# Asus Fonepad - Worth Getting?



## BoxRoom (May 13, 2013)

Been wanting a Nexus 7 for ages now, getting a bit impatient to have one but then I'm wondering about whether it'd be worth waiting longer for the new version, whenever that may be.

Then I saw this by Asus and am really tempted. 

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/ASUS_FONEPAD_ME371MG

I don't make many calls so would only look like an idiot using it as a phone very rarely. I don't need rear camera really, I'm not a photo god. The price is awesome I reckon for something that would be a really handy all-in-one type thing.

Been saving up as best I can and can just about afford this now. Shall I?


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## fractionMan (May 13, 2013)

Do you have big pockets?


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## Hocus Eye. (May 13, 2013)

Looks to me to be neither fish nor fowl.


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## editor (May 13, 2013)

fractionMan said:


> Do you have big pockets?


Seeing as it's almost the same size as a Nexus, I'd say that's a pretty pointless question. 

Personally, I'd go for the Nexus 7 unless you need the phone functions, although the Asus offers an awful lot for the price.  Both are pretty much bargains. 

Bit more here: http://www.itproportal.com/2013/02/25/mwc-2013-asus-fonepad-hands-pictures/


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## fractionMan (May 13, 2013)

editor said:


> Seeing as it's almost the same size as a Nexus, I'd say that's a pretty pointless question.


 
It's not pointless if you plan on carrying it around instead of a phone.


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## editor (May 13, 2013)

fractionMan said:


> It's not pointless if you plan on carrying it around instead of a phone.


That's up to the poster, not you.


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## fractionMan (May 13, 2013)

editor said:


> That's up to the poster, not you.


 
Which is why I asked him about his pockets 

Mine certainly aren't big enough to carry around a 7" tablet.


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## BoxRoom (May 13, 2013)

I carry around a kindle all the time so carrying this also would be fine. Would prefer it actually, am always a bit wary of having my phone in my jacket pocket.
I'm a little clumsy so tend to manage to knock it about a bit and have also cooked one by walking around in the sunshine so tend to bag it a lot more.


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## editor (May 13, 2013)

fractionMan said:


> Which is why I asked him about his pockets
> 
> Mine certainly aren't big enough to carry around a 7" tablet.


I think he may have gone past that basic piece of research before publicly posting his intention to buy a 7" tablet.


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## editor (May 18, 2013)

Actually, I take back what I said. The Fonepad gets reviewed in this month's PC Pro and they loved it so much it that it's replaced the iPad Mini on their A List.


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## BoxRoom (May 19, 2013)

I ended up getting one anyway. So far I'm really happy with it. Haven't had to use the phone much but felt like a bit of a tit when I had to answer it at work. 
I knew the risks.
I haven't done anything major with it yet, like gaming, but will test that out somewhen. Not a high priority at the moment.
Overall, I can report that initially I'm finding it great. Lovely bit of loveliness!


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## stuff_it (May 19, 2013)

BoxRoom said:


> I ended up getting one anyway. So far I'm really happy with it. Haven't had to use the phone much but felt like a bit of a tit when I had to answer it at work.
> I knew the risks.
> I haven't done anything major with it yet, like gaming, but will test that out somewhen. Not a high priority at the moment.
> Overall, I can report that initially I'm finding it great. Lovely bit of loveliness!


Can you not get headphones with a mic for when you use it as a phone?


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## BoxRoom (May 19, 2013)

stuff_it said:


> Can you not get headphones with a mic for when you use it as a phone?


 
Aye, that's no pronlem. I just need to get around to getting something at some point. It's recommended to get one of them bluetooth thingywhatsits which work a treat and all that but I'm not clued up on that sort of thing. At the moment I'm not sure what'll make me look more of a pranny, holding a massive phone up to my ear like a Borrower or having a Nathan Barley type setup.


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## thriller (May 20, 2013)

I just held my nexus 7 against my ear and looked in the mirror. Jesus.


