Asus has unveiled its brand new Padfone Infinity at a dedicated event in Taipei, revealing a Snapdragon 800 CPU.
The tablet/smartphone combo will now feature a speedy 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU and there’s a new microSD card storage expansion slot as well.
Asus CEO Jerry Shen put particular emphasis on the camera capabilities of the new Padfone Infinity during the launch, probably in light of the slew of camera-centric smartphone recently announced, including the Sony Xperia Z1, Nokia Lumia 1020 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom.
New Asus Padfone Infinity Features
The new Asus Padfone Infinity smartphone features a 5-inch 1920 x 1080p Full HD Super IPS display running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean rather than the original Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Powered by a new 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, the new Padfone Infinity has the same 2,400mAh battery as before, which is bound to affect the battery life.
The introduction of a microSD card slot has meant Asus has dropped the internal storage offerings from 32GB and 64GB to 16GB and 32GB on the new Padfone Infinity.
Despite Shen’s focus on photography, the new Padfone Infinity has the same 13-megapixel f/2.0 sensor, but it’s the new technology within that that is of most interest.
The new Padfone Infinity has gained the PixelMaster feature that combines multiple pictures to create a smaller but shaper 3-megapixel image. This operates in a similar way to the oversampling technology featured in the 41-megapixel snapper of the Nokia Lumia 1020.
There is also a new Tubro Mode burst for the rear camera of the Padfone Infinity that offers bursts of up to 35fps, but that is only possible for images with a maximum resolution of 3-megapixels.
Bar these new features, the new Asus Padfone Infinity is practically the same beast on paper, except there’s new 4G LTE 800/1800/2600 compatibility.
As before this powerful smartphone slots into a 10.1-inch tablet, and those who bought the original version can choose to only upgrade the phone as the tablet dock hasn’t changed in the update.
New Asus Padfone Infinity Release Date and Price
The new Asus Padfone Infinity will cost around $640 for the smartphone SIM-free, with the tablet priced at approximately $240. No UK pricing or availability details have been announced as yet.
Available in Titanium Black and Platinum White, the smartphone has been given a diamond cut on the rear of the device to mark the new version.
Next, read our pick of the best mobile phones of 2013.
Via: Engadget
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