ASUS Announces PadFone mini

Las
Vegas, USA, 6 January, 2014 — ASUS today announced PadFone mini,
a beautiful 4-inch smartphone that transforms effortlessly into an elegant 7-inch
tablet. PadFone mini comfortably fits
the palm for an instantly expanded view on a glorious 1280 x 800-pixel display —
even better than HD.

This
latest addition to the hugely popular ASUS
PadFone family is powered by an Intel® Atom™ Z2560 processor, has
8GB of internal storage and a micro SD card slot that enables storage to be
upgraded by up to 64GB.

With
exclusive ASUS DynamicDisplay technology to automatically resize apps for the different
display sizes, a brilliant 8-megapixel (8MP) main camera and 2MP front-facing
snapper for selfies, and finished with the resplendent concentric-circle design
detail that’s become an iconic part of the ASUS brand, PadFone mini is an outstanding smartphone that is also a lightweight
handheld tablet — and with five brilliant colour choices on offer, there’s a
model to please everyone.

PadFone mini even supports dual SIMs,
so users have the freedom to maintain two distinct phone numbers, or separate
data and phone lines, without requiring two handsets — superb connectivity
that’s also incredibly convenient. The device also benefits from ZenUI, a sublime
new user interface that’s exclusive to ASUS smart devices — and proof that the
most advanced tools and features can be both easy to use and beautiful to
behold.

PadFone
mini is the first device to
bring together the convenience of a 4-inch smartphone with the power and
versatility of a 7-inch handheld tablet — and that means a tablet that can be
held and used comfortably with just one hand. PadFone mini saves the hassle of having to carry two
permanently-separated devices and, with a combined weight of just 376g, it allows
consumers to jettison unnecessary bulk. Simply, PadFone mini is much lighter than many other smartphone-and-tablet
combinations.

PadFone
mini is also gloriously
slim, with the smartphone’s gently-curved design tapering to just 6.3mm at its
thinnest edge — and the smartphone itself weighs just 116g. With diamond-cut
edges and a spun-metal finish, it also looks beautiful. A soft-touch ceramic coating
ensures comfort and great durability.

Both the 4-inch (800 x 480-pixel) and 7-inch
(1280 x 800-pixel) displays use IPS+ (in-plane switching) technology for fantastically
clear and sharp images that also offer great viewing angles. To ensure a
seamless experience when switching between smartphone and tablet modes, PadFone mini’s exclusive DynamicDisplay
technology ensures that apps are correctly — and instantly — resized for the
appropriate screen size.

Inside PadFone mini is an Intel Atom Z2560 processor
that runs at 1.6GHz to deliver all the performance need to run both smartphone
and tablet apps without slowdown — so PadFone
mini is ultra-responsive at all times.

Despite the refined looks, slim dimensions, low
weight and incredible processing power, ASUS engineers managed to equip PadFone mini with a total battery
capacity of 3,270mAh (12.8Wh) — for talk and tablet time that just keeps on
going. The tablet even charges the PadFone
mini smartphone when docked, virtually eliminating worries about finding a
mains outlet during the day.

PadFone mini’s main camera couples an
8MP Sony® BSI (backside-illumination) sensor and wide-aperture f/2.0
five-element lens with exclusive ASUS PixelMaster technology to capture digital
photographs that more than match those snapped by many dedicated digital
cameras.

PixelMaster’s
Low-Light Mode measures the available light and intelligently adjusts the pixel
size to increase light sensitivity by up to 400% — and that means PadFone mini has the ability to snap
great low-lights shots even without the built-in flash.

PixelMaster
also includes many other brilliantly easy-to-use options that further enhance PadFone mini’s digital photography
prowess, including HDR (High Dynamic Range), PanoSphere, Smart Remove and All
Smiles — the latter ensuring that all subjects look their best by intelligently
choosing
the best shots from a series of captured facial expressions. PixelMaster
also has a Turbo Shot mode that lets users capture multiple still shots in just
one second.

PadFone mini also captures smooth
high-definition (1080p) video footage — and users even have the ability to
capture still photographs while shooting video.

ASUS
engineers wanted to make PadFone mini as easy to use as it is powerful and
versatile — so they designed ZenUI. This brand-new interface is exclusive to
ASUS smart devices, including PadFone
mini. With simplified icons and menus, five gorgeous device-matching color
themes, and a clever What’s Next feature that helps users keep track of their
lives, ZenUI is the irresistible front end of these irresistible new devices.

ASUS has also added enhanced Android apps to
PadFone mini, so users are able to
make the most of the convergent device’s vast array of features. With the email
app, for example, ASUS has added the ability to read messages by thread —
making it much easier to keep track of conversations. In the web browser, Smart
Reader Mode automatically adjusts the background tone to reduce eye-strain,
while ASUS Collage lets users create engaging photo stories that can be easily
shared online.

ASUS PadFone mini will be available worldwide
from Q2, 2014. Pricing and availability in Singapore will be announced at a
later date.