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## editor (May 20, 2013)

BoxRoom said:


> Aye, that's no pronlem. I just need to get around to getting something at some point. It's recommended to get one of them bluetooth thingywhatsits which work a treat and all that but I'm not clued up on that sort of thing. At the moment I'm not sure what'll make me look more of a pranny, holding a massive phone up to my ear like a Borrower or having a Nathan Barley type setup.


If you use regular earphones with an inline mic, you'll look fine.


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## BoxRoom (May 21, 2013)

editor said:


> If you use regular earphones with an inline mic, you'll look fine.


 
Good point. That's what I'm likely to go for, tbh.


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## skyscraper101 (Jun 13, 2013)

BoxRoom said:


> Good point. That's what I'm likely to go for, tbh.


 
How are you getting on with this a month on?

I've been looking at this more seriously now. £179 for the Asus FonePadat the carphone warehouse is a bargain.

I could upgrade to a better smartphone, but a 3G tablet that can make and receive calls is a much better idea. That way I could just use one or the other as my main device depending on which I prefer. Both will be able to do the same thing and I could just swap about the sim at will.

Also, I note that the Galaxy Tab 3 is coming out next month in the UK which would very neatly tie in with my next visit (though engadget said 'worldwide in early June' ) Anyway, it has very similar specs to the FonePad. Also I think the Galaxy Tab looks nicer though so I'll see what they price it at and decide then.


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## BoxRoom (Jun 14, 2013)

skyscraper101 said:


> How are you getting on with this a month on?
> 
> I've been looking at this more seriously now. £179 for the Asus FonePadat the carphone warehouse is a bargain.
> 
> ...


 
I really like it. It's never far away from me, getting a lot of use out of it.
I've only had to use the phone a few times, still haven't gotten proper headphones for it yet, and I did feel like a bit of a pranny holding it up to my ear but it's worth it.
I'm now on unlimited data via giffgaff so it's really coming into it's own now. Have spent a fortune on comics though because I went through a bit of an OMG COMICS!!!111 phase.
I haven't played any games on it yet. I hear some people say things play fine but mostly if it's something you're wanting to use for gaming it's not the best thing to have.

Email, texting, streaming (Netflix, iplayer, radio), social networks and internet in general are all fine and dandy which is my main use for it.
Still getting to grips with Google Now. It's somewhat random suggestions it throws up for me. Like if I want to know where a location is for whatever reason it keeps bringing that up and telling me how long it'll take to get there. I need to figure out how to use it better.

Anything else you need to know give me a shout.


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## Badgers (Jul 22, 2013)

Just spotted this gadget and am quite interested. Like BoxRoom I don't make a lot of calls and already have a few pairs of earphones with inline microphone lying around. I did have a Google Nexus 7 so have no worries about the size of this. The Micro SD slot is a bonus  

£179 to buy SIM free and £10-20 for a case sounds like a bargain.


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## BoxRoom (Jul 22, 2013)

Badgers said:


> Just spotted this gadget and am quite interested. Like BoxRoom I don't make a lot of calls and already have a few pairs of earphones with inline microphone lying around. I did have a Google Nexus 7 so have no worries about the size of this. The Micro SD slot is a bonus
> 
> £179 to buy SIM free and £10-20 for a case sounds like a bargain.


 
It really is!
Couple of months in now and it's still running great. No problems at all really. Battery is holding up well. Also got an app that uses the proximity sensor to switch off the screen when I close the case now which is brilliant to save the power button (which could have been better placed if I'm honest).

Overall, just the job.


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## Badgers (Jul 22, 2013)

Cheers BoxRoom for the update. 

