Hands-on: ASUS PadFone 2

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

It was about six months ago when ASUS launched the first generation PadFone in Singapore. Back then, the ASUS PadFone introduced a new handphone / tablet hybrid concept where the PadFone is able to dock into its Station to become a tablet, and morphs into a netbook with its Station Dock.

While the concept is truly innovative, our major gripe is the bulky PadFone Station which weighs a hefty 724g. Taking the feedback seriously, ASUS went back to the drawing board and improvise on the PadFone.

Today, ASUS took the wraps off the second generation PadFone, also known as the PadFone 2. Before we dive into the details, here's a quick rundown of the specs of the ASUS PadFone 2: - 

Key highlights of the ASUS PadFone 2 Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (Upgradeable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean) 4.7-inch Super IPS+ display/ 1280 x 720 pixels Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core 1.5GHz processor 2GBRAM 16/32/64GB internal storage (no memory card slot) 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera / BSI sensor / F2.4 aperture / Five-element lens / LED flash 2140mAh (non-removable) 137.9 x 69 x 9mm 135g Colors: Black and White Availability: Expected to be launched before the end of December in Europe (Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania , Spain, and Sweden) and Asia (Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and U.A.E). Availability in other countries will be announced at a later date

Comparing the ASUS PadFone 2 and the PadFone 

Design 

Compared to the first-gen PadFone, the ASUS PadFone 2 is "bigger" in almost every aspect. Right off the bat, you will notice a slight increase in the screen size from 4.3-inch to 4.7-inch. This essentially places the PadFone 2 among the big boys, the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III.

While the first-gen PadFone utilizes a Super AMOLED display, the PadFone 2 comes with a Super IPS+ display which is based on Sharp's IGZO technology and is capable of delivering 550nits of brightness. 

This is rather impressive considering that the 10.1-inch display of ASUS Transfomer Pad Prime can deliver up to 600nits of brightness. We recently covered Sharp's showcase of the IGZO display technology at IFA 2012. To find out more about IGZO, click here.

Due to the 4.7-inch display, the PadFone 2 is longer and wider but marginally thinner than its predecessor. 

Similar to most high end Android smartphones, the ASUS PadFone comes with a microSIM card slot. The microSIM card slot is located at the top portion of the PadFone 2. Having said that, the PadFone 2 has a non-removable battery and does not come with a memory card slot.

Hardware Specs 

One of the most prominent upgrades over the first-gen PadFone is the processor. It is the second Android smartphone after the LG Optimus G to be powered by Qualcomm's latest S4 quad-core processor. According to ASUS, the ARM-Cortex A15 chip delivers more power at higher efficiency compared to ARM-Cortex A9 chips. We wanted to conduct the Quadrant benchmark test on the PadFone 2, but we were told that the unit was a prototype.

As points of reference, the first-gen ASUS PadFone with Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor scored an impressive 5,297 in the Quadrant benchmark while the Exynos 4212 Quad quad-core Cortex-A9 chip in the Samsung Galaxy S III managed a score of 5,294.

The NVIDIA-Tegra 3 processor of the HTC One X failed to match up with the competition with a low score of 4,025. Qualcomm also recently demonstrated the prowess of its APQ8064 chipset and its benchmarks results blew the competition out of the water.

With these numbers in mind, we are very excited to test out the review unit when it arrives. During our time with the PadFone 2, the user experience was very smooth. Considering that it is just a prototype and running on Android 4.0.4, we expect the finalized retail units to be even more impressive.

Another highlight of the ASUS PadFone 2 is its 13-megapixel rear camera. On paper, it is on-par with the LG Optimus G and Sony Xperia TX. Strangely, the aperture is smaller compared its predecessor at F2.4. A bigger aperture allows you to capture better images under low light conditions. We were unable to test out the camera's features and performance as the unit was a prototype.

No Jelly Bean Out of the Box

To be honest, we were disappointed that ASUS did not ship the PadFone 2 with the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. With the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE and Galaxy Note II shipping with Jelly Bean out of the box, we did not understand why the PadFone 2 still runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.

It is even more puzzling when you take into account that ASUS is the manufacturer of the Google Nexus 7, the first Android 4.1 device. When queried, ASUS stated that the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean should be out sometime next month, the same time frame as the expected launch of the PadFone 2 in Singapore.

An ASUS spokesperson stated that time is needed to integrate ASUS's exclusive technology, DynamicDisplay with Android 4.1. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, DynamicDisplay will ensure that the app remembers when you stopped so that you can immediately resume where you left off before docking the PadFone 2 and vice versa. 

Given ASUS's excellent track record in delivering Android OS updates to its tablet devices (1) (2), we are confident that the company will come up with the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as soon as they can.

ASUS PadFone 2 Against the Competition 

ASUS unveiled the PadFone 2 at a time where competition is very stiff. LG stole the limelight recently with its Optimus G, the world's first quad-core LTE smartphone. HTC also recently released the One X+, an upgraded version of the One X. Samsung, as the top phone maker, is not resting on its laurels either with its introduction of the LTE version of the highly popular Galaxy S III. Here's a quick look at how the ASUS PadFone 2 fares against the competition: - 

New PadFone 2 Station

Launched alongside the PadFone 2 is the upgraded Station accessory. Unlike its hefty predecessor, the new PadFone 2 Station is significantly lighter, slimmer and hence easier to tote around. 

It is noteworthy to mention that the combined weight (649g) of the ASUS PadFone 2 and its new Station is even lighter than some tablets such as the third generation Apple iPad (662g). When compared to the combined weight (853g) of the first generation PadFone and its PadFone Station, the difference is even more apparent as ASUS managed to shed more than 200g off the weighing scale.

Here's a table highlighting the differences between the new PadFone 2 Station and its predecessor:  

Unfortunately, the ASUS PadFone Station Dock doesn't have a successor for the PadFone 2. For those who prefer to type on physical keyboards, we suggest that you can look around for third party keyboards which you can connect via Bluetooth to a tablet.

Since the ASUS PadFone 2 supports LTE connectivity, you can be well assured that your phone will not run out of battery juice since the PadFone comes with a beefier 2140mAh battery. If that's not sufficient for your needs, you still can count on the PadFone 2 Station to last you through a day or two.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, the ASUS PadFone 2 is a worthy successor. It has one of the best hardware components in the market which will enable it to stand out among the sea of Android smartphones. Coupled with a sleek design, good build quality and handling, the ASUS PadFone 2 is ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Android powerhouses.

The ASUS PadFone 2 is expected to be launched before the end of December in Europe (Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden) and Asia (Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and U.A.E). Availability in other countries will be announced at a later date.

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