Asus last week teased its announcement of the new Padfone Infinity; the company made good on that promise today. Though the original Padfone Infinity model isn't even a year old, Asus is updating the phone with a faster processor, a microSD slot, a secondary microphone, and improved camera software. Despite a rumored larger battery, the Padfone Infinity 2 packs the same 2,400 mAh as the previous generation and the same display.
For comparison purposes, the original Padfone Infinity was based on a Snapdragon 600 SoC with a 1.7 GHz CPU. The new model is Snapdragon 800 SoC, which is clocked to 2.2 GHz. It also features 2 GB of LPDDR3 as opposed to the 2 GB of LPDDR2 that was in the previous generation. Though the smartphone industry is eagerly looking forward to the release of Android 4.4, also known as Android KitKat, the new Padfone Infinity will run on Android 4.2.2, a version of Jelly Bean that was released in February of this year. There's also going to be a drop in storage, with the new model offering either 16 GB or 32 GB. The older model of Padfone Infinity had either 32 GB or 64 GB of storage.
Pricing and availability for the United States haven't yet been disclosed, though Engadget reports that the phone by itself will cost NT$18,990 or about US$640 off-contract. The tablet dock is priced at NT$7,000 or about US$240. We'll keep you posted on international availability.
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