By Johnny Wills | Oct 16, 2012 10:05 AM EDT
Just four months after releasing the original Padfone, Asus comes up with a successor to the smartphone-in-a-tablet hybrid device.
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Asus announced the original Padfone back in February this year, while it went on sales in the summer. The device came up with a surprisingly new concept and design, but the device's sales were not surprising. However, Asus aims to turn the new smartphone-tablet hybrid approach into a big hit with the Padfone 2, just like Samsung did with the Galaxy Note.
Asus took wraps off the Padfone 2 in a media event in Taiwan on Tuesday, following a similar event in Milan. The Padfone 2 is crafted with a 4.7-inch HD display utilizing Sharp's new IGZO technology and boasts a pixel density of 312 ppi. The smartphone runs on a faster 1.5GHz quad-core Krait processor. It has 2GB of RAM and comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage models.
The 13-megapixel BSI sensor from Sony located at the back adds some photography muscle to Asus Padfone 2, as it can shoot up to 1000 continuous shots at full resolution. It can also record full-HD 1080p videos at 30fps and 720p HD videos at 60fps. There is also a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera in the device.
The Padfone 2 runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out-of-the-box. However, Asus promises a Jelly Bean update in the near future. The Taiwanese company is also offering 50GB of free cloud storage for two years via its new WebStorage service to Padfone 2 buyers.
The tablet version of the Padfone, dubbed Padfone Station, has 10.1-inch IPS display boasting a resolution of 1280 X 800 pixels. Packing a monstrous 5,000 mAh battery of its own, the Padfone Station will sell as an optional accessory.
Asus will start selling the Padfone 2 in Taiwan later this week. Padfone's main smartphone component is priced at 17,900 Taiwan dollars (about $615) for 16GB model, 19,900 Taiwan dollars (about $685) for 32GB model and 21,901 Taiwan dollars (about $750) for 64GB model. Customers who want to purchase the optional tablet component have to spend additional 8,990 Taiwan dollars, or about $305, on the Padfone Station accessory.
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