Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Unveiled and Detailed
Asus finally unveils its much anticipated Transformer Prime. It's going to be the first tablet to feature Nvidia's Tegra 3 SoC. While it's not going to ship with Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich, Asus promises a few more surprises beyond just more horsepower.
As Jane reported earlier in the month, Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime will ship with Honeycomb 3.2. However, Asus technical marketing manager Gary Key tells us that the company "will provide an FOTA (firmware over the air) for Android 4.0 as soon as the code has been optimized, tested and approved."
It goes without saying that this is the first Tegra 3-based tablet and, even though the new Transformer won't ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, there's still plenty for us to be exciting about based on the spec sheet Asus provided.
There's a lot to go over. Here's the highlights reel:
- first Tegra 3-based tablet
- thinnest tablet yet (thinner mobile dock too)
- brightest display yet
- comes in two color scheme
- improved case design to prevent fingerprint build up
- better camera hardware
- lower input lag
The Transformer Prime promises to be the thinnest tablet yet at 8.3 mm. Granted, Apple's iPad 2 officially comes in at 8.6 mm, so we aren't talking about a difference in magnitude.
With the exception of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, all of the Android-based tablets we've tested thus far have been thick, chunky and heavy compared to the iPad 2. However, Asus is trying to demonstrate that, once you nail down functionality, it's easy to improve on aesthetics.
In our opinion, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 is currently the closest thing to a clear iPad 2 competitor. The design is clean and sexy. Its Super PLS display is nothing short of amazing; it's clearly the best screen we've seen on a tablet, boasting wide viewing angles and superior color (for benchmarks, read page six of our Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: A Second-Gen Android Tablet review).
Asus might have something that even trumps Super PLS. Most tablet displays max out at around 350 nits. (The S-IPS panel on the original Eee Pad Transformer hit close to 400 nits in our lab tests.) However, the S-IPS+ panel on the Transformer Prime is said to hit up to 600 nits, which makes it better-suited for outdoor viewing. Granted, we're still dealing with 1280 x 800, but that's to be expected with a 10.1" widescreen of this generation. It's not clear what makes the panel worthy of the "+" designator, but the display is perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Prime besides the Tegra 3.
Physically, the Transformer Prime looks totally different. This time around Asus is going for a metallic spun finish to prevent fingerprint build up, which is an unfortunate side effect when you're dealing with anything touchscreen-based. Though, the company is going one step further by applying a hydro-oleophobic coating to the entire surface, which will help repel oil. This is similar to what's used on Apple's iPhone 4S and even older smartphones. This is by no means fingerprint-proof, but it should be a marked improvement from the original Transformer.
The front-facing camera remains 1.2 MP just like the original Transformer, but Prime's rear-facing camera has undergone a major upgrade. Based on the similar specs, we'd speculate that this might be the same Sony image sensor found on the iPhone 4S, which is encouraging given our experience taking snaps with the Apple's new smartphone. However, we won't be able to say for sure until we get to see a complete teardown analysis.
Tegra 3 may finally sort out that ugly input lag problem that we've had with many Honeycomb tablets. Often times, we're benchmarking lag in the range of 250 ms+. That's not good, especially when you consider that the average college student has a reaction time of 200 milliseconds for visual stimuli. Many competitive gamers can react within a 100 ms window, so perceivable lag depends on your own physical and cognitive capabilities. However, any reduction with regards to input lag makes tablets far more intuitive to interact with.
Asus defines input lag differently than we do because we look at "total input lag." However, given that the company is claiming to halve input lag, we're definitely excited to see what our high speed camera turns up when we get our hands on one.
Asus also plans to include SuperNote and Polaris Office with the Transformer Prime, but that's not really new. Both of these apps were included with the Android 3.2.1 update on our original Transformer. However, the improved performance that comes with Tegra 3 should make Polaris Office more usable when the Transformer Prime is in docked mode. Given our hiccups with the original Transformer in docked mode, we might finally get a tablet that functions well as a notebook, instead of merely being a poor imitation.
| iPad (3G) | iPad 2 (3G) | Eee Pad Transformer | Eee Pad Transformer Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 9.56" | 9.5" | 10.7" | 10.35" |
| Width | 7.47" | 7.31" | 7" | 7.11" |
| Height | .5" | .34" | 0.5" | 0.33" |
| Screen Size | 9.7" | 9.7" | 10.1" | 10.1" |
| Aspect Ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Weight | 1.6 lb | 1.33 lb | 1.5 lb | 1.29 lb |
Asus is scrambling to make sure that the Transformer Prime makes it onto store shelves in time for the holiday buying frenzy. However, don't expect it to be cheap. The original Transformer will continue to be sold as a "mainstream tablet" at $399 (16 GB) and $449 (32 GB), while the Prime will be positioned as a premium tablet. The new dock will be priced just like the old dock at $149, but the Transformer Prime will start at $499 for the 32 GB model. If you're willing to pony up another $100, Asus will also offer a 64 GB version for $599.
- Android,
- ASUS,
- AsusTeK COMPUTER,
- Nvidia,
- eee ,
- pad ,
- transformer ,
- prime ,
- tegra-3
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The Very BEST TABLET in the world so far, and not just a tablet, a Portable console AS WELL !!! thanks to Tegra3 !
No 3g version ?
"oil"
The spec looks promising. Will it be competitor to ipads? Lets see.
