Two months ago to the day, Asus AT&T revealed the full spec list for the dFone X —the audacious smartphone/tablet hybrid that marks the line’s first crack at the U.S. smartphone market— on dnesday, AT&T finally let loose details on when you’ll be able to preorder one of the devices. Circle ne 6 on your calendars, Android lovers.
Financing comes in several flavors, given today’s no-contract-crazed atmosphere. You can pay down the cost of the hardware for $22.92 per month on AT&T’s Next 18-month plan or $29.80 per month on the Next 12-month plan, neither of which includes the cost of service. ternatively, you can get the dFone X for $200 after agreeing to a usual two-year subsidy plan. That’s not bad when you’re basically getting a high-end smartphone a tablet.
AT&T’s still not announcing exactly when you should expect a dfone X to actually l in your hs, however—it’s only announcing the preorder date. aaaaaame.
But the dFone X itself is anything but lame—at least on paper. st to recap, the dFone X consists of two separate components: A full-featured 5-inch smartphone a 9-inch tablet, which the phone docks into actually powers. Yes, the phone functions as the brains for the “dumb” tablet.
Those smarts consist of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage augmented by a microSD card slot. (Good thing, since 16GB won’t go far for a phone doubling as a slate.) The dFone X phone packs 1080p resolution, while the tablet sports a 1920-by-1200 display. Mobile photography buffs should be happy with the phone’s 13-megapixel rear shooter, though the phone’s 2Mfront camera may make selfies a bit low-res, while the tablet’s front camera is a mere 1M
ile that tablet is essentially just an independent touchscreen for the smartphone, it also boosts the dFone X’s battery life, providing a 4990 mAh battery separate from the phone’s own 2300 mAh power source. The tablet charges the phone while its docked, if you want to add yet another form factor to the dFone X’s arsenal, a mobile dock that transforms the device into an impromptu notebook will also be available.
l in all, that’s a pretty impressive list of specs for a smartphone. The dFone line first launched in 2011 Asus chairman ney Shih told last ly that the hybrid has been welcomed in Asia, but this is the first time a dFone device has ever led on U.S. shores. came away impressed after a brief hs-on with the dFone X at this year’s CES, but will such a unique piece of hardware make waves with U.S. customers weaned on iones Galaxy devices? The price seems right, but we won’t know for sure whether the dFone X will strike a chord with U.S. buyers until sometime after ne 6.
