Asus Padfone on tap for early 2012 at the MWC expo, but with quad-core Tegra 3 onboard

The Asus Padfone contraption that allows you to dock your Android smartphone into a screen shell and convert it into a tablet is now rumored to be demonstrated at the MWC 2012 expo, which is in February.

Asus was originally testing the Padfone with Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon processor with the 28nm Krait core, but apparently it has decided to bet on something it has already tested in a working product, like NVIDIA's Tegra 3. The quad-core chip is used in the Asus Transformer Prime tablet, therefore it is not really a stretch to imagine Asus will be ready with the Padfone by spring.

The phone docking into a tablet concept is pretty novel and is sure to spark some interest and maybe earn Asus some more design awards like with its Eee Pad Transformer. Moreover, it should be a cheaper solution than buying both a standalone phone and a tablet, so bring it on. Needless to say, it also picks up girls if the below video promo is to be believed, just like Samsung's flexible tablet concept.

via Engadget