Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (32GB, gray)
Manufacturer: Asus Part number: TF201-B1-GR
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- Bottom Line:
- The Asus Transformer Prime is the best full-featured Android tablet yet, with a sexy design, thoughtful features, and an impressive camera.
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CNET editors' review
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (32GB, gray) price range: $499.00 - $595.00
- Reviewed by: Eric Franklin
- Reviewed on: 12/02/2011
- Released on: 12/12/2011
The good: The Asus Transformer Prime sports an iPad 2-inspired design that's even thinner and nearly as light, while also managing to include microSD and Micro-HDMI support. The Prime delivers smooth and clear 1080p video, and the 8-megapixel camera captures detail and color more accurately than any other tablet camera we've reviewed. Ice Cream Sandwich makes small but significant improvements to Honeycomb.
The bad: Not every game takes advantage of the quad-core CPU, and frame rates can suffer as a result. When connected to the dock keyboard, the tablet is top-heavy and can easily slide off a lap or table if you're not careful.
The bottom line: The Asus Transformer Prime is the best full-featured Android tablet yet, with a sexy design, thoughtful features, and an impressive camera.
Editors' note: The Asus Transformer Pad TF300 was released in April 2012. Check this blog post for details on the key differences from the Prime.
Also, we changed the Prime's review text to reflect the Ice Cream Sandwich update the tablet received in January 2012. Check out this exhaustive interview with Asus detailing -- and putting into perspective -- some of the Prime's technical issues.
Since the launch of the iPad 2, we've been kind of waiting for the Asus Transformer Prime. While we didn't know it existed until a few months ago, the thought of a powerful, robust, and sexy Android tablet has been invading our tablet dreams for months.
Is the Transformer Prime that tablet? With its quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, it definitely has the potential.
Design
The Prime comes in two colors, amethyst gray (gray and purple) and champagne gold (silver and gold). We got the amethyst gray version for review, and while a purple tablet admittedly wasn't the highest item on our holiday wish list, the gray and purple are blended in a sleek, sexy, and appealing way. Although the aluminum back does a good job of resisting fingerprints, the glossy screen and bezel succumb to them easily.
| Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime | Asus Eee Pad Transformer | Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 | Apple iPad 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight in pounds | 1.32 | 1.52 | 1.24 | 1.34 |
| Width in inches (landscape) | 10.3 | 10.7 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| Height in inches | 7.1 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.3 |
| Depth in inches | 0.32 | 0.51 | 0.34 | 0.34 |
| Side bezel width in inches (landscape) | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
The Prime is about an inch wider than the iPad 2 but a hair thinner; it's also thinner than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. It's slightly heavier than both aforementioned tablets, but its weight is distributed evenly, so we felt only a negligible difference.
The Prime takes some design cues from the iPad 2, with a sloped back and rounded corners that don't dig into our palms as the previous Transformer did. For connections, the Prime includes a microSD slot and a Micro-HDMI port on the left side. On the same side are a volume rocker and a microphone pinhole. On the top is a smallish power/lock button, which, though functional, could have protruded more from the chassis so as to feel more tactile. Next to that is a second microphone pinhole and on the right side is a headphone jack. A 40-pin connector port for data/power is located on the bottom.
On the front bezel sits a 1.2-megapixel camera, and almost directly opposite it on the back is an 8-megapixel camera, which is capable of recording 1080p video.
Like the previous Transformer, the Prime connects to an optional keyboard/dock ($150), transforming it (heh) into what is essentially an Android laptop. With the previous Transformer, that connection wasn't the easiest to achieve, but the process has improved dramatically on the Prime, as it now easily slides into the awaiting slot.
The dock includes a touch pad, a 40-pin data/power connection port on the left, and a full-size SD slot and USB port on the right.
Once connected, the tablet feels a bit top-heavy, though, and could easily slip off a lap or table if enough care isn't taken. Also, the dock is compatible only with the Prime and vice versa. Switching between the older Transformer and this newer one is not supported.
Hardware features
The Prime is the first tablet to house Nvidia's new quad-core processor, the Tegra 3. The Prime also includes 1GB of RAM and comes in either 32GB or 64GB varieties. It has 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a gyroscope, and GPS.
