If you can't make the decision between a smartphone and tablet, AT&T and Asus are sure to tempt you with the Asus PadFone X.
AT&T deserves huge props for taking a gamble on unproven devices. The carrier will go down in history as the first carrier to offer Apple's revolutionary iPhone and managed to keep the smartphone exclusive to its airwaves for years.
The carrier already offers its customers a wide variety of tablets, which many other carriers now sell in order to get customers to sign more contracts in exchange for subsidized tablets. One smartphone and tablet maker in particular is taking a new approach.
When you think of converging a smartphone and tablet, you probably think of devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and its 5.7-inch display or the 6-inch LG G Flex or Nokia Lumia 1520. Asus is taking the phablet idea in another direction and the company and AT&T have announced the Asus PadFone X.
"We are proud to add the innovative ASUS PadFone X to AT&T's leading device portfolio," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president - Devices, AT&T. "PadFone X provides tremendous value and flexibility to consumers. It combines a powerful smartphone with a 9-inch PadFone station and runs on the network that covers more than 99 percent of all Americans."
The Asus PadFone X is a very unique device and concept; it's a 2-in-1 device. The 5-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD display smartphone can turn into a 9-inch 1080p Full HD tablet thanks to its included PadFone Station (9-inch Full HD display), which the PadFone X slides into and becomes the brains of the operation. Some of its standout features are made possible through ASUS's DynamicDisplay technology, which allows apps running on the handset to be automatically resized for the larger display. Gamers and music fans will appreciate its dual front facing stereo speakers.
Asus released a statement about its new partnership with AT&T:
"AT&T and ASUS are passionate about providing incredible experiences, and we are very excited to offer the compelling combination of PadFone X on AT&T's 4G LTE network. PadFone X offers the ability to instantly experience multiple displays via a premium smartphone and tablet," said Jerry Shen, CEO, ASUS.
The PadFone X features a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a microSD expansion slot that will support up to 64GB microSD cards. It's packing a 13-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front facing shooter. The smartphone has a 2300 mAh battery which can be charged while the PadFone X is docked in the PadFone station, which includes its very own 4990 mAh battery.
AT&T will begin selling the Asus PadFone X on June 6 online and in stores for $0 down and 24 monthly payments of $22.92 or $199.99 when signing a new 2-year contract. Check out the video below to see the PadFone X in action.
