ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 Review, Pros and Cons
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 Review
As a longstanding contender for best worldwide PC manufacturer, ASUS have decided to focus some of their energy on breaking into the ever-growing tablet industry. Wielding some rather interesting and innovative results with the Transformer Prime, ASUS have created a very nice tablet device with a lot of versatility.
The ASUS Transformer Prime is in direct competition with big tablet names like the Apple iPad 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Blackberry Playbook, and Amazon Kindle Fire, similar in some ways but also with a few distinct features. The ASUS Transformer Prime has a full color 10.1” Super IPS + multi-touch display, is powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core Processer with full 1080p HD output capability, and runs the Android Honeycomb 3.2 operating system, upgradable to the newly released Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0. The tablet is incredibly lightweight as well as thin, making it very portable, and the keyboard docking station, which also provides an additional 6 hours to the already 12-hour battery life, is an optional add-on. The device comes in a few models, with varying hard disk sizes to store files; the TF201-C1-GR and TF201-C1-CG models provide 64GB of disk space, and the TF201-B1-GR and TF201B1-CG 32GB. The Transformer Prime also comes equipped with front and back cameras, an SD card slot for additional removable storage space, and a mini HDMI output. Let’s briefly review of some of the pros and cons of this tablet:
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 Pros and Cons
Pros
- Fast. With its Quad-core processor, the Transformer Prime is the fastest Android based tablet yet. Running the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS, which is a huge improvement over its predecessor, the tablet matches the speeds of the iPad 2, without any delays.
- Impressive Display. High resolution and vibrant colors make this thing really shine, as well as an ideal device for watching videos. HDMI output is also a plus.
- Responsive Touch. Excellent touch response allows for smooth operation.
- SD Card. Removable storage is a handy option to have.
- Battery Life. Though still not quite as good as the iPad 2, the Transformer Prime comes awfully close.
- Docking Station. Though not a requirement, the dock allows for normal laptop style functionality.
Cons
- At this point, none.
Cost-wise, the Transformer Prime is value for money, with a retail price just under that of the iPad 2. Naturally, with its release, previous models are now going on sale, so if you are okay with something not quite as impressive the option is there. However, the Transformer Prime is such a significant step up from older tablets that I would have to guide anyone looking to buy an Android tablet in its direction.
The ASUS Transformer Prime is the tablet that Android fans have been waiting for; a worthy alternative to the Apple iPad 2. ASUS have produced a very powerful piece of hardware that, when used with Android’s new and improved Ice Cream Sandwich OS, outperforms most tablets in most regards. It is certainly the best Android tablet that we have seen thus far and for that reason it gets a five star rating.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 Review, Pros and Cons,