We’ve known for a little while that Asus was getting ready to release
a PadFone S and an LTE-capable version of the ZenFone 5 smartphone. And
today, both devices are officially available to buy in Taiwan. So if
you are in that market, go get yourself one, if these devices catch your
eye. They may also be launched in other markets soon.
To refresh your memory, the PadFone S is the non-US version of
AT&T’s Asus PadFone X. The PadFone S comes with a newer Snapdragon
801 processor, offers a splash-proof coating, and supports wireless
charging. It looks like those are the only differences between the two
models. The PadFone S has a 5-inch smartphone and a 9-inch tablet dock,
both controlled by Android 4.4 KitKat. The PadFone S will cost around
$500 in Taiwan. That price includes the smartphone and the tablet dock.
The ZenFone 5 LTE is about $234 in Taiwan. The device is powered by a
Qualcomm processor (a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400), which is an
upgrade. Asus also upgraded the ZenFone 5 LTE to Android 4.4 KitKat.
Other features include a 5-inch 720p IPS display, 8MP rear camera, 2GB
of RAM, 8GB of expandable internal memory, and a 2,110 mAh battery. We
don’t know for sure, but they may show up in other areas very soon
