Asus PadFone 2 leaks: 4.7-inch screen, new dock

Remember the Asus PadFone? You know, the mobile-cum-tablet hybrid that promised the best of both worlds but in reality proved too bulky? Asus is prepping a follow-up. And it's even bigger.

The PadFone 2 is set to be announced next week, but it's leaked early, The Verge reports. As well as the bigger screen, we'll get a redesigned dock. Instead of fitting into its tablet housing by way of a backdoor, as on the previous version, the PadFone 2 handset slots in the back.

Bloomberg TV was granted early access to the PadFone 2 ahead of the global announcement on 16 October (that's Tuesday).

The handset sports a natty 4.7-inch screen, which is up from the 4.3-incher on the original. And it slots into a 10-inch tablet, providing the slate's brains, just like its predecessor -- the tablet doesn't work separately.

So if you're not sure whether to buy a mobile or a tablet, and the Galaxy Note 2 is too much of a compromise for you (it is quite ridiculous trying to fit a 5.5-inch device in your pocket), the PadFone 2 could be up your street.

The tablet is lighter and thinner than its predecessor, too, which should make lugging it around that little bit easier. On the back it has a 13-megapixel camera, which looks like it takes some pretty sweet snaps.

The original PadFone was a great idea, but proved too bulky -- the mobile and tablet combined weighed about the same as a laptop, which is no good if you want to carry it with you wherever you go. So hopefully this new slimmer model will be an improvement.

What do you make of it? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.

Image credit: @evleaks