The Mobile dock includes an extra battery that--while connected--"feeds" the Prime its power, meaning that the dock's battery will deplete its reserves before the tablet's.
Through its Micro-HDMI port, you can connect the tablet to an HDTV or monitor and play full-screen Android games using both wired Xbox 360 and PS3 game pads, as well as supported wireless game pads through the use of an USB dongle.
Software features
The Prime comes preinstalled with Honeycomb 3.2.1 and is upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).
Asus MyCloud gives users 8GB of free cloud-based storage space for the lifetime of the Prime (upon registering it) at Asus WebStorage. It also provides remote access to the desktop of a PC or Mac and connects you to the @Vibe online music and radio service.
The File Manager accesses the Prime's root directory, providing easy and organized access to every file on your drive or expanded memory unit. MyNet lets you stream content to DLNA-enabled devices on your network, and with MyLibrary, Asus' e-reader software, you can read and purchase new books directly through the interface.
SuperNote is intended to help with taking notes and allows you to not only type them, but "write" notes with your fingers as well. You can also draw graphs and take pictures or video right from the interface. This could be especially useful for taking notes in a class.
Via Asus' tweaks to the Android interface, you can choose to run the Tegra 3 CPU in normal, balanced, or power-saving modes. While in normal mode, the CPU runs at full speed. In balanced mode and power-saving mode, the CPU speed is throttled to save on battery life. Having this level of control of overall speed is a very welcome feature we hope to see in more tablets.
Asus also adds a Super IPS+ (In-Plane Switching) mode, which boosts the tablet's screen brightness, making reading in sunlight a bit easier. There's also a feature that lets you take screenshots using the Recent Apps button.
Ice Cream Sandwich
Asus recently began sending an over-the-air update for the Transformer Prime that updates it from Honeycomb 3.2.1 to Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0.2. ICS is the latest version of Android and so far had only been available on smartphones. This is the first time anyone's seen it on a tablet in the wild, so we're going to dive in and see what, if any, differences there are from Honeycomb.
UI and widgets: The first thing we noticed is that the lock screen now allows you to go straight into the camera app if you want, making the prospect of getting a shot of that supercool thing that's happening right now a bit more likely.
On the home screen, Google has slightly changed the way we access widgets. Honeycomb had a little shortcut at the top of the screen, or you could press and hold the home screen, but now widgets have been grouped with apps.
Tapping the apps shortcut now brings you to a dual apps and widgets section, each with its own tab. Also, swiping through your apps will eventually bring you to widgets. This change is subtle; widgets now feel less hidden and more important than before because of it.
One of the most annoying things about Honeycomb notifications is the way they can pile up, requiring you to close each individual one to get rid of them. Fortunately, ICS lets you kill them all in one fell swoop and let the tablet gods sort it out. Also, instead of simply showing you the last message you've received, ICS consolidates all mail notifications into one, displaying the number of new messages you have.
Settings: With settings you'll notice right off the bat that things are subtly different, with no real huge changes, just a few useful refinements. Options have now been split into four sections: Wireless and networks, Device, Personal, and System. Some features that were crammed in with others in Honeycomb now have their own sections.
The Data usage section details the amount of overall and per-app data you've downloaded over a specific time. Battery now has its own section showing more-detailed power usage information than we're used to on Honeycomb and even tracks battery capacity over a set duration.
Adding a new Google account now gives you options as soon as its created as to which specific Google services you want synced. The Developer options allow you to access things like CPU usage, pointer location, and, my personal favorite, the ability to kill apps as soon as you leave them.
Performance and new features: We didn't notice much difference between ICS and Honeycomb in terms of performance. Previously we experienced no problems with GPS performance and this hasn't changed with the update, although that may have more to do with our office location. Unfortunately, Web browsing is still noticeably slower than on the iPad.
The built-in photo-editing tool is probably the most significant new feature. Options include crop, resize, red-eye, as well plenty of color and tint controls. Additionally, recent apps can now be closed with just a quick side swipe, allowing you to more easily find and kill memory hogs.
ICS feels like a small but significant step up from Honeycomb, and we're looking forward to seeing it on more tablets in the next few months.
