ASUS PadFone 2 - A Serious Contender

Overview

Most phone manufacturers generally stick to an annual refresh cycle for their flagship devices as it is a win-win situation for both manufacturers and consumers. Companies not only have ample time to research, innovate and develop their next generation products, consumers will at the very least be assured that their products are not going to be obsolete within a few months.

ASUS, just like Apple with its third and fourth generation iPads, is taking a different path by announcing the PadFone 2 six months after the first generation PadFone arrived in the market. What does the PadFone 2 have that warrants such a decision to rush it into the market so quickly? Well, that's what we are going to find out in this review. Before we do so, let's take a quick look at the specs of the ASUS PadFone 2, and how it differs from the PadFone.

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 / 1,280 x 720 pixels Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core 1.5GHz processor 2GB RAM 32/64GB internal storage options (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 Price and Availability: 32GB (S$848), 64GB (S$988). Available with contract exclusively at StarHub. (32GB PadFone 2 + PadFone 2 Station) bundle - S$1,099 (64GB PadFone 2 + PadFone 2 Station) bundle - S$1,239 PadFone 2 Station - S$328

Design and Build

The second generation of PadFone looks no different from the first, except that it is longer and wider to accommodate the bigger 4.7-inch display. We spotted the familiar aluminum frame that wraps around the sides of the PadFone 2, which gives a cool, metallic feel to the device.

When you take a closer look at both PadFones, the differences become more apparent starting from the front of the device. The front facing camera is on the left of the earpiece on the PadFone 2, as opposed to the original PadFone where the camera is situated on the right. 

We also noticed that there is no LED notification on the PadFone 2, which is fast becoming a standard feature in most of the top Android smartphones today. It would have been more convenient if users are alerted to unread messages or missed calls via a blinking LED than to turn on the display to see if there are any notifications.

While the previous PadFone sports on-screen buttons, the PadFone 2 uses capacitive keys which are spaced out equally. We see this change to be beneficial for users as there is now a tad more screen real estate for applications and viewing content. 

ASUS also managed to shave off 0.2mm thickness to keep the PadFone 2 in line with the other high end Android phones such as the 8.9mm HTC One X+ and 8.6mm Samsung Galaxy S III LTE. The difference in thickness between the PadFones are barely noticeable as seen in the photo above. 

Replacing the Power button at the top is a micro-SIM card slot. The 3.5mm audio output jack is still located at the center. If you are upgrading from the PadFone, you may need to adapt to accessing the Power button from the right side instead of the top. 

Following in the footsteps of Apple iPhones, the HTC One series and Motorola Razr Maxx, the ASUS PadFone 2 also sports a non-removable battery and back cover. By now, you should have realized the absence of a memory card slot on the PadFone 2. The trend of omitting a memory card slot appears to be picking up among Android phone makers these days, which we particularly are not favorable of since it is one key advantage that all Android phones used to have over the Apple iPhones.

Features

Like its predecessor, the PadFone 2 ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. As explained in our hands-on article, the main reason for not having Jelly Bean is due to the extra time taken to integrate ASUS's exclusive technology, DynamicDisplay with the new OS. 

If you've used or tried the PadFone before, you will have no problems using the PadFone 2 as the interface remains largely the same except for a handful of new software features. Here's a quick look at three new features:-

Instant Dictionary

Instant dictionary is a new and very interesting software feature on the PadFone 2. Essentially an app to translate foreign languages and check up definitions, Instant Dictionary can easily be enabled via the the pull-down notification bar. You can also select the target languages from an extensive list that includes Spanish, French, Hebrew, Russian, Turkish and Chinese. 

The app also works within several other apps such as CNN, Gmail, Pulse News Reader, Evernote, Facebook, Flipboard, Instagram, Messages and the default Browser. Strangely, Instant Dictionary is not supported on Chrome and Twitter.

Audio Wizard

Audio Wizard aims to enhance your audio experience when using the PadFone 2 in both phone and tablet mode. Developed in conjunction with Waves, the Technical Grammy award-winning audio digital signal processing company, Audio Wizard has five preset settings for users to choose from: music, movie, recording, gaming and speech.

