After unveiling its PadFone Infinity back in September, ASUS now seems to have a PadFone Mini in the works, expected to launch by the end of the year.

The company's PadFone line consists of hybrid Android devices combining tablet and phone features. ASUS is a well-established brand, but the smartphone market is highly competitive and dominated by heavyweights such as Samsung, Apple, HTC and others.

Just a few months ago, ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih acknowledged that the company is relatively late to the smartphone market, but ASUS is poised on bringing a device to the U.S. The company is reportedly making progress I this direction. According to Shih, ASUS has been working on building relationships with various U.S. carriers and retailers, but the launch will depend on when the company actually has a smartphone ready to ship.

In a new report, the folks over at Engadget cited the Global Certification Forum, claiming that the ASUS PadFone Mini will make its debut next week in Taiwan. Shortly after, Engadget China has received an invitation from ASUS to an event set to take place in Taipei next week.

The ASUS PadFone Mini will purportedly pack a quad-core Snapdragon 400 CPU under the hood and sport a 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. The company's PadFone line of hybrid devices sets itself apart by offering smartphones able to slot into a tablet dock. The purported PadFone Mini is expected to come with a mini dock as well, allowing it to provide tablet-like functionality.

The current ASUS PadFone Infinity comes with a 10-inch dock, whereas the PadFone Mini is expected to have a smaller 7-inch dock. Currently there are no details available on the PadFone Mini's pricing, launch date, final specifications, or market availability. There is a possibility that the smartphone will debut only in Asia.

With an official event set to take place next week, however, it should all become clear soon enough. We'll keep you up to date as soon as we have official confirmation that a PadFone Mini device is on its way. In the meantime, take all leaks, rumors, and speculation with a grain of salt.