Asustek’s Padfone X Mini, which can be used either as a smartphone or a tablet, will be available in the U.S. starting next week.

At the heart of the Padfone X Mini is a 4.5-inch LTE smartphone, which can be slid into a companion dock to be used as a tablet. The dock has a 7-inch screen.

The dual-function gadget, which runs on Google’s Android 4.4, will be available Oct. 23 from AT&T for $199 with a two-year mobile contract. Other retailers will start selling the device in November. Asus has not shared information about worldwide availability.

The Padfone X Mini is a smaller version of the Padfone X, which is a 5-inch smartphone that can be used as a 9-inch tablet when docked. But the larger Padfone X has a Qualcomm processor, while the Mini variant has an Intel Clover Trail+ chip, which is close to two years old.

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