Smartphones have for some time been trying to become productive devices. There are some that have achieved a good level of productivity like the BlackBerry Passport and the Samsung Galaxy Note. But it is not a virtue in most of the touchscreen phones. Not everyone is comfortable typing long pieces on these devices or working in spreadsheets or presentations. Tablets are supposed to be better but have still not got widespread acceptance as a white collar office device. The Asus Padfone Mini takes a middle path, or should I say straddles both the paths, by giving you both features in a single device.
The Asus PadFone Mini is actually a 4-inch smartphone that can dock into and power a larger display. The dock, despite looking like a tablet, is a dock. Its capabilities are limited to offering a larger screen a more battery life. It has no existence independent of the phone that powers it.
What is good
The form factor is good and can woo those who initially bought a 7-inch tablet with calling. This device will be an upgrade for them, now that they will have an actual phone along with the tablet. Zen user interface running on the phone and tablet is easy to use. There are some good feature likes the cloud backup and What’s Next. The UI has a good keyboard that makes it easy to type.
The battery life is a big bonus if you are carrying the entire combo. But the 1500mAh battery on the phone is woefully insufficient on its own. The phone does not offer a HD screen, neither does the tablet. But you won’t miss a better screen in either. The 8 MP camera is good and has the low light qualities of the ZenFone. The pictures also don’t appear all that over saturated.
The price is good too, considering you can think you are getting two devices for the price of one. The combined battery life is good and will easily last you 24 hours.
What is not so good
The Asus PadFone Mini is not exactly a new phone. It is well over a year old. However, this version, thankfully, has been upgraded and runs Zen UI based on Android KitKat and not Jelly Bean as in the original. The processor is now from Intel and not Qualcomm. A lot of the good things in the ZenFone series have rubbed off on this device in a good way. But it is still hard to imagine this as a new device and one look at the specs will tell you that.
With the phone docking into the tablet, the entire contraption becomes a bit unwieldy. It is about 380 grams in total weight, but the phone jutting off the back makes is a bit tough to grip. However, the phone itself is pretty handy and lightweight.
While you will not encounter any major lag while using the phone, the overall performance is actually a bit below par when compared to even the ZenFone. Asus seems to be clearly targeting the budget buyer with this phone and that is the kind of performance you are getting. The battery life of the phone is just 1170 mAh and that is a big issue, if you don’t want to carry the dock with you all the time. There is just 3.5 GB storage for the user. Asus could have added some storage in the dock too.
Should you buy the Asus PadFone Mini? That is a tough one to answer, especially since I am not clear who this device is meant for. I would just say that if you are the sort who will be happy using an affordable 7-inch tablet as your phone, then this could be a good option. I like the concept of the phone, but I feel the people who might really want a device like this would be underwhelmed by the specs on the phone.
