Padfone – ASUS Padfone 2 – Infinity – Review & Deals – Unofficial Fansite

Last Updated: February 2013

Asus has just wrapped up their Taipei and Milan official unveiling of Padfone 2. We have all the details here and will be updated as more news breaks. The juicy stuff first of course! On this page you will find a review of the Padfone 2 specs, videos section, image section, and my personal take on this incredible new device from Asus.

Summary of Official Padfone 2 Details:

• Amazon Germany is shipping and in stock! EUR 799/899. Details and link –>
• Android Jelly Bean 4.1 is coming now via over the air update. Details here.
• Italy now has Padfone 2 pre orders! We have a link on the side bar –>
• Engadget just posted a review and it’s extensive and it’s incredible. Read the review here.
• will be available in black or white color
• here is the list of official countries where you can buy the Padfone 2 before Christmas: Europe – Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Asia – Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, U.A.E. Availability in other countries will be announced at a later date.
• UK release date early 2013 according to Asus spokesperson. (source: link)
• the Padfone 2 price is (according to the official prices shown at the Milan Asus unveil) is €799 ($1,040) for the 32GB model, and €899 ($1,170) for the 64GB model.  Keep in mind that these prices include the Padfone 2 Station.
• nothing official at the time of writing this, but Europe and the UK will be at the front of the line getting to buy or pre order the Padfone 2. Asus has always brought their 3G and 4G devices into Europe and the Italy unveil later today will provide more details about the Europe pre order situation and when you might be able to buy.
• nothing official regarding a release date in North America
• will be available to buy in Taiwan (black model) next week
• no Padfone 2 Docking Station
• there is no longer a latched docking bay cover on the Padfone Station tablet. Instead, the Padfone 2 phone just slides into the back of the tablet.
• the smartphone is a 4.7-inch 720P Super IPS+ display with up to 550 nits brightness, Qualcomm quad-core APQ8064 processor, 13 megapixel camera, 1.2 megapixel front facing camera, 2GB RAM, NFC enabled, 2130mAh battery, weight of 135g, micro-SIM, and Android Ice Cream Sandwich. An extra 50GB of Asus cloud storage for two years free. There is no microSD card slot on the Padfone 2.
• the Padfone 2 Station is 10.1-inches just like the original Padfone Station, but the new model features are far more impressive. The new Padfone 2 Station will have 1,280 x 800 IPS display, a weight of 514g alone or a total weight of 649g with the smartphone docked.

Padfone 2 Hands-On Reviews – Official Product Videos

This video below tells you pretty much all you need to know about the Padfone 2 regarding specs and details. You could read a bunch of articles to get this information but it’s faster and easier just watching this video. It covers what you want to know like weight, processors, and the other key features that makes this a must have device.

The video below is an official Asus promo video for the Padfone 2 which is less informative but shows how you can incorporate this hybrid device into your everyday life.

The next video below is from TechinStyle which is an Asus website. This is a fantastic hands-on video with great closeups and commentary on the main features. I highly recommend you watch this video.

Another video below from TechinStyle. There is some nice HD quality hands-on with the Padfone 2. This is more of a commentary regarding the making of the device. I like the demo of the docking mechanism and the guy shaking the device upside down showing that you can’t knock the phone out of the Padfone 2 Station. He even slaps it down on his hand trying to dislodge it. It stays intact!

Engadget gets all the fun! They had a chance to record a hands-on with the new Padfone 2 at the event in Taipei. You could say this is one of the first hands-on reviews that hit the internet.

Padfone 2 Photo and Image Gallery

Click On Image To Enlarge

Click On Image To Enlarge

My Review and Commentary of the Asus Padfone 2:

This is my preliminary review and opinion of what I’ve seen over the past day. One word? Whew! I was up until 4am my time working on this content and watching Asus Chairman Jonney Shih work his magic at the Milan launch event. In my opinion, Mr. Shih is the David Lee Roth or Mick Jagger of launch events. A front man who can be entertaining and captivating. Honestly nothing for me is more entertaining and exciting as an Asus event because it’s full of surprises and entertainment thanks in large part to Jonney Shih. I know it sounds nerdy to say that, but I’m okay with being a nerd.

