Conclusion
I've had this phone for almost a month and sadly I probably have to give it back soon. It's been fantastic to use the phone. It's hard to be unbiased, but it truly isIt's been fantastic to use the phone.
In my personal experience section, I did a lot of nitpicking which was an attempt to be unbiased about those little things that you miss or annoys you with a phone, but frankly it was only small stuff that's easily fixable if and when Asus makes a PadFone 3. Every phone has these little things you think can be better and PadFone 2 cannot exempt itself from that.
But having a few bad qualities doesn't mean it's a bad product. As mentioned, I truly think this is the best phone I've had the chance to use. I own a Samsung Galaxy S2, I've tried a few renditions of the iPhone, I've also tried a few HTC and LG phones. None of them measure up to the quality of the PadFone 2. I think it's testimony to the quality of Asus products. I've owned a few Asus motherboards - heck the graphics card in my desktop PC is an Asus product. So I'm no stranger to Asus and what they can do with hardware. And while Asus is a hardware maker first and foremost, the software is up there as well. Granted, on the PadFone 2 the interface is mostly stock Android, but they have done customizations as well as installed a few good apps of their own.
I don't think I need to go over every point I liked or disliked - for that one can read the actual review.
I will however list the pros and cons to summarize on what I liked and disliked.
Pros
- Great build quality
- Smooth Android experience
- Stock Android
- Sleek design
- Versatile product - both a phone and tablet
- Great performance
- Unique
Cons
- Price
- Short USB cable
- Battery life could be better
I must admit I don't think I've delved into the two cons namely price and battery life, but the price is high. You can argue that the price isn't high when considering the fact you get a phone and a tablet. I'd say that's a fair argument, but it's not easy to shell out all that cash all at once. The battery life could be better. I think the phone could fit a slightly larger battery and I reckon that the station could fit a much larger battery without changing the design too much.
Would I recommend this product? Yes. I would definitely recommend it. No other manufacturer makes a similar product and while it's expensive, I reckon the value is great. The phone can last throughout a day, but I recommend charging it every day when you get home just in case. I would guess that goes for most smartphones. The battery life does worsen with a lot of use. The stand-by times are usually great though.
All in all - a great product that I think everyone should try. If you can find a store that sells it, ask them to try out the PadFone 2 and ask to try the tablet mode too. You'll be amazed at the ingenuity. This is a top product and if you're in market for a top-of-the-line high-end smartphone with the best performance and if you want an alternative to the iPhone 5 or Galaxy S3 that everyone has, then this is it.
I am getting mine tomorrow - at least I hope so (testing in Sweden). Did you find it a good thing with the 2 in one... or is it better having 2 separate (phone and tablet that can be used separately) ? In a family where others might want to use the tablet and you don't want to share your phone it could be a problem. Well will be fun to try it :)
SvarSletIt's hard to answer the question. I mean it might be more practical to have two separate devices. However it would be more expensive. The cost of a high end smartphone as well as a high end tablet would be much higher than the padfone 2-in-1 setup. And yeah, it would be a problem sharing the tablet. The padfone essentially operates like a phone which means it lacks the user account features available on regular android tablets. If you wanted to remain in the same price range while buying a stand-alone tablet you'd have to downgrade the tablet to a 7 inch like the nexus 7 but you'd lose screen estate and isn't as fast as the SOC on the padfone. Sorry for the long answer :-) but in short, it works fine for me but I don't have to share either.
SletHey, i bought this padfone 2 and it really sucks!!!. I will never buy such products.I could not use the viber as well as mobile voip at all. Did you tried this stuffs? i really appreciate your help.
SvarSletThanks a lot
I have not tried those apps, but in general if apps don't work it's up to the app developer to fix it. I haven't had any issues with the Padfone with any of my apps so far. So you should contact the app developers to request a fix. I doubt Asus or the PadFone is to blame.
SletImported a Padfone UK two days ago from Taiwan, awaiting delivery. Yesterday ASUS announce Padfone Infinity, thats three models in least than a year. You should not expect your expensive handsets to be updated so often, this last year every manufacturer has gone crazy trying to come up with the perfect form factor, I have been following the Padfone since inception and cannot wait. I will miss my Galaxy Note but not the Touchwiz which is why I didnt go for Note.2. I still have my "forgotten" Dell Streak 5 which started all this phablet frenzy, still performs well now considering its age. Nice blogg, thanks for the information. Andy, UK
SvarSletYeah I do agree that the number of phones being pushed out right now is excessive. It makes you feel like your current phone is obsolete despite buying it a month earlier. However if you’ve bought a PadFone 2, I don’t think you’ve made a mistake even though the Infinity has been announced. The Infinity is a superior phone but the price tag is also larger. So I wouldn’t necessarily call it a PadFone 3. It’s the same form factor, same category etc. but it’s a different segment because of the price.
SletI do agree that the Touchwiz UI does look kinda sore compared to the stock Android. It can be rectified by using custom ROMs but that’s not something everyone wants to delve into.
Keep in mind that the phablet term is reserved for “oversized” phones in the 5-6 inch range such as the Note 2 that you mentioned. The PadFone line of phones are essentially phones with a docking station converting it into a tablet.
Thanks a lot for the kind words. Sadly my testing period is over and I didn’t get to keep the PadFone 2, so I’ll be stuck with my Galaxy S2 for a while (with Touchwiz).