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For all gadget freaks, I am here with hands on review of Asus Padfone mini. The first look of gadget is more than just amazing because of the brand new concept. This gadget is basically a “Smartphone cum tablet”.
It means if you own this gadget you don’t need to carry your smartphone and tablet with you all the time. You can keep all your media data at one place. This device is designed for those who want a big-screen device to read e-books and watch movies and videos but don’t want to carry it around all the time.
What I found in gadget box –
- Smartphone 4 inch
- PadFone Station of 7 inch
- 1 USB cable
- 1 Charger port
- 1 Earphone
- And Gadget handbook
How to Use – The Padfone mini is basically a 4inch Smartphone that can be placed in the tablet dock of screen size 7inch, and once you place your smartphone into the tablet dock, it will synchronize whatever is running on the smartphone’s screen. The tablet dock is officially called “Padfone Station”.
Design – I got the black color device for review and the device was stunning like any other Asus gadget I received. This android device encompasses the Asus own software for better customization.
The smartphone functions are much similar to Asus Zenfone 4. The smartphone looks classy and it has the same metallic strip with concentric semicircles at the chin that we have seen in the ZenFone range. The Home, Back and Task Switcher keys are below the screen and are not backlit.
Available Colors – Charcoal Black/Pearl White/Cherry Red/Sky Blue/Solar Yellow
You can see the loudspeaker; it is positioned next to the rear camera. The metallic power and volume keys look good and feel nice to the touch. Below are pictures of gadget for a more clear view on design. The tablet screen with the gadget works only when the smartphone is put into it, but it has its own battery, a better set of speakers, and a better HD display.
Hardware– Padfone mini comes with the dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor, 1 GB of RAM, dual SIM support, 8 GB of internal memory with 4 GB available for use and 8.0 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front camera. I found this device little heavier.
If we talk about battery life, the smartphone has battery capacity of 1170mAh and tablet part has a battery of capacity 2,100mAh. The sound quality of the tablet speaker is superior to that of the smartphone.
Software– If we talk about software, PadFone mini runs Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) operating system with Asus’s Zen UI. For a detailed look at Zen UI, click here.
Display – The smartphone unit has a 4-inch 480x800p IPS screen while the Padfone station (tablet part) is build with 7-inch HD (800x1280p) IPS display.
Camera – The 8.0 megapixel camera is good for taking shots in proper light. Though there is no flash so do not expect much out of it in low light. Overall the camera of PadFone mini is not particularly good, but it is okay for casual photography. Front camera is also not that good to expect high quality selfies.
Price – Available on Flipkart for INR 15,999, Not Bad Actually 🙂
Conclusion – The concept is cool and will surely attract many gadget freaks but yes lot of corrections and changes are required in the device.
Pros those I found –
- The Unique Concept
- Good for reading and watching videos
- Inbuilt ASUS Zen UI features
Cons those I found –
- Heavy Weight
- No Flash, Average Camera
- No battery life
Overall, I will rate this gadget 2.5 out of 5.
Expecting your responses & queries on same Asus Padfone Mini, Do share with comments.