Rumours of the PadFone Mini have proved to be correct as ASUS has launched this combination device in Taiwan today. The PadFone Mini is based upon the PadFone Infinity, which was first seen at MWC early this year and was updated with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and microSD slot in September. The Padfone Mini combines a 4.3-inch smartphone and a 7-inch tablet dock where the PadFone Infinity paired a 5-inch smartphone and 10-inch tablet dock - presenting a much more compact overall package.
PadFone Mini specifications:
Smartphone
- Display: 4.3-inch Super IPS screen with 960 x 540 resolution
- Processor: Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 chipset (4x Cortex-A7 @ 1.4GHz, 1GB RAM, Adreno 305)
- RAM: 1GB
- Imaging: 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and BSI sensor capable of 16fps, 2MP camera on front
- Storage: 16GB built-in plus microSD card slot
- Connectivity: dual-microSIM, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and GLONASS
- Battery: 1,500mAh
- Physical: measures 129.3 x 65.6 x 8.7mm, weighs 105g
- OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
Tablet dock
- Display: 7-inch Super IPS screen with 1,280 x 800 resolution
- Battery: 2,200mAh
- Physical: 310g (making a total weight of 415g)
The ASUS PadFone Mini is priced at NT$11,990 in Taiwan (about £250) and early bird buyers will get a free extra battery worth NT$790. The device(s) will be purchasable from 14th January 2014 and available in a choice of 'dark chocolate', 'milk white' and 'cherry pink'. The pink one will be available after the other two models but still in time for Valentine's Day.
At the moment the PadFone Mini is only slated for availability in Taiwan, China, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia but in an interview with The Inquirer ASUS confirmed an H1 2014 release for the UK market with pricing to be announced nearer to that time. Hopefully the price can remain similar to that in Taiwan, if not creep down a little due to competitive market forces.