According to ASUS, selecting any of the five modes will boost the frequency response in vital areas to produce a more natural sound. Besides Audio Wizard, the PadFone 2 also features SonicMaster audio technology to deliver an optimal multimedia experience.

ASUS Studio 

If you do not like the way the default Gallery looks or functions, ASUS has its own Gallery app, ASUS Studio. Aesthetically, ASUS Studio looks more pleasing to the eyes with its funky animations and modernized interface. You can view photos and videos via time, location and albums. It also comes with simple photo editing tools such as auto-fix, color effects and sharpening.  

The New PadFone Station

A major highlight of the PadFone 2 is its new Station accessory. ASUS gave the original Station a complete makeover and we really appreciate the company's efforts in doing so. Just to recap the function and purpose of the Station accessory, it is an accessory that accepts the PadFone smartphone to convert the phone into a tablet form factor.

The first thing you will notice when holding the new PadFone Station is its lightweight form factor, which weighs 514g. Compared to its 724g predcessor, the new PadFone Station is easier to handle and bring around. 

The cover and hinge mechanism of the original PadFone Station requires some degree of caution when using it as applying too much force can potentially damage the mechanism. Fortunately, ASUS does away with this mechanism in the new PadFone Station.

To dock the PadFone 2 into the new Station, simply slide the phone in and it will lock itself in place via its 13-pin MHL connector. Due to the use of a new connector, the first-gen PadFone is not compatible with the new Station. Besides the 13-pin MHL connector, ASUS also included four rubber pads along the side to secure the PadFone 2 further in the dock. Once the PadFone 2 is docked securely in the dock, you will feel a slight vibration that affirms the proper docking has taken place.

When we reviewed the first-gen PadFone and its Station, we found out that it took about forty seconds for the tablet to turn on after inserting a powered-off phone. This time round, there is a slight improvement - it took about thirty seconds.

One of the reasons why the new Station is lighter is because it houses a smaller 5,000mAh capacity battery. As a result, it is only capable of extending the talk time of the PadFone 2 to 36 hours. In comparison, the 6,600mAh battery in the first Station can increase the battery life of the original PadFone by up to 63 hours. Choosing between portability and battery life, we rather choose the former as 36 hours is good enough for mainstream consumers. 

It is noteworthy to mention that the combined weight of the PadFone 2 and its Station is 649g, which is still lighter than the third and fourth generation iPads (652g for Wi-Fi model, 662g for cellular model). This is definitely a plus point for consumers who value portability and uncompromised connectivity on the go.

Performance 

The ASUS PadFone 2 is one of the first LTE quad-core smartphones in the market to be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core APQ8064 processor. The first LTE quad-core smartphone to be powered by a similar processor is the LG Optimus G, which was launched in September. Google's latest Nexus 4 also sports the same processor but lacks 4G LTE capability. 

Featuring a similar CPU architecture as its predecessor, the APQ8064 processor has four synchronous CPU cores which can be independently controlled for maximum efficiency. As we've seen in the review of the PadFone, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor was no match for the S4 dual-core processor in the Quadrant benchmark. 

As such, we were very eager to see how the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 APQ8064 (quad-core) processor fares against the current mobile processors in today's top smartphones using the Quadrant benchmark. For those who are unfamiliar with the Quadrant benchmark, it basically evaluates the CPU, memory, I/O and 3D graphics of Android devices. In this comparison, we put the PadFone 2 up against the refreshed HTC One X+, the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE and its predecessor, the ASUS PadFone.

The APQ8064 processor in the PadFone 2 came up top among the phones compared with an overwhelming lead score of 7404. The HTC One X+ was at a very close second place due to a slightly higher clock speed of the Tegra 3 processor and software optimizations on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Clock speed does play a role in benchmarks as the Galaxy Note II (not used in this comparison chart) registered a score of 6080 in the same benchmark despite being powered by the same family of Exynos processors. In comparison, the Galaxy S III LTE had a distant score of 5260.

