with fingerprints.

Asus claims the 3950mAh will provide up to 28 hours of 3G talk time, 35 days of standby time and up to 10 hours of video playback, ensuring it'll last throughout the day.

Asus' new tablets, the MeMO Pad 8 and MeMO Pad 10 both feature a 1280x800 pixel display with quad-core 1.6GHz processors and microSD card slots for expandable storage.

The 8-inch MeMO Pad 8 comes with 16GB of onboard storage, while the 10.1-inch MeMO Pad 10 is available in either 8GB or 16GB variants.

The Android 4.2-powered MeMO Pad 8 features a five megapixel rear camera while the MeMO Pad 10 includes a two megapixel snapper.

The larger tablet includes a bigger battery (5070mAh lithium polymer offering up to 9.5 hours usage) while the MeMO Pad 8 downsizes this to a 3950mAh lithium polymer with up to nine hours of battery life.

Both tablets will be arriving in November, but prices haven't been revealed yet.

The seven-inch Asus MeMO Pad is currently available for 130. The eight and 10-inch solutions are expected to be available at a lower price point than comparably-sized tablets such as Samsung's Tab 3 range, making them a cheap solution for businesses looking for tablets to roll out to employees.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.