Asus Padfone Infinity priced in Taiwan, shipping to start next week

You can say whatever you want about Asus, but one thing you can’t call the company is a quitter. Despite not being able to make the first Padfone or the second-gen mainstream sales hits, the Taiwanese have pushed ahead with the concept of the phone/tablet hybrid by unveiling a third such combo – the Padfone Infinity.
And it looks like Asus has learned something from past mistakes, because the third-gen Padfone has a good shot in reaching stores all around Asia and Europe by the end of April. For now, the Infinity is only available for pre-orders in Taiwan, with the official rollout slated for next week.
Unfortunately, one past mistake that seems bound to repeat itself again and again relates to pricing. The Taiwanese Infinity starts at a whopping 20,990 TWD, or $702. That’s for the 32 GB smartphone alone, mind you, while the tablet dock goes for an extra 5,000 TWD ($167).

The 64 GB phone is naturally even more expensive, going for a full 22,990 TWD, or $770. We’re not saying you don’t get what you pay for, as the 5-incher sports a stunning Full HD panel and comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean in tow, as well as a quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2 GB of RAM and a 2,400 mAh battery.
If you add the Padfone Station in the mix, you can get a 10.1-inch tablet too and one that’s rather impressive, with a 1,920 x 1,080 pix res screen and 5,000 mAh battery. And yet we can’t shake the feeling Asus needs to shave something off that pricing structure to draw in the Western crowds. Do you agree or are you planning to break the bank to get the phone cum tab combo anyway?