Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs Asus PadFone 2: Will the Hybrid Successor Knock Out the Phablet King?

It has been a good year for two major tech firms and that is Samsung and Asus. This can be said, as Samsung outsmarted Apple in the market share dominance, on the other hand Asus gained much complements and rave review for the Google-branded Nexus 7 tablet. While both the manufacturers were achieving sales in different aspects of the tech world, but with the launch of Asus Padfone 2 and Galaxy Note 2, both the tech vendors have got into same line of competition and will have keep a watch at each other in terms of market sales.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which was subjected to a plethora of rumors, speculations and image leaks in the past few months finally got released in India last month. The device boasts some of its amazing features such as a huge screen display, 4G/LTE connectivity, new operating system, NFC support, S-pen and more.

At the same time, hybrid devices that combine smartphone, tablet and netbook in a single pack the successor of the original Asus Padfone – the second generation PadFone 2 has also impressed the tech experts in the market.

Hence, if you are looking forward to know how Galaxy Note 2 and PadFone 2 are different from each another, here is a comparison based on their specifications.

Dimensions & Weight: While the dimension and weight of Asus PadFone 2 are not revealed, Galaxy Note 2 carries a dimension of 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm and weighs around 180 grams.

Display: Coming to the display, Galaxy Note 2 houses a massive 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution.

On the other hand, PadFone 2 sports a larger 4.7 inch Super IPS+ capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution.

Additionally, Galaxy Note 2 has an improved S-Pen support, which is revamped with rubber tip and enhanced touch response.

Processor: In this segment, Galaxy Note 2 is equipped with a Samsung Exynos 4412 Quad chipset and PadFone 2 packs a quad core Qualcomm APQ8064 SoC processor.

Operating System: While the Galaxy Note 2 will be running with Google’s latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, PadFone 2 is flavored with Android 4.0 ICS operating system.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has new features including Project Butter, enhanced accessibility with new APIs, support for International users with bi-directional text support, other language support, expandable and contractible notifications, resizble app widgets, live wallpaper preview, high resolution contact photos, improved Android Beam and Wi-Fi network.

Camera: On the camera optics front, Galaxy Note 2 has an 8MP rear camera equipped with features like autofocus and LED flash and a 1.9MP front camera for video calling.

In comparison, PadFone 2 is equipped with a whopping 13MP rear camera with BSI sensor and a 1.2MP front camera for video calling.

Storage:  Both Galaxy Note 2 and PadFone 2 come in three versions – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB internal storage, 2GB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable memory.

Connectivity: On the connectivity front, both are packed with similar features including 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.

Battery: Galaxy Note 2 is loaded with a larger 3,100 mAh Li-ion battery and PadFone 2 is powered by a 2,140 mAh Li-ion battery.

Price: Though the official pricing of PadFone 2 is not known, it is predicted by analysts to cost around more than original PadFone, which is priced at Rs 64,999. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 2 is priced in India at Rs 39,990.

Verdict

Being Galaxy Note 2 and PadFone 2 are revamped and upgraded versions of their flagship devices – Galaxy Note and PadFone.

When it comes to Galaxy Note 2, it is based on the design of S3, it has some exclusive S software features including S Voice, Direct Call, Smart Stay, S Beam, Pop-Up Play and many more.

At the same time, PadFone 2 has a unique feature, for which the device is known for, the tablet dock dubbed as PadFone Station that converts the smartphone into a 10.1 inch tablet. The PadFone Station basically  has a 10.1 inch IPS display, 5,000 mAh battery, 514 grams weight and a new 13-pin connector port.

Hence, if the concern of a buyer is a larger display real estate, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean user experience, stylus support and better battery backup, the 5.5 inch Galaxy Note 2 could be a right option.

However, for those consumers who like to have a hybrid device that can double as a smartphone and tablet with better camera performance, the Asus PadFone 2 might be a better choice for you.

Here is a poll for you.

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