ASUS Launches Padfone 2 in Malaysia

The arrival of the Padfone 2 marks yet another milestone for ASUS as the hybrid combination of an Android smartphone and a dockable tablet are truly one of a kind.

I’ve seen some pretty interesting gadgets in 2012 and the ASUS Padfone is definitely one of them. Although I’m still not very convinced of the idea of having two a smartphone and a ‘dummy’ tablet, which can only work when the smartphone is docked in, but according to ASUS, a huge percentage of Europeans and Asians find this concept acceptable.

Following the success of the original Padfone that was launched earlier this year, the latest Padfone 2 packs a bigger punch than its elder brother. The Padfone 2 is a fully featured 4.7-inch Android smartphone equipped with some of the latest and most advanced technology available on a smartphone to date.

If the Qualcomm 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM are not impressive enough, perhaps you may wanna take a look at its larger and improved 4.7-inch 720p Super IPS+ display. It uses the scratch-resistant Corning Fit Glass that delivers sharp, detailed images with accurate colours. In laymen’s term, this badass smartphone can take quite a good beating… and scratching… on the screen. It will also show you its true colour with its ultra-wide viewing angles and 550 nits brightness for stunning outdoor viewing. Nits? What’s that? Basically, the nit is a unit of visible-light intensity commonly used for most viewing display. The higher the number, the better it is.

The Padfone 2 comes equipped with a 13-megapixel camera on the back that can capture up to 100 continuous shots on burst mode. It records 1080p HD video at 30fps, or 720p HD video at 60 fps.

The Padfone 2 is also packed with a higher capacity battery. Its 2140 mAh Lithium battery boasts 16 hours 3G talk-time and 13 hours Wi-Fi web-surfing. While the Padfone 2 Station’s 5000 mAh Lithium battery extends 3G talk-time to 36 hours. The Padfone 2 Station’s internal battery has enough juice to recharge the docked Padfone 2 three times over which I find it pretty impressive.

The ASUS Padfone 2 is officially available in Malaysia from 13th December onwards and it is retailed at RM 2,799 (Padfone 2 + Padfone 2 Station) which I feel is a pretty steep price to pay for a smartphone with a very large battery bank with 10.1” display.

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PADFONE 2 SPECIFICATIONS

Networks	WCDMA 900/2100MHz EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz LTE 800/1800/2600MHz HSPA+ (DL: 21Mbit/s, 42Mbit/s (optional) / UL: 5.76Mbit/s) LTE (DL: 100Mbit/s / UL: 50Mbit/s)
OS	Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 (upgradeable to Jelly Bean 4.1) [Dec’ 2012]
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (8064 + 9215m) quad-core Cortex A15 class (1.5GHz) with Adreno 320 graphics
Storage/memory	32GB eMMC Flash / 2GB LPDDR2 RAM
Colour	Black / White (Available in January 2013 onwards)
Connectivity	802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0 & NFC (mobile payment function is optional and by request only) 3.5mm audio jack, Micro SIM ASUS 13-pin dock connector (supports Micro-USB 2.0 &Mobile High-Definition Link for HDMI connection)
GPS	A-GPS & GLONASS
Display	4.7“ (1280 x 720) / 312ppi Super IPS+ (550 nits) Scratch-resistant Corning® Fit Glass with HCLR Film (anti-fingerprint coating)
Main camera	13MP BSI Sensor Sony Camera, f/2.4 Aperture, five-element lens, auto focus with LED flash
Front camera	1.2MP
Other	G-sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, gyro sensor, e-compass
Battery	2140mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)
Talk time	Up to 16 hours with 3G
Standby time	Up to 352 hours with 3G
Video	Video Playback: MPEG4/H.264/H.263/WMV @ HD 1080p Video Recording: MPEG4/H.263 @ HD 1080p / 60fps @ 720p H.264 Video Decode @ 720p / Video Encode @1080p
	H.264 / Ogg / Theora / MPEG4 / WMV / 3GP
Picture	JPEG / PNG / GIF / BMP
Audio	MP3 / WMA / 3GP / AAC / AAC+
Dimension	137.9 x 69 x 9mm
Weight	135g

PADFONE 2 STATION SPECIFICATIONS

Colour	Black / White
Display	10.1“ (1280 x 800, WXGA), 149ppi IPS with capacitive multi-touch Scratch-resistant Corning® Fit Glass with HCLR Film(anti-fingerprint coating)
Camera	1MP front camera 13MP via PadFone 2 rear camera
Battery	19Wh (5000mAh)
Connectivity	3.5mm audio jack via PadFone 2 ASUS 13-pin dock connector (Micro-USB 2.0 Host)
External phone antenna	Wi-Fi & BT, GSM, WCDMA, & LTE receiver diversity
Audio	High-quality speaker with ASUS SonicMaster technology

Tagged ASUS, Padfone 2, Smartphone, Tablet