Why you can trust TechRadar
The lack of a rear-facing camera means anything other than video messaging and selfies with the 1.3MP front-facing snapper is pretty much a non-starter.
The US version of the FonePad features a rear-facing 3MP camera, so all the standard effects are included on the OS for the European model. Unless you particularly want to use sepia tint or greyscale on your own face, there's not a great deal of value in these effects.
Nevertheless, you can adjust the white balance, exposure or scene as well as setting a timer on the shutter.
When it comes to video, the FonePad will shoot 720p HD footage which comes in handy for video calls. Skype is available free on Google Play and when we tested out the video calling facility the FonePad managed well.
There weren't any issues with lag and the image wasn't as grainy as some other lower-priced tablets we've seen.
There are plenty of camera-based apps to download from Google Play, but the lack of a rear-facing camera means you probably won't be taking advantage.
In all honesty, the lack of a rear-facing camera is far from a deal breaker. Asus' other budget tablet - the Google Nexus 7 by Asus also dispenses with the camera and the omission hasn't hurt the sales of that device.
Amazon Prime Video's disappearing act could point to a future without the service
Tesla Cybertruck suffers new recall for a very scary problem
'The party is over for developers looking for AI freebies' — Google terminates Gemini API free access within months amidst rumors that it could charge for AI search queries