Asus PadFone Infinity Brings Better Screen, Faster Processor and High Price Tag
If the idea of holding a seven-inch phablet up to your head doesn’t sound appealing, then you might find the Asus PadFone Infinity to be a better solution.
Announced alongside the Asus Fonepad, the PadFone Infinity features a five-inch smartphone that transforms into a 10.1-inch tablet when docked into an accompanying accessory. (The Samsung Galaxy Note might have put the term “phablet” on the map, but I’d argue that the PadFone was the original.) It’s the third model in the PadFone series, and it improves on previous versions with a faster processor, bigger screen and more.
The 4G LTE smartphone runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and features a five-inch, 1,920 by 1,080 touchscreen. (The PadFone 2 has a 4.6-inch, 1,280 by 720 display.)
On the back there’s a 13-megapixel camera that incorporates technology to help capture more details and improve low-light performance. There’s also a front-facing two-megapixel camera. Powering the device is a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
The tablet part of PadFone Infinity is simply a shell and doesn’t work until you dock the smartphone into the back. Once connected, it provides access to everything you have on your smartphone, and it automatically reformats everything to fit on a 10.1-inch, 1,920 by 1,200 pixel touchscreen.
I got a chance to check it out here at Mobile World Congress, and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the PadFone Infinity has a high-quality design. The smartphone’s screen is simply gorgeous.
Also, the transition from smartphone to tablet was seamless. Once docked, the tablet came to life and, as far as I could tell, there weren’t any problems with apps not displaying correctly on the larger screen.
The benefit to such a design is that you don’t have to sync your apps between two devices. It also saves money on your mobile bill, since you don’t have to add another device to your data plan.
That said, it doesn’t help reduce clutter, since you still have to carry around two gadgets. It’s also incredibly expensive, at about $1,300. For $600 less, you could get the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 tablet.
The Asus PadFone Infinity is expected to be available in the U.K. starting in April. There are currently no plans to bring it to the U.S.; though, like previous versions, you should be able to buy it online.
RELATED POSTS:
- Google’s Rubin: No Need For Retail Stores
- Andy Rubin: Samsung’s Android Success Mostly About Just Executing Well
- Google’s Andy Rubin on Firefox OS: “In General, I Feel Friendly”
- Viking’s Vision for a Cellphone-Free Future
- Apple Now a Bit Easier to Deal With, and Other Observations From France Telecom’s Straight-Talking CEO
- Asus Tries Another Phone-Tablet Hybrid, This One With Intel Inside
- Visa Taps Samsung for NFC Payment Deal
- Nokia CEO: Windows Phone Line Needs to Still Hit Lower Prices Over Time
- webOS Finds New Life Yet Again, This Time in LG Televisions
- Sony Xperia Tablet Z Set to Make Splash in U.S. This May
- Nokia Adds to the Windows Phone Family With Lumia 720, 520
- With New Windows Phone Models, Nokia Aims to Better Compete on Price
- GM Says AT&T’s 4G LTE Will Replace Verizon Service at Heart of OnStar
- Intel Still Nibbling Around the Edges in Mobile
- Yep, Samsung’s Galaxy S IV to Launch at March 14 Event in New York
- Surprise! HP’s New Slate 7 Tablet Runs on Android.
- Meet Mozilla’s Host of New Mobile Partners
- Samsung Takes Aim at iPad Mini With Galaxy Note 8.0
- What to Expect When You Are Expecting a Lot of News Out of Barcelona
- Mobile World Congress: The Event You Don’t Want to Miss — Or Launch a Product At
- Qualcomm’s New Snapdragon Processor Packs Two More Surprises