I loved my Nexus 7 loads. Given I make so few calls it seems daft to have a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini (that I am not that keen on actually) worth £300ish  

The ONLY thing making me hesitate is the lack of back or decent front camera


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## BoxRoom (Jul 22, 2013)

Badgers said:


> Cheers BoxRoom for the update.
> 
> I loved my Nexus 7 loads. Given I make so few calls it seems daft to have a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini (that I am not that keen on actually) worth £300ish
> 
> The ONLY thing making me hesitate is the lack of back or decent front camera


 
When I had my previous phone I did take more and more pics, nothing very special but it was handy to have. I tried to convince myself that it didn't matter about not having the rear camera but it is a bit of a bummer. Will be interested to see what they come up with for future models, if they do one.


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## Badgers (Jul 22, 2013)

BoxRoom said:
			
		

> When I had my previous phone I did take more and more pics, nothing very special but it was handy to have. I tried to convince myself that it didn't matter about not having the rear camera but it is a bit of a bummer. Will be interested to see what they come up with for future models, if they do one.



Aye  

A 7" tablet with phone function and at least 5mp rear camera around £200 or a little less would be a done deal. Ticks all my gadget/media requirements ^


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## BoxRoom (Jul 22, 2013)

Badgers said:


> Aye
> 
> A 7" tablet with phone function and at least 5mp rear camera around £200 or a little less would be a done deal. Ticks all my gadget/media requirements ^


I still don't understand why the UK model didn't get the rear cam. Other countries did.


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## Badgers (Jul 22, 2013)

BoxRoom said:
			
		

> I still don't understand why the UK model didn't get the rear cam. Other countries did.



/recession? 

I dunno? Am sure an international model would be okay? Probably more expensive with the camera and shipping mind?


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## BoxRoom (Jul 22, 2013)

Badgers said:


> /recession?
> 
> I dunno? Am sure an international model would be okay? Probably more expensive with the camera and shipping mind?


 
Aye, might be worth having a browse around though.


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## tombowler (Jul 22, 2013)

I may go and have a look my htc wildfire is on it's last knockings browers crashing case all dinted from herself using it for three months, battery getting ropey cant support skype even though it thinks it can bugger all memory and it cries every week it is running out despite no extra apps going on it. Make very few calls on it mostly browsing news (it cant even work properly on the grunidad website) so this phone pad looks great to me. off to vodafone to see if they offer it here.


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## BoxRoom (Jul 22, 2013)

tombowler said:


> I may go and have a look my htc wildfire is on it's last knockings browers crashing case all dinted from herself using it for three months, battery getting ropey cant support skype even though it thinks it can bugger all memory and it cries every week it is running out despite no extra apps going on it. Make very few calls on it mostly browsing news (it cant even work properly on the grunidad website) so this phone pad looks great to me. off to vodafone to see if they offer it here.


 
If Vodafone don't offer it then I'd recommend buying one and going with giffgaff, 12 quid (per month) for unlimited data and texts and I think it's 250mins.


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## tombowler (Jul 22, 2013)

im not in an area covered by giff gaff, (not in Uk) but vodaphone dont carry it so looking around to see where it is on sale for less than the equivalent of 450 sterling


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## BoxRoom (Jul 22, 2013)

tombowler said:


> im not in an area covered by giff gaff, (not in Uk) but vodaphone dont carry it so looking around to see where it is on sale for less than the equivalent of 450 sterling


Ah right, that's a shame. Hope you find somewhere!


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## Badgers (Jul 27, 2013)

Quick question BoxRoom 

Does this tablet run WhatsApp?


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## BoxRoom (Jul 27, 2013)

Badgers said:


> Quick question BoxRoom
> 
> Does this tablet run WhatsApp?



Just checked on the Play store and it's something it can install so I assume it works fine.


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## Badgers (Jul 27, 2013)

BoxRoom said:
			
		

> Just checked on the Play store and it's something it can install so I assume it works fine.



Ah good. My most used app I think.


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## editor (Jul 27, 2013)

PC Pro have given the Fonepad a real rave review this month.


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## Badgers (Sep 8, 2013)

So..... 

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. It is fine but I want a Fonepad. Considering flogging or swapping. Not sure if this is daft


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## Bob_the_lost (Sep 11, 2013)

At the moment it is, Phonepad infinity is due out soon.