Performance
While the Prime's IPS screen was immediately clear and sharp when first we powered it on, it was the screen transitions that really impressed us. The first time we tapped the Apps button, we were treated to a noticeably higher frame rate transition than on any previous Android tablet.
We hoped this fluidity would carry over to apps like Marvel Comics, but that was not the case. Reading a comic through the app on the iPad 2 is still a considerably smoother experience, but this may have something to do with specific optimizations of the iPad app. We can't be sure, however.
The resolution and contrast on the IPS panel are about as impressive as on the previous Transformer or the Asus Slider, but the new Super IPS mode+ increased the brightness up to 570 candelas per square meter (cd/m2), which is the highest brightness we've yet seen on a tablet and makes reading in direct sunlight a bit more tolerable than on other LCD tablets. Still, both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9 are more impressive in terms of displaying vibrant colors.
| Tested spec | Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime | Sony Tablet S | Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 | Apple iPad 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum brightness IPS mode (Super IPS) | 358 cd/m2 (570 cd/m2) | 393 cd/m2 | 336 cd/m2 | 432 cd/m2 |
| Default brightness | 183 cd/m2 | 160 cd/m2 | 336 cd/m2 | 176 cd/m2 |
| Maximum black level, IPS mode (Super IPS) | 0.27 cd/m2 (0.45 cd/m2) | 0.47 cd/m2 | 0.3 cd/m2 | 0.46 cd/m2 |
| Default black level | 0.15 cd/m2 | 0.19 cd/m2 | 0.3 cd/m2 | 0.19 cd/m2 |
| Default contrast ratio | 1,220:1 | 842:1 | 1,120:1 | 926:1 |
| Maximum contrast ratio, IPS mode (Super IPS) | 1,325:1 (1,266:1) | 836:1 | 1,120:1 | 939:1 |
We used Riptide GP as a games performance benchmark. On the Prime, GP runs smoothly with a high frame rate, although maybe a bit lower than on the iPad 2; however, thanks to specific optimizations made by the developer, GP has added graphical effects, like water that splashes on the screen, contributing to the feeling of immersion. Also, on the Prime, the water physics seems to knock you around more violently. Overall, we enjoyed the experience on the Prime much more than on any other platform.
On the other hand, Zen Pinball on the Prime features impressive high dynamic range (HDR) lighting, but suffers in frame rate compared with the iPad 2, where HDR is absent. Overall, as impressive as some of the demos are--especially Bladeslinger--there's nothing here so far that looks outside the iPad 2's capability.
Web page loading speeds as well as app download speeds were several seconds slower than on other Android tablets and the iPad 2 in our anecdotal testing. Given our expectations for the effect the Tegra 3 would have on download speeds, this is disappointing.
GPS performance ranged from spotty to good depending on which side of the city (San Francisco) we were in. Performance usually fared better outside, under the open sky, compared with using GPS in our office. We did notice stronger and more connections to satellites when the Wi-Fi adapter was used to augment the performance.
The 8-megapixel rear camera provides the Prime with what is, on paper, the most technically advanced camera we've seen on a tablet. Pictures taken by the camera retained details other cameras like the Tab 10.1's and Sony Tablet S' rear cameras didn't. Colors were slightly lighter than the same photos taken with the Sony Tablet S, but the clarity and overall color accuracy of the Prime's camera make up for this.
Also, shutter speed on the Prime is nearly instantaneous, whereas the Tab 10.1's camera took several seconds to focus and shoot. Thanks to the 2.4f aperture of the Prime's camera, which allows more light through the lens than is typical for a tablet camera, we were able to see more detail even in low-light situations.
As for moving pictures, 1080p video recorded with the camera is clear and smooth, with no noticeable artifacts like what we saw in the Tab 10.1's 720p videos.
Sound delivered by the speaker carried heavy bass with clarity and thankfully didn't have the "tinny" feel to it that many other Android tablets' sound has. We would have preferred a higher volume, though, as the iPad 2 easily dwarfs it in that department.
