Hands on: Asus Padfone 2 review

At a special Padfone 2 launch in Taipei today we managed to get some hands on time with Asus' second attempt at a smartphone/tablet pairing.

As was made clear during Asus CEO Jerry Shen's presentation, the company listened intently to the customer feedback on the original Padfone and has made some significant improvements for the device's second generation.

The phone itself is considerably lighter and sleeker than its older brother, measuring in at 9mm at it's thickest point and tapering to just 3mm at its tip.

Retaining the concentric circle patterned back of the original it feels elegant yet sturdy despite the lack of weight. The 4.7-inch screen is certainly a step up from it's predecessor, but somehow feels considerably smaller than the Galaxy S3's 4.8-inch offering than you might expect.

Slide to connect

The phone and the station combined weigh 649g, which is perfectly comfortable for a tablet, despite the additional weight of the phone.

Inserting the phone into the tablet is one of the places where Asus has made a considerable improvement.

Gone is the fold-back hatch that required the phone to be inserted sideways. Now the phone is inserted straight down into the top of the tablet, sliding in comfortably and providing a small vibration to indicate it has been inserted properly. It just as easily slides back out.

Those who remember almost snapping off the original Padfone station's hatch will recognise what an improvement this is.

The tablet dock is styled in a similar fashion to the phone, but when held side by side it lacks a little of the phone's refinement.

The concentric circles on the phone running out from the centered camera look fantastic, but this leaves the tablet wanting by comparison.

Battery life is a big feature for Asus, with Shen boasting that when the phone is docked in the tablet it has a 3G standby time of six weeks.

Without the tablet, Asus claims 3G talk time of 16 hours, browsing of 13 hours, video of nine hours and 3G standby of two weeks. And the Padfone's camera is impressive, offering 6fps for 100 continuous shots and 720p video recording at 60fps.

Early verdict

With the Padfone 2 Asus has presented a product that delivers on much of the unfulfilled promise of the original Padfone.

With pricing that is comparable to the entry level iPhone 5, consumers could well be tempted to pick up this alternative smartphone that is both handsome and can be converted into a tablet.

It's unlikely Padfone 2 will be a truly dominant force and it probably won't see Asus taking Apple and Samsung head on just yet, but the Padfone 2 does see Asus offering something unique and doing it with a good deal of style.