Asus Padfone 2 review

Asus provides both the old-style stock Android browser and the current standard Google Chrome web browser from the off on the Padfone 2, which is both potentially confusing and wholly unnecessary.

The first few times you access the web through another app you'll be asked to choose which browser you want to use.

This is silly - the answer will always (or should always) be Chrome.

It's not that the old Android browser is bad, necessarily, it's just that Chrome is better at everything.

It's quicker and slicker, and it also syncs bookmarks and browsing data with your desktop Chrome browser to a far fuller extent.

Still, once you've knocked the old Android browser from its main toolbar perch and established Chrome as your default web browser, things perform swimmingly.

The aforementioned processor and screen combo ensure that the Asus Padfone 2 performs as well as any current generation Android smartphone in general web browsing usage.

Google has really improved Chrome over the past year or two, to the point where auto-aligning now works flawlessly with a double-tap.

You can throw as many open tabs as you like at it.

The bookmark interface still feels a little clunky and unfinished, but we're sure this will be refined in future - and the Padfone 2 has the hardware to capitalise when this happens.

The phone has Wi-Fi (both 2.4GHz and 5GHz) and 3G (including DC-HSPA+) connectivity. Web pages boot up extremely quickly, and text looks super-sharp on that excellent 4.7-inch HD display.

It also fills out the 10.1-inch tablet screen perfectly, practically begging you to fill the top strip with open tabs.