With normal use, the battery drained about as fast as on other Android tablets and we were able to continuously use the tablet all day without needing a charge. Here are our official CNET Labs-tested battery life results both with and without the dock connected. More tablet testing results can be found here.
| Video battery life (in hours) | |
|---|---|
| Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (with dock) | 15.3 |
| Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (without dock) | 9.6 |
Conclusion
The Asus Transformer Prime is the best full-featured Android tablet yet. Its refined design makes it just as sexy as the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the laundry list of thoughtful features, coupled with great video playback and camera performance, deliver an impressive device that more than holds its own against any tablet, including the iPad 2.
While games performance is somewhat of a mixed bag, most of what we've seen is impressive and, in most cases, is just as good as the best of what the iPad 2 has produced. However, it will take some time before developers really dig into the Prime's quad-core guts to produce something that truly blows us away.
The Prime will be available mid-December 2011 at $500 for the 32GB version and $600 for the 64GB version. The dock/keyboard clocks in at $150.
Editors' note: This review was updated with CNET Labs' battery test results.
User reviews
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Transformer Prime Extensive Review
by DonaldMSmith on February 19, 2012
Pros: Sleek, elegant design, small, fast five core processor, packed with Android goodness, excellent keyboard dock, dock can charge the prime or even other usb devices. good wifi in strong to medium wifi hot spots. Excellent bundled apps.
Cons: If you use the dock you are going to loose the rubber/plastic grommets covering the small slots that go into the dock. GPS not very strong.
Summary: The device itself is utterly beautiful, a far cry from it's predecessor. The original Transformer, despite being popular and incredibly useful, was a bit of an ugly duckling being ...
Summary: The device itself is utterly beautiful, a far cry from it's predecessor. The original Transformer, despite being popular and incredibly useful, was a bit of an ugly duckling being heavy and a little on the fat side. However, with the Prime, Asus appear to have truly found it's feet with design. Measuring and weighing in as thinner and lighter than tablet design benchmark, iPad 2, the prime sports a combination of spun aluminium and high quality polymer materials, giving a sturdy build and inspiring looks. The Prime comes in two colours, a dark grey with a hint of purple and a silver with a hint of gold (which Asus appropriately calls the "champagne" colour). If you admired the build quality, weight and thinness of the iPad 2, then you're going to be gobsmacked by this; the first ten minutes of my time with the Prime was spent literally caressing it, I almost licked it. If I had done that with a living being, I'd have probably been arrested. The ring spun aluminium finish on the back, when it has light shone on it, gives a beautiful array of concentric circles as they reflect off the brushed finish. the Asus logo in solid Aluminium dominates the center of the back of the tablet, but tastefully. Directly above the Asus logo, towards the center-top of the back is the 8MP camera with single LED flash. The camera has a 2.4 aperture, a significant upgrade from the usual 2.2 apertures seen on consumer devices. This will lead to a high quality camera experience (which is somewhat lost on a tablet).
On the front side of the tablet, you are greeted by a beautiful, sturdy slab of Corning's Gorilla Glass. Not only this, but Asus have followed suit with Apple by using a hydro-oleophobic coating on the glass so that fingerprints and smudges are somewhat mitigated (though not fully). Aside from the screen itself, the front side only sees the Asus logo used once again in the top left section of the bezel. Also housed in the bezel is the 2MP front facing camera which is situated just right of center-top and the photometer for adjusting screen brightness. Physical connectors and buttons are fairly par for the course for a high end tablet such as this. The left section of the top edge holds the power button, the upper section of the right edge holds the 3.5mm audio jack. The left holds the following in top-to-bottom order, volume rocker, micro-HDMI port, Micro-SD card slot and microphone. The center of the bottom edge houses the 40-pin proprietary connector Asus uses to connect the tablet to the dock. It is also the connection used to hook it up to your PC, so this is somewhat bittersweet but is forgiven when considering the kind of functionality it brings in the form of the dock.
