Asus FonePad to Launch in India Next Week And Hit Shelves May First Week: Top 5 Rivals

| Published: Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 14:09 [IST]

Since past couple of days, news is swirling in the tech media world that Taiwanese PC manufacturer Asus is all set to release the FonePad in India very soon. Adding a pinch of salt to the juicy rumors, Asus on its Facebook and Twitter pages also posted teasers which read, "a new family member" with an image, which resembles the Fonepad from the back.

However, till now no one has been able to confirm as to when, Asus will launch the highly anticipated FonePad in India. Well, now GizBot has got some exclusive news for you.

Yes! Asus FonePad - which was taken out of the wraps in February at the MWC 2013 tech show will be arriving in India next week. A source close to the matter has confirmed that the company is all set to send media invites for the launch event in Mumbai.

Further, the source also disclosed that after Asus FonePad will be officially launched in the country, it will hit the retail and online shelves for purchase by first week of May at a sub Rs 20,000 price range.

Specwise, FonePad runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS and features a 7 inch IPS capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor, 3MP rear camera, 1.2MP front camera, 1GB RAM, 8GB/16GB internal storage, micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and a 4,270 mAh battery.

It is speculated that the tablet will come with the 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor in Asia and also Asus might launch the Wi-Fi only version initially with the 3G variant coming in later. This is the same strategy followed by the vendor even with the Nexus 7.

Asus FonePad - Competitors in India

Moreover, Asus is planning to achieve a 15% market-share in the Indian tablet market with a slew of new offerings in 2013, which includes the latest FonePad. The company is also looking forward to expand its sales team and retail chain to meet the demand across the country.

If Asus launches FonePad with in the sub Rs 20,000 price range, it will definitely be a competitor to the other existing offerings in the country with affordable price tags. Further, the tablet market in India is flooded with a range of voice calling devices from both local and global vendors. Some of the noteworthy offerings are mentioned below.

Click here for Asus FonePad images...

Google Nexus 7

Google Nexus 7 sports a 7 inch 10 point multi-touch IPS display with 1280 x 800 resolution, quad core 1.2GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, 1GB RAM, 16GB/32GB internal storage, 1.2MP front camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC connectivity and a 4,325 mAh battery.

Recently, Asus launched the 32GB variant of the tablet in both Wi-Fi and 3G variants at Rs 18,999 and Rs 21,999 respectively. Further, the 16GB variant can be purchased from the Play Store itself.

With a better camera performance and voice calling capability, the Asus FonePad could be a better device.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 and 311

Galaxy Tab 2 310 and Tab 2 311 are quite similar and sport a 7 inch PLS TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, 1GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, 3MP rear camera, VGA front-facing camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS and 4,000 mAh battery. The only difference between the two is that the Tab 2 311 is a Wi-Fi only variant while the Galaxy Tab 2 310 is the 3G+Wi-Fi tablet.

Further, Galaxy Tab 2 310 and Tab 2 311 are priced at Rs 16,499 and Rs 12,899 respectively. With a lesser price tag, the Samsung tablets might be impressive, but the Asus FonePad comes with an enhanced battery and better front camera.

Apple iPad Mini

iPad Mini has a packs a 7.9 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, which is not a Retina Display, 1GHz dual core Apple A5 processor, PowerVR GPU, 5MP iSight rear camera, 1.2MP front camera for video calling, iOS 6, 16GB/32GB/64GB internal storage, 512MB RAM, Lightning port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a 16.3 Whr Li-Po battery delivering up to 10 hours backup.

When it comes to pricing, the 16GB Wi-Fi only variant of iPad Mini sells at Rs 21,900 in India. With a larger display, better camera performance and improved battery backup, the Apple offering should be a prominent rival of Asus FonePad, which might be priced relatively lower.

Micromax Funbook 3G P560

Micromax, the India based company, which has surpassed the other tablet market dominators in terms of volume of shipment has launched Funbook 3G P560 online at a price of Rs 9,999.

Specwise, Funbook 3G P560 comes with a 7 inch multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display boasting 480 x 800 pixel resolution, 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, Android 4.0.4 ICS operating system, 2MP rear camera, VGA front camera for video calling, 4GB internal storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via a micro SD card slot, 512MB RAM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, in built 3G, voice calling and a 3,000 mAh battery delivering 5 hours of browsing time.

With a better quad core processor, increased camera performance and improved battery, Asus FonePad might be better, but the Funbook 3G P560 comes at a lesser price point.

Karbonn TA-Fone A37

Karbonn is another India based vendor, who is aiming to excel the other tech giants in the market share. The company has launched two tablets - TA-Fone A37 and TA-Fone A34 online in the last week.

Of the duo, TA-Fone A37 is a 3G voice calling tablet and it features a 7 inch multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display boasting 480 x 800 pixel resolution, 1GHz dual core processor. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, 2MP rear camera, VGA front camera for video calling, 4GB internal storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via a micro SD card slot, 512MB RAM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, in built 3G, voice calling and a 3,000 mAh battery.

Obviously, the Karbonn TA-Fone A37 comes at a budget price point, but the Asus FonePad has a better battery, quad core processor and good camera performance.

Click here for Asus FonePad images...