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Dynamic duo
When the two parts of the PadFone are docked you can stipulate that the device only uses the tablet battery. Once that is drained, the tablet turns off. This setting also continually charges the phone. Alternatively, power can be drawn from both batteries in parallel.
Asus adds mini apps to the tablet screen
You can also turn the tablet into a battery pack. In this mode, the tablet switches off but will charge the phone from empty in a little over two hours and will easily do so twice over assuming it has a full charge to begin with.
When you recharge the PadFone, you can make the same choice - either the phone gets first dibs on the power or both parts charge at the same time. Of course there’s nothing stopping you charging the two bits separately.
The 2140mAh battery in the phone is a fixed affair just like the battery in the tablet. It will stand you a full day of pretty intense general use but little more, something else it shares with the Nexus 4.
The tablet battery has, at 5000mAh, more than twice the capacity of the phone’s power pack. Looping a 720p video I got four-and-a-half hours on the tablet battery alone and more than seven from the combination of phone and tablet. In mixed use, I got six-and-a-half hours from the tablet and close to nine from the two devices combined.
As well as supporting 42Mbps HSPA+ 3G, the PadFone is also 100Mbps LTE-enabled on the 800, 1800 and 2600MHz bands. It worked a treat on EE’s 4G network. With the tablet acting as an extra power source this is one 4G phone that could actually justify the cost of a decent 4G contract.
Cellular reception and call quality were well up to snuff and the dual-band Wi-Fi radio proved adept at holding a signal even in less-than-ideal locations. Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC round off the wireless options.
The Reg Verdict
The PadFone is such a good idea you wonder why nobody thought of it before. Despite the lack of storage expansion, the benefits of having a phone with an optional ten-inch screen and a reserve battery are obvious, while the handset itself is every bit as good as the Nexus 4. Better in some ways.
The price isn’t exorbitant, either. If you opted for the most affordable Android alternatives - the 16GB Nexus 4 and the Asus MeMo Pad 10 - you would still be looking at around £530 but with 16GB less storage in the phone, a less powerful chipset in your tablet and a lot less convenience.
If the tablet’s screen resolution is putting you off, keep in mind that there will be a more expensive 1920 x 1080 version along soon called the PadFone Infinity. ®
Asus PadFone 2
Combination of Nexus 4-style Android smartphone and 'dumb' 16-inch screen makes for an interesting phone-cum-tablet.
Price: £599
RRP
More Info: Asus' PadFone 2 page
COMMENTS
Highly Rated
Re: Fantastic - except...
I know I shouldn't feed the trolls but -
1) 312dpi is, what, 14ppi less than the iphone 5? Oh, THE HUMANITY! Those eyes of yours must be something else to be able to easily differentiate between 312 and 325 ppi.
2) Modified micro USB (which does work with micro USB, but with a caveat that the connection isn't brilliant if you move the device around) is a problem, but a completely different connection which requires you to buy an adapter to connect to micro USB (which doesn't work brilliantly if you need to move the device around) isn't?
Hmmm..
Re: Fantastic - except...
1. https://www.asus.com/Tablets_Mobile/PadFone_Infinity
2. Think you can still use normal MicroUSB.
Pretty pointless at that price.
You could buy the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 for close to the same price and the tablet experience & screen would be considerably better. You could also upgrade one or the other as you see fit, or only lose half your investment if one of them is lost, stolen or broken.
I suppose there are some advantages to having a dockable phone but they only become compelling if the dock costs less money than a standalone tablet or offers something tangible that can't be achieved some other way.
Re: Shelf life
I find it bizarre that somebody has down-voted this post. Even if I wasn't of the same opinion your view seems like a perfectly valid one.
Have an up-vote to counteract it!
I was intrigued by the concept...
...until I saw the price. This device can be used as a phone or a tablet, never both at the same time, so it offers less functionality than if you simply bought a phone and a tablet. This is especially true of the recently announced padfone infinity. That you can buy a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 10 and still have hundreds in change before hitting the price of the padfone infinity is a bit ridiculous.
If this was two thirds of the price of a separate phone+tablet combo it might be compelling, because that would justify the reduced functionality.