Is there a more entertaining technology presenter than Jonney Shih? Not that I’ve seen. Here is a photo of the Mick Jagger of tech.

Okay, the Padfone 2 in all its glory was finally shown off. Were you impressed? I’ve had time to digest part of the events and the product. One aspect just this afternoon that had me thinking was the thought of having my Galaxy S3 being able to dock into a tablet. At home, imagine how much more useful it would be! This is something that hit me as I thought more about the Padfone 2. If you own a smartphone currently, doesn’t it make you feel like you have a less productive or useful device simply because it can’t do what the Padfone does? I feel that today. I’m sure people will feel this way soon as more people learn about Padfone (with our help of course).

The fact is, the smartphone or Padfone 2 is a beast of a phone. Seriously this isn’t a compromise when it comes to the phone. If you choose to buy a Padfone 2 be assured that it’s one of the best smartphones on the market. But again think about what I said. The Padfone Station allows you to make use of that smartphone is a way just not possible before. You might not pack the Padfone Station dock around with you, but what it does do is allow you to have a completely different user experience with that smartphone which would be most likely sitting idle at home. My current smartphone pretty much sits on the counter when I’m at home. If it was a Padfone 2 (I wish), I would have a second device which doubles my enjoyment and usage of my expensive smartphone. This is such an incredible innovation that you wonder when other companies will need to jump about this. The selling point for the Asus Padfone 2 is quite simply that you are doubling the use of your smartphone. It’s something no other smartphone on the market can claim. It’s huge. Dare I say a trendsetter?

With all that I’ve seen, it all seems very impressive. What’s not to like? Perhaps it’s what’s missing like that original Padfone Keyboard Dock Station or the stylus headset. Those may not be part of the initial unveil but that doesn’t rule those out in the future. At Computex 2012, Asus did show off a monitor which had a Padfone 2 dock at the base. It’s another element of this device which wasn’t part of these launch events but certainly will make this an even more appetizing purchase for people when they look at the usability of the Padfone. Asus talked about intuitiveness, but I talk about usability. The multiple usability aspects of the Padfone 2 is amazing. I know I’m repeating myself but it’s hard not to be totally impressed with the thought of using this device.

(updates coming all day and the day after that and the day after that…)

How do companies manage to keep their products under wraps until the official unveil? I’m sure that’s a question Asus is asking themselves. In just two days we’ve seen about 5 or 6 official press release Padfone 2 images including the new Padfone 2 Station. Not only that but a video shows the top Asus executive showing off the Padfone 2. The video I would imagine was not supposed to be made available online. If a hands-on demonstration of a yet to be announced and unveiled product is done after an interview, then it might be safe to assume it’s a confidential hands-on. Did the Asus exec know the cameras were rolling? I suppose. They simply can’t be happy to have that type of footage on the internet just days from their official unveil. Lessons learned I’m sure in this.

The images are on Engadget here and the video is on YouTube here.

I have a take on what’s been shown. If you take close note of the hands-on video you will see a charging port on the bottom of the Padfone 2 Station. I’ve checked and the Transformer tablets, including the Padfone 1, all have the charging port in the center, but they also have 2 connector ports for attaching to the keyboard dock. I clearly don’t see any of those connector ports in the video. The photos are inconclusive. This leads me to believe that there is not going to be a Padfone 2 Docking Station. That was part of the rumor out there. This is not a fact, it’s just my opinion. Based on feedback and cost, it’s quite possible that the 3-in-1 idea was too grandiose and a simplified Padfone 2 and Station would be more mainstream and practical. Also consider that Asus may be releasing a Padfone monitor which could offer up a similar usability for the Padfone 2. It’s exciting and trying to guess is half the fun.

Click on the above image to see even more details of how the Padfone 2 will look. You can see on the bottom of the photo what appears to be the back side or redesign of the tablet. I can clearly see a new contour and it looks a lot different than the first generation Padfone tablet that’s for sure.

Note where you need to be on October 16 for the live stream. A live stream! That’s exciting. Note that the start time is Milan time.

Asus launched a new Padfone 2 page here.