It is important to note that the PadFone 2 is currently running on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, and when the Android 4.1 update arrives, we are expecting the PadFone 2 to crush the competition with yet another record score.

Putting the benchmark numbers aside, the PadFone 2 has done a very respectable job in providing a smooth user experience over the course of the review. Page scrolling was effortless, and we had no issues accessing multiple apps simultaneously. We encountered no problems during web surfing too.

However, there are a few isolated incidents we encountered. For example, the phone hanged and freezed for a few seconds before resuming normal operation on several occasions such as flipping through the different home screens. WhatsApp also hanged twice when we tried to access the app after multiple chat notifications came in. There was even one incident where we were checking out an overview of the home screens while the phone hanged and refused to return to the main home screen even after we pressed the Home button.

We reached out to ASUS Singapore and were advised to do a factory reset. Fortunately, none of the issues re-appeared after the hard reset. We continued to use the PadFone 2 over several days without any hiccups. We were also informed that ASUS Singapore is working on a software update for the PadFone 2 although there is no information on its availability. So it seems that the small hiccups we've encountered are easily curbed and ASUS is even looking forward to ensure this issue doesn't arise.

Multimedia Performance 

One of the significant changes in the PadFone 2 smartphone is the switch to using an IPS LCD screen technology from the previous AMOLED display. With a 4.7-inch Super IPS+ display (1280 x 720 pixels), the PadFone 2 matches the display prowess of the One X/XL/X+ and Galaxy S III (in terms of size).

The key highlight of its 4.7-inch Super IPS+ display is the application of Sharp's IGZO panel technology where a new semi conducting compound, indium gallium zinc oxide, is used to make the thin film transistors (TFTs). So what makes this technology superior? Well, it is claimed that IGZO panel technology is able to deliver higher pixel densities, lower power consumption and improved signal-to-noise ratios in touchscreen panels. 

In reality, the PadFone 2 fulfilled most of the claims except lower power consumption. We will discuss more on power consumption in our next section. With a pixel density of 312ppi, viewing multimedia content on the PadFone 2 is certainly a pleasure. We were impressed by the sharpness of the text and the accurate colors delivered by the display. 

The PadFone 2 comes with an outdoor viewing mode to boost the brightness of the display up to 550 nits while you are not under shelter. While it is effective for reading messages and navigating the menu under sunlight, we do not advise enabling it indoor as the display can be a bit too bright for comfortable viewing. In addition, enabling the Outdoor viewing mode will drain the battery faster.

Available in three storage capacities (16, 32 and 64GB), the PadFone 2's onboard memory may not suffice for some consumers who tend to carry their huge media library of music and videos in their phones. Taking on a somewhat similar strategy as HTC and Samsung, ASUS is now offering 50GB free WebStorage for two years with every PadFone 2 handset. The first-gen PadFone, on the other hand, has 32GB free WebStorage for three years.

Imaging Performance

The PadFone 2 is a growing breed of smartphones that are equipped with 13-megapixel rear camera sensors. At the moment, there are only a handful of Android smartphones with similar megapixel count such as the Sony Xperia TX/V and LG Optimus G. 

Boasting a Digital Still Camera (DSC) class Sony BSI sensor with five-element lens, f/2.4 aperture, and a dedicated image signal processor (ISP), ASUS claims that the PadFone 2 can deliver the best image quality at zero shutter lag.

Other features of its rear camera include a burst mode that can take more continuous shots (100 at 6fps) than the competition, and high speed 720p video recording at 60fps. In comparison, the HTC One X/XL/X+ is only capable of 99 continuous shots at 3.3fps while the Samsung Galaxy S III can take up to 20 continuous shots at 3.3 fps. A higher frame rate during video recording will deliver better and smoother videos. 

It also has a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera which is able to support both still and motion video recording. We put ASUS's rear camera through our standard imaging test.

