Will the Padfone 2 use Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip?

A spec for the Padfone 2 has been leaked, indicating it may use a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, but the leak's accuracy is questionable.

Asus is set to officially launch the Padfone 2 on October 16, during a simultaneous event in Milan, Italy and Taipei, Taiwan. Besides a set of benchmark figures, little is known about the final spec of Asus’ follow-up to the unusual Padfone, however a few leaks this week have added a little color to the picture.

The most recent comes from a Japanese site, which spotted a spec list for the Padfone 2 on the NCC’s website — that’s Japan’s communications regulator — which stated the Padfone 2’s model number as A68, and that it would come with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.

This joins a leaked image of the Padfone 2’s packaging, which backs up the A68 model number (the original Padfone’s model number is A66, by the way), and that it will be powered by a 1.5Ghz, Qualcomm 8064 Snapdragon processor.

A quad-core Snapdragon chip was featured in the early benchmark figures, so it’s great to see it listed again, as the exciting Qualcomm APQ8064 is the company’s first foray into the world of quad-core chips, and is set to make its debut in the LG Optimus G very soon.

Questionable sources

If this is correct, then the Padfone 2 is shaping up to be the second device to use the incredibly powerful processor, which given the phone section is the “heart” of the Padfone’s phone/tablet/laptop setup, it needs all the help it can get.

The spec list, which concentrates on the smartphone, continues with a 13-megapixel camera with 1080p video recording, a 1.2-megapixel forward facing camera, LTE connectivity and a 4.7-inch, high definition touchscreen. It’s here where the validity of the leaked picture is called into question, as the screen is described as being both a Super AMOLED panel and a Super IPS LCD, both of which are completely different technologies.

Every rumor should be viewed with skepticism, but when blatant errors like this are on display, one has to treat it as being entirely fabricated. Shame, as the possibility of that Snapdragon S4 Pro chip was very tempting indeed. On the subject of questionable sources, Digitimes.com also says the Padfone 2 will use a Qualcomm quad-core processor, and that Google Android 4.1 will be used instead of Android 4.0 as originally expected.

So, we’ll keep hoping for both the quad-core Snapdragon and Android 4.1, and wait for all to be revealed on October 16.