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## Badgers (Sep 12, 2013)

Bob_the_lost said:


> At the moment it is, Phonepad infinity is due out soon.



Thanks. 

The old Fonepad is £169 from Carphone Warehouse which is pretty damn good. 

Do you mean the PadFone Infinity phone/tablet combo?  A smartphone that fits into the back of a 10.1" tablet costing £599 and £799 for the two versions? 







Specs here - http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_padfone_infinity-5328.php


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## Badgers (Sep 12, 2013)

Maybe the Fonepad 7 is what you mean?



> 340-grams
> 7-inch screen
> Intel Atom processor
> Up to 28 hours of 3G talk time and 10 hours  of video playback (according to Asus) on a single battery charge,
> ...



Only major changes (I can see) are speakers on the front not back BUT they have now added a 5-megapixel rear camera which was the main thing holding me back from getting one.

No release date or price I can see?


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## dessiato (Sep 12, 2013)

This looks a reasonable good idea. I assume I could connect to a bluetooth headset. I was thinking of getting a new phone, and a tablet, this covers both needs.


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## Badgers (Sep 12, 2013)

dessiato said:


> This looks a reasonable good idea. I assume I could connect to a bluetooth headset. I was thinking of getting a new phone, and a tablet, this covers both needs.





> Fonepad 7 can also be used for voice calls using the built-in noise-cancelling digital microphone or an optional Bluetooth headset.


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## BoxRoom (Sep 12, 2013)

Badgers said:


> Maybe the Fonepad 7 is what you mean?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Smart! Will keep my eyes peeled for that.


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## Badgers (Sep 18, 2013)

Still no release date for the Fonepad 7 as far as I can see  

Did read one review which called it the '2014 edition' which would be irritating


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 18, 2013)

Badgers said:


> So.....
> 
> I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. It is fine but I want a Fonepad. Considering flogging or swapping. Not sure if this is daft



I'd have thought it would feel like a downgrade.


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## Badgers (Sep 18, 2013)

Global Stoner said:


> I'd have thought it would feel like a downgrade.



In some respects yes. 

I don't make a lot of calls though and really like this size tablet for messaging/emailing/surfing/boards and such. Also I have a company phone arriving Monday so am pretty sorted there.


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## Badgers (Oct 2, 2013)

Spoke to Three today asking about Fonepad 7 release dates.

They recommended the Samsung Galaxy Mega which sounds okay but a lot more expensive


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## Badgers (Oct 16, 2013)

Badgers said:


> Do you mean the PadFone Infinity phone/tablet combo?  A smartphone that fits into the back of a 10.1" tablet costing £599 and £799 for the two versions?



Just seen the 32GB version of this come up for £399 which is a fair drop from the £599 price mentioned in the original link I posted. Too rich for my spending power but not bad.


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## ddraig (Oct 16, 2013)

that looks tidy


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## Badgers (Oct 29, 2013)

Just seen that the ASUS Fonepad 7 ME372CG is available for £181.10 with free shipping and 24 month warranty. 

Have never purchased from i-store so not sure about that? 

The original Fonepad model (ME371) is still sell around £170 so expect that to start dropping.


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## editor (Oct 29, 2013)

Badgers said:


> Just seen that the ASUS Fonepad 7 ME372CG is available for £181.10 with free shipping and 24 month warranty.


Not sure I'd want to buy from Thailand. Could be a pain for returns.


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## Badgers (Jul 14, 2014)

Seen the original Fonepad model (ME371) of this pop up for £99.97 
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ME371MG-1B038A-ASUS-Fonepad-Tablet-Phone_1356066.html


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## BoxRoom (Jul 14, 2014)

Been wondering when the new one would be available, will keep my eyes peeled for UK release though.
My original one is still going strong. Can't fault it really, has done really well so far. Had it over a year now and have had very few problems.


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