Battery Mileage

Our standard battery test for mobile phones includes the following parameters:

• Looping a 800 x 480-pixel video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
  
   
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
  
   
• Constant data streaming through email and Twitter

The PadFone 2 managed an impressive battery uptime of more than 9 hours and 30 minutes, which is slightly longer than the Galaxy S III LTE. Despite having "more cores", the PadFone 2 outlasted its predecessor by close to three hours.

We attribute its excellent battery mileage to ASUS's efficient power management and higher battery capacity of the device. This is evident in our Power Consumption chart, where the PadFone 2 is on equal footing with the Galaxy S III LTE. Its power consumption of 0.85W is only marginally higher than that of the PadFone and Apple iPhone 5, both which have smaller screens that obviously require drain less battery juice. However, considering the traits of the new Padfone 2 and its switch to an IPS LCD display while ditching AMOLED, we're actually surprised that the power consumption of the phone is on par with the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE - that's really an achievement.

As the PadFone 2 is the thickest and heaviest among the phones compared, it ranked behind the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III LTE in ourPortability Index where each device is assessed on its ability to balance battery mileage with its size and portability. Nonetheless, it is still a huge improvement from the PadFone 2 and fares much better than the HTC One X+.

Despite the excellent battery performance under official test parameters, it unfortunately faltered under normal usage conditions which is quite unexpected. From our actual usage, we realized that the PadFone 2 could barely make it through a day at work, particularly when frequent web browsing and instant messaging via WhatsApp were involved. Not only did the battery level drain rapidly, the back of the PadFone 2 felt warm too. Its display also felt a little warm but it was not as bad as the back cover. The screen brightness was set at a minimal and the phone was not logged onto 4G connectivity.

Enabling the Power Saver or Smart Saving mode did increase the battery mileage to a certain extent. You can easily enable the mode via the pull-down notification bar or accessing the app through the Apps List. You can choose to select ASUS Optimized mode or customize your own power saving by scenario. You can also dock the phone into the new Station to recharge the PadFone 2. Taking advantage of the new Station accessory, over the course of the review, we found that we could easily last two to three days of usage with the PadFone 2 and its accessory combined.

Conclusion

Even though the first-gen PadFone was introduced barely six months ago, its successor arrived at a time where companies no longer take into consideration fixed product refresh cycles. Whether consumers like it or hate it, we feel that it is part of ASUS's strategy to remain competitive in this ever-changing smartphone landscape, and the PadFone 2 is its latest attempt to make its presence felt, if its recent earnings haven't done so.

Sporting the latest mobile processor, a 4.7-inch display with one of the best panel technologies, superb imaging performance and a solid design, the ASUS PadFone 2 is ready to fight with the big guys in the market. In addition, ASUS knows that the PadFone 2 needs a unique selling proposition to stand out and that's where its new PadFone Station comes into the picture. It's also a unique proposition for those who can't make up their mind if they really require a tablet companion since the PadFone comes with an accessory to convert the phone into a tablet when required.

We continue to be impressed by ASUS's innovation on its products and that is clearly seen in the PadFone Station. With a lighter and sleeker design, the renewed PadFone Station is the perfect companion accessory to the PadFone 2, and will certainly appeal to the growing market of consumers who demand more from a phone.

It's a pity that ASUS is unable to ship the PadFone 2 with the latest Android version and we really missed the keyboard of the Station Dock. After all, the PadFone Station and Station Dock were the elements that made the first-gen PadFone one of the most versatile mobile devices. In terms of battery life, we were a little disappointed by its real-world battery up-time. If it was able to last at least one full day of use without relying on its Station accessory to extend its up-time, we would have gladly given it a higher rating.

ASUS Singapore will be launching the PadFone 2 soon. Pricing, availability and other information will also be announced. We will update this review article as soon as we have the information.

*Update on 15 Nov 2012: The ASUS PadFone 2 is available in Singapore from 22^nd November. StarHub continues to be the exclusive operator to offer the ASUS PadFone 2. The PadFone 2 will cost $848 (16GB) and $988 (64GB). Click here for more information on its pricing.

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