ASUS launches Fonepad 8 FE380CG tablet for Rs 13,999 in India; Lava's IRIS Alfa budget smartphone available for Rs 6,550

Taiwanese handset and tablet manufacturer ASUS has launched a new Fonepad tablet in the Indian market. Christened Fonepad 8 FE380CG, the device runs on the Android operating system and has an 8 inch display. According to the company, Fonepad 8 features an all-new design that is lighter and narrower than its predecessor, yet offers a larger viewing area due to an ultra-narrow bezel. It has been priced at Rs 13,999 in India.

"The tablet features next generation interface 'ASUS ZenUI' that improves on your smart device experience, giving you a brand new user interface that features over 1,000 upgrades and enhancements over the standard Android operating system," said Peter Chang, regional head, South Asia and country manager, System Business Group, ASUS India.

In addition, Lava has also added another smartphone to its IRIS family of devices. Called IRIS Alfa, the smartphone runs on the Android OS and sports a 5 inch display. Targeted at the budget segment of the market, it is available for Rs 6,550 in the country.

Here is a look at the specifications of the devices.

ASUS Fonepad 8 (FE380CG) for Rs 13,999

The tablet has an 8 inch WXGA IPS touchscreen display (1280×800 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system. It is powered by a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3530 quad-core processor and has 2GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 16GB, which can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.

Fonepad 8 (FE380CG) comes with a 5 mega pixel autofocus rear camera that can also record videos, as well as a 2MP front facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G, as well as a microUSB port and a microSD card slot. The company has provided a 4,000 battery in the tablet that it claims will provide up to 21 hours of talk time and 12 hours of video playback.

While the exact dimensions of the device are not available as of now, it is 8.9mm thick and weighs 310 gm. It is available in black and gold colours. Fonepad 8 comes with ASUS ZenUI, featuring a new visual design that contains 'flat' icons, device-matching color themes, animations, new ringtones and notification sounds, and a clean layout to present information clearly.

Lava IRIS Alfa for Rs 6,550

This one features a 5 inch FWVGA IPS touchscreen display (854x480 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system. It is powered by a 1.2 quad-core processor and has 1GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8GB (2.38GB storage available to the user), which can be further expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card.

Lava IRIS Alfa has a 5MP autofocus rear camera (with BSI+ Sensor) with LED Flash that can record full HD videos (1080p) at 30 fps, and a front facing VGA camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device has Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, 3G, as well as a microUSB port and a microSD card slot. The company has provided a 2,200 mAh battery in the device that it claims will provide up to 22.7 and 14.5 hours of talk time on 2G and 3G respectively.

The dimensions of the device are 141 mm x 71.4 mm x 9.2 mm and its weight is 156 gm. It comes with dual-SIM capability, GPS (with A-GPS support), and is available in black and white colours. In its price range, it will compete with the likes of Xiaomi Redmi 1S (Rs 5,999), Motorola's Moto E (Rs 6,999), and Lenovo A6000 (Rs 6,999), among others.