"oii"
i wish that wasn't a mistake damn skinheads piss me off
After Samsung, ASUS will face Apple's rage...
Samsung Galaxy Tab is 8.6mm, thinest tablet on the market. Ipad2 is 8.8mm.
So very kind of you mentioning ipad2 as the thinnest and Galaxy tab as "not as ugly as typical Android".
This pro apple pro american media bias makes mi sick...
So much want!!
I was really looking forward to this one...and am still impressed. I only wished there wasn't such a premium on it (and the keyboard dock).
Still a pretty amazing device, but I'll agree that it's missing some things.
when does it come out
I don't think $500 is unreasonable for the best non-apple tablet you can buy. Especially with 32GB of memory. I'll be buying. Wish I could buy it today!
If this thing is $500, ALL of the other current Android tablets are going to have to lower their prices by at least 20%. Who's going to buy a 16GB Galaxy Tab 10.1 for $500 if you can buy this for the same price, and this thing is better is EVERY aspect?
I want one now!
Asus, why couldn't you have added an IR sensor on it like the Sony Tablet S. If you had, this would have been the perfect tablet =(
This looks real good. One big question though: battery life. They claim 12hours, but is that with or without the dock? Previous transformer was advertised as 14hours but that was WITH the dock. If 12hours is WITH the dock, then this is a step back. Battery life is a big selling point (for me at least).
I cry every time I have to use TH's gallery.
12 hours without dock and 18 hours with dock
http://www.lowyat.net/v2/index.php [...] 7&Itemid=1
This might be the one
The ipad 2 killer has arrived.
This looks real good. One big question though: battery life. They claim 12hours, but is that with or without the dock? Previous transformer was advertised as 14hours but that was WITH the dock. If 12hours is WITH the dock, then this is a step back. Battery life is a big selling point (for me at least).
Well, they promised the new transformer would actually have better battery life because the Kal-El chip has a 5th "secret" core to run the low demand operations. Of course, lots of people promise lots of things.
AAAAHHH Everything looks wonderful! That amethyst finish is absolutely gorgeous. My only qualms are only 1 gb of ram vs the 2 gb they originally spoke of, and that there's only one usb port on the keyboard. That's a pretty big letdown, considering that many users will want to connect a USB mouse in order to avoid the track pad whenever possible, then there won't be any slots for say, USB storage? At least two ports is a necessity, honestly. I know it was probably trimmed off to make the whole thing thinner, but the increased usability would have been worth the modicum of extra size and weight.
Still... I will be buying it. Now I just need to decide on 32 or 64 gb...
Ok, battery life is up to 12 hours WITHOUT the dock, and up to 16 hours with it. Fantastic!
It looks like a great tablet, as far as tablets go. I'm glad they keep pushing the design, because when Windows 8 finally gets in the game, it will have some high standards to strive for.
Aw I was really hoping for a metallic black version =[
Wish it had microUSB so you wouldn't need to buy the dock, but I'm glad they fixed the screen. Is it finally 24-bit (the old Transformer was 18-bit dithered)-:?
Can it boot from the microSD? For work, I'd like to carry 2 32/64GB microSD with windows and linux on it.
This tablet is so far ahead of the pack compared to what is out there. ASUS has a home run on their hands. Hopefully they will be able to keep up with the demand. Glad they don't make it in black as I am sick of looking at black cars, black gadgets, black clothing and black everything in general terms. That champagne gold looks like it has my name on one. I don't need 3g and WiFi is good enough which is available in a growing number of places including MickeyD's. The keyboard is the perfect match albeit not cheap but anything premium is never cheap by definition. I'm wondering if the Andoid geeks can figure out a way to dual boot with Windoze 8 when it comes out.
I don't give a damn about SoC tablets. Its going to be several generations before I purchase one, since none have even close to the firepower and functionality I'd want and their OS's are just more toys to waste time with.
I'm waiting for the EP121 Win8 equivalent slate. The EP121 came really close to meeting all the features I'd like to see in a slate/tablet. If it had a sandy bridge instead of Lynnfield (save more power), Removable battery, some of the security features (finger print scanning?) like featured on Lenovo business tablets, and 4G connectivity for true mobility I'd jump on it right away. Windows 8 optimization for tablets is definitely going to help as well. The integrated stylus pen was a really great feature on the EP121. Also an Ivy bridge when it is released in march might make for a pretty nice tablet pc.
will there be a War of the Lawyers between Hasbro and ASUS??
I agree with mb2bm55 in some aspects, I'll be picking this up as a content consumption device and for a little work via VM into my home desktop PC (this and the keyboard are 2 of the biggest draws for me). I was also looking at the EP121 as a serious workstation device for digital painting, and will likely pick up the win8 sandybridge equivalent if/when it appears. (I hope Asus realises the popularity of the transformer's keyboard dock while designing it) however, I doubt the battery life of the the EP121 successor will come anywhere near the current efficiency of ARM based Android tablets nor the form factor for a few years at least. Personally I would like to see full wacom digitizer support on a 10" tablet, with an optional keyboard dock, which can forward the digitzer pens output to a PC via the virtual machine link. Then you can use your familiar art/photo/3d apps running on a more powerful workstation PC, using your light and power efficient tablet as the interface
best of both worlds, just a thought... can already see some impressive looking native android art apps popping up, perhaps another patent hurdle is preventing companies from building more digitizer enabled tablets?
That's some serious specs for a tablet there. 8MP camera on a tablet? Who would've guessed.