Finally, one of the most interesting Android devices is coming to the United States. Today at CES, Asus unveiled a new generation of its PadFone two-in-one device that will be carried by AT&T in the coming months.
The Asus PadFone X combines a 5-inch Full HD smartphone with a tablet dock, allowing users to quickly switch between a phone and a tablet experience. Like its predecessor, the PadFone Infinity – recently refreshed with a Snapdragon 800 processor – the PadFone X’ dock is little more than a display with a battery inside, with the docked phone acting as the brains of the ensemble.
Little is known for now about the PadFone X in terms of official specifications, though we know that the display was shrunk to 9-inch, compared to the 10.1-inch of the PadFone Infinity. From the press shots provided by Asus, it seems that design remained mostly the same on the PadFone X, except for the rear speaker grilles, which seem to be gone from their original position.
On the inside, we can expect a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera with PixelMaster, a subsampling-type technology that improves quality in lower lighting conditions. The battery capacity is unknown for now, but AT&T singles it out as a selling point in the press release. The device is capable of LTE-Advanced and HD Voice, although AT&T has yet to flick the switch on for these technologies. We will update with details once Asus makes them public.
The price and availability of the PadFone X “will be announced at a later date”.
INNOVATIVE SMARTPHONE AND TABLET IN ONE TO JOIN THE NATION’S FASTEST AND MOST RELIABLE 4G LTE NETWORK
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2014 – AT&T1 today announced that it will carry the ASUS PadFone™ X, a smartphone and tablet in one, exclusively in the U.S. Pricing, detailed specifications and availability will be announced at a later date.
“We are committed to delivering our customers the most innovative and compelling device portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T. “The PadFone X is first of its kind in the U.S. It combines leading technology, a beautiful design and a remarkably seamless application experience – all on the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network. This allows consumers to run their smartphone apps instantly on a vivid 9-inch tablet display. The magic of it is that the experience is not just bigger, it’s better than on a traditional smartphone.”
“AT&T and ASUS share a passion for innovation and we are very excited to bring the ASUS PadFone X to the U.S market,” said Jonney Shih, chairman, ASUS. “Our technology is capable of instantly turning a premium smartphone into a tablet, giving consumer the ultimate experience on both devices. Together, we look forward to bringing more choices to consumers.”
A Great Screen for Every Scenario
The PadFone X is a 5-inch full HD smartphone that activates a 9-inch full HD tablet when the phone is docked. It runs Android KitKat 4.4. and features a thin and light design with a brushed metal frame, a soft-touch back cover and dual front speakers that deliver captivating audio.
The PadFone X combines both smartphone and tablet into a thin and light package with seamless transitions that lets the user choose between two screen sizes dependent on the task at hand. Its unique design and features include:
- Seamless Transition – Simply dock the smartphone and Apps running will instantaneously auto-adjust to fit the larger PadFone station display.
- Optimal Experience – Consumers can effortlessly select the display experience that’s optimized for the application and their environment at that moment – whether they are watching a video at their kitchen table or taking a call as they run out the door. The PadFone X delivers a uniquely seamless experience that enables today’s mobile life.
- Large Battery – The companion PadFone station includes a large battery. It charges the smartphone’s battery when docked, providing two times longer battery life. This allows users to do more of the things they love, for longer.
State-of-the-Art Technologies
The PadFone X supports LTE-Advanced technology, including Carrier Aggregation. The new product also supports Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and HD Voice.
ASUS and AT&T started working together in 2012 with the launch of VivoTab RT and continued through 2013 with the MeMO Pad FHD 10 LTE. For more information about the PadFone X visit att.com/PadFoneX or watch the ASUS press conference live on Jan. 6 at 12:00 p.m. PST at http://press.asus.com/events. Follow the conversation on Twitter with #PadFone.
AT&T has the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network, according to independent third party data.2 In addition, the company was named America’s fastest 4G LTE network, in PC Magazine’s 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks study of 30 markets – and also swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.3
AT&T is focused on giving our customers top-notch experiences with a single interaction. The company was recently recognized with two major achievements, outperforming competitors for customer service and wireless purchase experience. J.D. Power awarded AT&T the “Highest Ranked Customer Service Performance Among Full-Service Wireless Providers” and “Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Full-Service Wireless Providers” in their 2013, Volume 2 studies.