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ASUS' PadFone X mini phone-and-tablet hybrid reaches AT&T
If you liked ASUS' PadFone X but weren't willing to pay that much for the combination of an Android smartphone with a tablet shell, AT&T might soon have what you're looking for. The carrier is bringing the PadFone X mini to the US on October 24th, when it will sell for $200 to GoPhone's prepaid customers. There's a lot of hardware here for the money, although it won't surprise you to hear that ASUS makes sacrifices to give you two devices for the price of one. The smartphone half is a bit better than the regular PadFone mini thanks to its larger 4.5-inch screen, but you're still looking at a dual-core Atom processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front shooter. You're also docking into a 7-inch tablet which houses little more than a front camera and an extra battery, so don't expect a night-and-day difference when you use the bigger screen. With that said, the PadFone X mini beats getting a budget smartphone by itself -- give it a look if you'd rather not buy a separate tablet.
ASUS Padfone X review: A phone to replace your tablet? Not quite.
I doubt ASUS knew it was carving out a place in Android history when it revealed the first Padfone back in 2011. That's not just because it starred in an amazing product unveiling, either -- the resulting Padfone line might be the last surviving example of the "phone-as-brain" movement that fell out of vogue a few years back. In all that time, though, there's one thing US fans could never do: walk into a store and actually buy one. That changes now. After three years and three Padfones, ASUS has finally brought its curious phone/tablet hybrid to the US in the form of the $200 (with contract, anyway) Padfone X. You'd think years of iterating and refining would result in the finest, kookiest model yet, and on paper that certainly seems to be the case. But what is it like to actually use? Has ASUS managed to put its best foot forward for the Padfone's American debut?
What do you want to know about ASUS' PadFone X?
When we first saw the new ASUS PadFone X, we walked away somewhat intrigued by the improvements that had been made to the device. But how does it stand up to the top phones and tablets available today? Our review is coming soon, but now is your chance to ask your questions before it goes live! Head over to the Engadget Forums and get some answers.
ASUS' PadFone X goes global: still a 5-inch to 8.9-inch transformer
The ASUS PadFone X due June 6th can be considered as a slightly rugged version of the regular PadFone Infinity flagship line, but it's only limited to AT&T customers. Luckily, for those outside the US, there will soon be a global variant dubbed the PadFone S. These two models are pretty much identical: You get the same 5-inch-phone-to-8.9-inch-tablet transformation, and the guts include the 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800, 2GB of RAM, full HD displays, microSD slot, 13MP plus 2MP cameras on the phone (1MP front camera on the tablet) and 2,300mAh plus 4,990mAh batteries. The only differences are the 3G and 4G bands for obvious reasons, plus the wireless charging here follows the more popular Qi specifications, as opposed to PMA's. There's no info on pricing yet here at Computex; all we know is that it'll arrive in select markets as early as late Q3 this year.
Hands-on with the PadFone X: ASUS' phone-tablet hybrid arrives in the US
If you're a special sort of person -- I don't know, like a tech writer-- the ASUS PadFone is old news. Since June 2012, Engadget has reviewed three versions of the phone, which comes with a tablet-like dock allowing you to transform it into a big-screen slate. For our American readers, though, it's always been a curiosity -- the sort of thing you could read about, but were unlikely to import all the way from Taiwan. Now you can finally see it for yourselves: AT&T announced earlier today that an American version, the PadFone X, will go on sale June 6th, priced at $199 on-contract. As it happens, I received a loaner unit today at a press event, which means Engadget will have a review up soon, probably closer to the on-sale date. For now, though, I'll regale you with some early impressions of both the 5-inch phone and the 9-inch dock. Come with me if you want to live.
ASUS' modular PadFone X is finally coming to AT&T for $199
AT&T promised back in January that it would launch ASUS' PadFone X hybrid, but the device has been stuck in limbo ever since -- the carrier hasn't given out much more than specs for the phone-and-tablet combo. Today, though, there's finally a date to mark on your calendar. The PadFone X should be available on June 6th for $199 on a two-year contract, or $23 per month if you buy it on an 18-month Next payment plan.
AT&T reveals Asus Padfone X specs, stays mum about pricing and release date
ASUS left us wanting for detailed specs when it showed off the Padfone X at this year's CES -- thankfully, AT&T (its carrier) has finally spilled the beans about the 2-in-1 device. The duo's phone component has a 1,920 x 1,080 5-inch display, a 13-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras. Similar to other Padfones, this handset (when docked) transfers info over to its accompanying tablet, which in this case has a 9-inch display with 1,920 x 1,200 resolution and a 1-megapixel front camera. As we've previously mentioned, the device will be able to tap into AT&T's fledgling LTE-Advanced network, but it can also connect to the internet via WiFi and transfer files via Bluetooth 4.0.
ASUS brings PadFone X to AT&T with LTE-Advanced support and Voice over LTE
You can count the number of ASUS devices that have been carried by AT&T on two fingers, but the GSM network is ready to show off the duo's third collaboration. Dubbed the PadFone X, this is the first in the series to be sold in the US, which ASUS CEO Jerry Shen teased to us last month. The concept is exactly the same as previous PadFones sold in other parts of the world; the hybrid setup consists of a 5-inch smartphone that docks with a 9-inch tablet shell (or "station"), and your smartphone info carries over to the tablet when it's docked. In addition to its unique place as the first of its kind in the US, the X also boasts support for a couple of network features that haven't yet been activated on AT&T's network: Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and LTE-Advanced with Carrier Aggregation. Since pricing and availability for both the device and its unique features are still unknowns at this point, we have a strong suspicion that it'll launch as soon as AT&T is ready to activate its LTE-A network. Specs are relatively scarce at this point (AT&T tells us that we can expect more details at ASUS' press conference shortly), but we know that the device will feature Android 4.4 KitKat, full HD displays and a "large battery" of unknown size. We'll update the post as we hear more, and we expect to get some hands-on time with it soon. Update: Head over past the break to gander at some photos of the device(s) behind glass, ones that we took at the ASUS In Search of Incredible event.