On the inside the Prime sports some beefy specs. First up and most notably, the Prime is one of the first tablets in the world to hold Nvidia's brand new Tegra 3 quad core processor. Sporting 4 ARM Cortex A9 cores clocked at 1.3GHz and a fifth, ultra power efficient, "companion" core clocked to a maximum of 500MHz, the Prime isn't lacking in processing grunt. Now, now, I hear you all clamouring in unison, "but what about battery drain?!1'. Fear not, children, as the Tegra 3 actually, according to Nvidia, has less power drain than the Tegra 2. This works through the companion core with it's ultra efficient architecture keeping the tablet ticking over with menial tasks, with the four big boys only turning on when some serious work needs to be done. This combination makes power efficiency shoot through the roof compared to Tegra 2 who only had it's two equally clocked 1GHz cores to provide processing power which would have been less power efficient. Paired to these beastly cores is a 12 CUDA core (or 48 stream processor) GeForce ULP GPU. Nvidia has its expertise firmly set in graphics and 3D rendering with it's successful consumer and enterprise graphics solution business. This translates over to developers wishing to make games or other 3D applications utilising some of Nvidia's special API's like Physx for greate realism in games, or CUDA for more efficient floating point calculation. So these two major processing centers are paired to 1GB LPDDR2 RAM which gives ample memory for apps to play with.
The Prime also comes with the usual gamut of radios like Wifi b, g a & n, A-GSPS and Bluetooth 3.0. 3G is not included in the Prime and there is not a 3G model. So if you were absolutely banking on your tablet having 3G then this isn't for you, lest you use your Android smart phone as a wireless hub for the Prime to utilise you phone's 3G connection (something available on all Android phones from 2.2 onwards). The screen is a 1280 x 800 Super-IPS display. I'm not sure what the "Super" in Super-IPS actually means or does; but it seems that these screen manufacturers like to put an endless amount of prefix names to denote a new iteration (see also Samsung's Super-AMOLED display). Like the iPad 2, this display of the Prime's is a full RGB array, which means absolutely nothing. This endless tussle between full array and PenTile is ridiculous as 99% of users don't tell the difference and that 1% are usually tech-nerds who deliberately look for the difference just to rant about it on XDA or somewhere else. In short, the display is beautiful. Bright and vibrant, viewing angles are excellent and outdoor reading in sunlight is actually do-able to a nice degree. All this beautiful tech wet-dreamery is powered by a 22Wh battery that gives the Prime, on a full load torture test, 10 hours 17 minutes battery time (according to Engadget). The battery in the dock extends that to (what Asus claim to be) 16 and a half hours. So, with moderate use, you don't need to worry about running out of juice throughout the day.
The keyboard dock is as beautiful as the tablet itself, being incredibly thin and light. It has the same colour as the tablet, so you are perfectly colour co-ordinated. Dominating the top of the dock is the keyboard itself. Black chiclet keys were Asus' choice and they were a good once, giving a demure and understated look. Asus have made a number of changes to what you'd be used to on a standard PC keyboard, replacing the top Function keys with shortcuts to many things like turning Wifi on or off, adjusting screen brightness, accessing the browser app, skipping or pausing music etc. There is a button for "Home" where the Windows or Apple key would be and left Alt is replaced by a Search key which takes you straight to Google's integrated search functionality in Android. Overall, the layout and innovative alterations seen on the keyboard are fantastic, the only gripe is that the layout is a little compact (but what do you expect on a 10' form factor) and that the keys themselves have shallow press distances, so initially you're not overly confident when pressing keys but it is something that mitigates itself over time. The trackpad, while small, is very nice. It supports multi-touch gestures (two-finger movement will enact a scrolling action in whatever you're doing) and is accurate. Integrated into the track pad are both left and right clicks. Left click sends a touch instruction over the thing you have the cursor over and right click opens the context menu for that item that will often be brought up when touch-and-holding.
