Asus has released a series of successful tablets, so far, this year. Looking at the first and second generation Nexus, the company has proven its capabilities in tech manufacturing. With the release of their Fonepad Note 6, it is clear the company has been inspired by Samsung's recent Note series. What does the Fonepad Note 6 offer?

Whereas Asus may have been inspired by Samsung's Note series, it still executed the product with its own twist. It is not a mere copy of Samsung's phablet. There are several noteworthy specs but also some rooms for improvement if Asus really wanted to challenge the likes of Note 3 and Sony's Xperia line.

(Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Intel Free Press)

Design

Asus first introduced the Fonepad Note 6 during the IFA in Berlin. Despite a round back, the device still appears bulky. People may have to get used to the rubberised plastic surface. It may feel more like hard material instead of a phone. The Fonepad 6 shares some similarities to Google's Nexus 7 since Asus made the device.

According to AndroidPIT, the shape of the body is comparable to the first generation Nexus 7. The matte plastic finish, on the other hand, resembles the second generation Nexus 7. The device appears less compact because of the comparatively wide bezel.

Measuring 8.9 cm wide, people need to use both hands to operate the device. Nonetheless, there is a stylus to make things easier. Asus designed the product for stylus usage; thus, a two-handed orientation works just fine. Users can find the digital pen inside the lower right corner. The same location Samsung incorporated their S Pen for the Note line.

The camera of the device is right at the center on top of the rear. The lack of LED flash may be a bit of a downer for some. Hardware buttons like power and volume control are on the right side. Users can better access these control using the stylus.

The stereo speakers are at the front - right under the display. The workmanship is impressive. Asus made sure there will be no creaking or shaky parts including inaccurate gaps.

Display

The Fonepad Note 6 features an IPS LCD panel with full HD resolution offering 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. Pixel density is at 367 ppi. Asus guarantees users they will hardly see the pixels in an image or video. However, as mentioned, the brightness of the display cannot match comparative LCD smartphones. When compared to the likes of Sony Xperia ZL and Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Asus loses.

Nonetheless, there are still striking display specs on the device like high color saturation. This is comparable to AMOLED display found on Samsung products. Splendid, a camera app, allows users to change temperature and color saturation individually. Users can access the color cast through the slider.

Software and Performance

The device runs on Android 4.2.2 coupled with a number of Asus applications. There are some excellent widgets to work with like the weather app. Other pre-installed programs include dictionary, App Locker, file manager and backup solution. The App Locker allows users to assign individual passwords to their applications.

The Fonepad Note 6 runs on an Intel chipset with two cores clocked at 2 GHz. Whereas the Intel processor cannot compete directly to Snapdragon's 800, the Note 6 offers enough functionality to allow users to accomplish their daily tasks.