Asus Padfone 2 launched, runs a quad-core Snapdragon S4 chipset

After receiving a premature hands-on treatment courtesy Bloomberg India, Asus has launched the Padfone 2.  For those who don’t know Asus’s Padfone concept encapsulates a smartphone and a 10-inch tablet in one convenient sandwich, with the smartphone module being home to most of the processing internals.

The new iteration of the Padfone substantially builds upon the foundations of the original. Starting with the smartphone bit, the device now has a 4.7-inch 720p display which uses Sharp’s IGZO technology. This means one can ramp up the brightness levels to an insane 550nits. Additionally, the very impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core chip clocked at 1.5GHz powers it. Currently only the LG Optimus G uses this powerful stack, and it is perhaps the fastest ARM chip out there. On the camera front we have a 13-megapixel Sony made BSI sensor with a f/2.4 aperture. To give some perspective, even the LG Optimus G uses the very same 13-megapixel sensor. Apart from this, it has a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, Corning Fit Glass, NFC, 50GB of Asus Web storage and a 2,140-mAh battery.
The tablet bit or as Asus likes to call it the Padfone station has a 1,280×800 pixel IPS panel a 5,000 mAh battery which is actually lower than the 6,600 mAh battery on the original Padfone and it has a weird 13-pin connector that handles all video, data and radio signals between the phone and the Padfone station. Notably, this 13-pin connector is compatible with micro-USB as well.

Asus is saying that the Padfone 2 will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but will review an update to Jelly Bean shortly. Additionally the device will be sold in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors. The Padfone 2 can

either be purchased as a standalone phone or with the Padfone station.  Engadget notes that the price of the Padfone 2 ranges between $620 (Rs 32,739) and $750 (Rs 39,607) for the phone alone and the bundle costs an extra $210 (Rs 11,089). Currently, no India related pricing and release dates have been announced.
Photo Credits:  Ashish Bhatia