Asus padfone 2 review

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I've got my hands on asus padfone 2 - Asus' second attempt in phone and tablet pairing.

If you have never heard what is padfone, it is an innovative concept created by Asus to bring the phone and tablet in one device.
The tablet is just a separate device with an extra battery inside, but otherwise all the computing power come's from the phone itself.


Let's start from package.






Package where the padfone 2 rests, is very simple. Front is clearly evident what this is about. The back cover has the phones specifications, but it will remain a mystery why the text has been left so small. Lower left corner of the back cover has QR code, which will open the Asus padfone 2 product page.
The package is designed to be attractive, and there is nothing too much or too little.

I noticed a problem when opening the package, this is a matter of opinion, but i think the package lid was a bit hard to open. The lid is made ​​so firmly that it must be slightly shaken and hope gravity to do the trick. However, if the package does not have the phone or tablet, the lower weight is negligible and makes the opening of the cover even more difficult - if not impossible to open without breakage of the cover.




The first glance at the content is shown in the picture. Package reveals a tablet and a phone in the tray with plastic film to protect individual schedules. Tablet film is marked with the power button, volume control, camera and data port locations. On the phone's film are asked to read the quick start guide.




Lifting the tablet and the phone out of the way, reveals accessories. On the left is the Asus stylized multi-housing, in which you can set the tablet. Lifting the case reveals a door with instruction leaflets. At right side from top to bottom are earphones, charger with usb port and a data cable.




Inspecting the accessories, I noticed that the data cable has a peculiar head. It is similar to the micro-usb connector, but on both sides of the connector there are small hooks. This is presumably done for the purpose of not breaking the phone connector, for example if the phone is dropped when plugged to the charger. USB port is compatible with the traditional micro-usb connector, so adapters are not required.






The included multi-function case is very convenient. It has three different functions.
The tablet can be either put into the shelter as a whole, or it can be set to the casing in two ways:
1) upright position for viewing video or
2) a lower position for writing

Inside the case is also a guide which will show how to use the housing. In addition, there was a fair-sized embroidered matte black microfiber.
The lid remains closed with magnets.








Phone itself is also very simple -there are only two physical buttons for volume and power. The front has a familiar look to the more expensive smartphones, no physical buttons, the manufacturer's logo, front camera and speaker. Front camera is 1.2 megapixel. Between the camera and the speaker can be found the proximity and light sensors. At the bottom can be found three touch buttons that are backlit with LED lights when power is on. The large 4.7 "Super IPS+ 720p display takes up most of the front of the state. The screen is protected by Corning's scratch-resistant glass with anti-fingerprint coating. After swiping the screen, i still could see the fingerprints. They do not appear as much as in competitors devices, so some progress is clearly visible.

Above the center is a 3.5 mm jack. On the right side of the jack is the slot for sim card. You need a pointed object to open the tray. Package comes with a clip, which is used to open it. In my opinion, this could have been another type of solution, such as a notch, which can easily open the door with your fingernail. Perhaps the decision of this has been a traditional appearance versus practicality. The phone uses the new micro sim-card.

At the rear of the phone is a 13-megapixel camera with LED light. The camera can shoot full 1080p video. Next to the camera is the speaker.
The rear cover is fixed, and the texture is somewhat rough. The pattern is called zen and it starts from the camera.

On the right side of the phone are volume and power buttons. As a negative I could mention the lack of a separate camera button. However, the software compensates this deficiency excellent.

The phone itself is sturdy.






Padfone 2 station is equipped with a 10.1 "1280x800 IPS display, which also has the coated Corning glass.
On the front can only be found the manufacturer logo, 1-megapixel camera and a light sensor. The left side of the top of the case is volume control and on-off button.
The back of the right side is a large speaker, and in the middle is the dock for the phone. On the slot, there are instructions how to dock the phone properly.
Padfone 2 station is made of plastic and it does not feel the same way as the phone itself. One would expect this to be the same material as the phone for the price.






Docking the phone to the tablet is quite simple. Phone is slided in to the slot so that the back cover is visible. You dont need to use much force to dock the phone as it slides very smootly in. When the power is on, the phone vibrates when it engages.

Asus has done no great changes to the original android interface. -
This also comes with a slew of pre-installed Asus' own programs, which it hopes will lead to increased use of value of the phone.
This has been achieved very well in my opinion.

The price may be a threshold for some people because padfone 2 is priced at €800 upwards. However, please remember that it comes with a full-blooded tablet, which blends seamlessly with the phone. If you want to compromise on the price, however, you can buy the phone without a tablet.
If I compare the price to the most recent apple logo-end phones, the price is not so bad compared to the performance and qualities.

Specifications:

Operating system :
Android 4.1 Jellybean

Dimensions:
Phone 137.9 x 68,9 x 9 mm (PxLxK), 135 g
Tablet 263 x 180,8 x 10,4 mm (PxLxK), 514g

Processor:
Quad core 1,5 GHz:n Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro Krait (Cortex-A15 class) and Adreno 320 -graphics

Memory:
2 Gb RAM

Storage:
16/32/64 Gt internal Flash
50 GB free of charge ASUS Webstorage for 2 years (Cloud storage)

Connectiviy technology:
WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth V4.0, NFC

Network standard:
LTE/WCDMA
HSPA+ UL:5.76 Mbps/DL:21 Mbps
LTE UL:50 Mbps/DL:100 Mbps

2G:
EDGE/GPRS/GSM : 850/900/1800/1900

3G:
WCDMA :900/2100

4G:
LTE: 800/1800/2600

GPS:
AGPS & GLONASS

display:
Phone 4,7", HD 1280x720 Super IPS+, Corning Glass with anti-fingerprint coating
Tablet 10,1", WXGA 1280x800 IPS, Corning Glass with anti-fingerprint coating

Standby time:
336 hours (3G)

Talk time:
16 hours (3G)

Camera:
-Phone
Front 1.2 Mega-Pixel
Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, F2.4 Aperture, 1080p video recording
5 -element lens
-Tablet
Front 1 Mega-Pixel

Audio:
MP3/3GP/AAC/AAC+

Audio slot:
3,5 mm

MHL Output:
1080P30
1080P24
720P60
480P60

Pros:

The display image quality and accuracy
Cameras image quality and camera application
The sturdy metal frame phone
LTE support
Phone and tablet in one device (1 subscriber)
Usability with station
Performance
Station also serves as the charger (power pack)
NFC and USB-OTG Support
Accessories

Cons:

No memory card slot
Price
Station sturdiness with reservations
Battery life