Asus Padfone 2 may arrive sooner than expected

Asus Padfone 2 may arrive sooner than expected
Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's some kind of smartphone-tablet thing

The Asus Padfone 2 may arrive in stores sooner than expected after reports suggest the smartphone-tablet hybrid will go on sale in Germany on December 1.

According to German site Inside-Handy, it has received confirmation that the Asus Padfone 2 will be in stock from the beginning of December, although we've spoken to the Taiwanese firm and it is yet to confirm or deny this.

The original Asus Padfone failed to make it out of Asia but the Padfone 2 has been pegged for a European launch at least.

Christmas comes early

It's currently thought the Padfone 2 will arrive in Europe at the start of 2013 but this latest news does raise hopes of an earlier arrival.

You'll need some serious cash though if you fancy getting your hands on the Padfone 2 with the 32GB model reportedly sporting a price tag of €799 (around £642/$1020/AU$980), while the 64GB version will set you back €899 (around £720/$1150/AU$1105).

The Padfone 2 smartphone packs a 4.7-inch Super IPS+ HD display, quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 4G connectivity, NFC and 13MP camera.

The tablet dock offers up a 10.1-inch HD display and a 5000mAh battery, which will charge the phone when it's docked.

We're still unsure if the smartphone-tablet hybrid concept will be a success - with the high asking price Asus may find it hard to shift the combo.

From Inside-Handy via UnwiredView

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.