AT&T to Carry the ASUS Padfone X With LTE Advanced, VoLTE and HD Voice

AT&T announced this morning at the end of their developer summit that it will exclusively carry the ASUS Padfone X in the U.S. Previous variants of the phone and tablet combo device have avoided the U.S. market up until now, even though it has been quite popular in international markets. We aren’t sure why (other than carriers hating the idea that you can use a smartphone data plan with a tablet by docking them together), but are certainly excited to see this hybrid concept arrive. 

The phone sports a 5-inch display, yet docks into a 9-inch tablet body. The Padfone X is powered by a Snapdragon 800, will work on LTE Advanced, and provide VoLTE with HD Voice capabilities.

Those last two features aren’t exactly live with AT&T’s network at this point, and details are avoiding us for now. We should know more shortly, at 12PM Pacific, when ASUS takes the stage at CES to show off the product.

No release date or price was provided.

ASUS PadFone X to Arrive in the U.S. Exclusively from AT&T

Innovative Smartphone and Tablet in One to Join the Nation’s Fastest and Most Reliable 4G LTE Network

Las Vegas, Nevada, January 06, 2014

AT&T1 today announced that it will carry the ASUS PadFone™ X, a smartphone and tablet in one, exclusively in the U.S. Pricing, detailed specifications and availability will be announced at a later date.

“We are committed to delivering our customers the most innovative and compelling device portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T. “The PadFone X is first of its kind in the U.S. It combines leading technology, a beautiful design and a remarkably seamless application experience – all on the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network. This allows consumers to run their smartphone apps instantly on a vivid 9-inch tablet display. The magic of it is that the experience is not just bigger, it’s better than on a traditional smartphone.”

“AT&T and ASUS share a passion for innovation and we are very excited to bring the ASUS PadFone X to the U.S market,” said Jonney Shih, chairman, ASUS. “Our technology is capable of instantly turning a premium smartphone into a tablet, giving consumer the ultimate experience on both devices. Together, we look forward to bringing more choices to consumers.”

 A Great Screen for Every Scenario

The PadFone X is a 5-inch full HD smartphone that activates a 9-inch full HD tablet when the phone is docked. It runs Android KitKat 4.4. and features a thin and light design with a brushed metal frame, a soft-touch back cover and dual front speakers that deliver captivating audio.

The PadFone X combines both smartphone and tablet into a thin and light package with seamless transitions that lets the user choose between two screen sizes dependent on the task at hand. Its unique design and features include:

• Seamless Transition – Simply dock the smartphone and Apps running will instantaneously auto-adjust to fit the larger PadFone station display.
• Optimal Experience – Consumers can effortlessly select the display experience that’s optimized for the application and their environment at that moment – whether they are watching a video at their kitchen table or taking a call as they run out the door. The PadFone X delivers a uniquely seamless experience that enables today’s mobile life.
• Large Battery – The companion PadFone station includes a large battery. It charges the smartphone’s battery when docked, providing two times longer battery life. This allows users to do more of the things they love, for longer.

State-of-the-Art Technologies

The PadFone X supports LTE-Advanced technology, including Carrier Aggregation. The new product also supports Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and HD Voice.

ASUS and AT&T started working together in 2012 with the launch of VivoTab RT and continued through 2013 with the MeMO Pad FHD 10 LTE. For more information about the PadFone X watch the ASUS press conference live on Jan. 6 at 12:00 p.m. PST at http://press.asus.com/events. Follow the conversation on Twitter with #PadFone.

AT&T has the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network, according to independent third party data.2 In addition, the company was named America’s fastest 4G LTE network, in PC Magazine’s 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks study of 30 markets – and also swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.3

AT&T is focused on giving our customers top-notch experiences with a single interaction. The company was recently recognized with two major achievements, outperforming competitors for customer service and wireless purchase experience. J.D. Power awarded AT&T the “Highest Ranked Customer Service Performance Among Full-Service Wireless Providers” and “Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Full-Service Wireless Providers” in their 2013, Volume 2 studies.