The left side of the dock holds another 40-pin connector, the same one on the bottom of the tablet, that can be used to connect the dock to the charger or a PC. Note that charging the dock while the tablet is connected to it will also charge the tablet in a one-two fashion. The front side of the dock tapers into a very thin front finish reminiscent of ultra books. The right side of the dock holds a full size SD card slot that can take up to 32GB and a full size USB port that can be used to connect to a phone or other device. The connection onto the tablet itself is very secure. It takes some force to clip the Prime onto the dock, there are two spring loaded clips that load into little slots found on either side of the 40-pin connector on the tablet. The connector slides into place and you will hear both clips click into place. The Prime will make a little "bing" noise to let you know it is connected, and the black status bar at the bottom of the screen will bring up a little icon to let you know it is connected. To disconnect, there is a little spring-loaded latch toward the back of the dock which dis-engages the two clips and allows you to pull the tablet off the dock. Some force is required to do this, which is only a testament to how well Asus have engineered the tablet to stay sturdy on the dock. When connected, the cradle section of the dock that holds the prime creates a natural lift at the back end of the dock. This tilts the keyboard and screen ever-so-slightly towards you, which helps with ergonomics. Asus have seriously done their homework with the design of this. Capping things off are four rubberised feet at the bottom of the dock to keep it gripped on whatever surface you put it on.
Overall, the Prime looks and feels the part. It performs lightning quick, the quad core Tegra 3 providing ample grunt to sweep through any and all that gets thrown at it. Physically, you're not going to be embarrassed by being seen with this, it's something you're definitely going to want to show off. The keyboard, while providing some gripes regarding the keys and its compact nature, allows you to really step up the work you can get done if you need to do an extended typing session. ICS on tablets is just as it is on phones, but for the bigger screen (so it's lovely, in short). If you want a bottom line about the Prime, it's this: the Prime is the best Android tablet out now, and is probably the best tablet out now, depending on your perspective.
P.S. If you're will buy this ASUS Transformer Prime, I suggest you have to compare for best prices before you decide at: Prices-comparison.info/Transformer-Prime/
Thank for reading!46 out of 48 users found this user opinion helpful.
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THE BEST TABLETS HANDS DOWN
by quadfour44 on December 9, 2011
Pros: quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor,8-megapixel camera same as Iphone 4s and has smooth and clear 1080p video,microSD and Micro-HDMI ,Thinner and lighter then the Ipad 2
Cons: none as of now
Summary: Very bad review by Eric "my next kid will be named Steve Jobs" Franklin there is no way this should have been rated lower then the Ipad 2 at least ...
Summary: Very bad review by Eric "my next kid will be named Steve Jobs" Franklin there is no way this should have been rated lower then the Ipad 2 at least even. CNET keeps taking down the reviews of people that are upset with Eric's review its about 35 to date that they have pulled down. Eric gave the Galaxy 10.1 a rating of 8.0-6.0-8.0 the Ipad 2 9.0-8.0-8.0 and the prime 8.0-8.0-8.0 the prime blows away the galaxy 10.1 Donald Bell should have reviewed the Prime. Lets see if CNET as the guts to Prizefight the Ipad 2 vs Prime. I bet it will be a tie.......CNET Cause Nobody Equals The apple. I'm sure they will take me down again for the 4th time.
35 out of 49 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Owner's review
by KenHayashi on December 4, 2011
Pros: Aesthetics and design
Available connections
Keyboard dockCons: HC is not optimized for quad core, hopefully ICS eill be
Summary: I think I may be one of the first actual owner of this tablet. I am currently visiting Taiwan, and per-order for the device started way before than in the ...
Summary: I think I may be one of the first actual owner of this tablet. I am currently visiting Taiwan, and per-order for the device started way before than in the States, and actual delivery started on the 3rd. I took delivery of my Prime at 2pm. I preorder mine through TKec here in Taiwan. Taiwan is home to Asus, after all, and it seems Asus really takes care of its fans in its home base.
I have several tablets currently, both iOS and Androids, and have had more. Of course, this is only my personal opinion of the device, and you should take it with a grain of salt as with any other reviews. I am not associated with Asus nor cnet.
Ok, first thing first: I am reviewing this for those that are tablets pros, those who have had several tablets of all competing platforms, and who are wondering what Prime is bringing to the table. Looks elsewhere if you do not already have several tablets of made by Apple, HTC, or HP, etc.
I think I am not out of line when I say that I believe of all platforms out there iOS is the most mature, androids has the most potential and others are just also ran. With that being said, I have to say I am disappointed with just playing HC on my Prime instead of ICS. All the little annoyances of HC are still there, even the bad optimization. Home screen switching is very smooth, and so are apps launching. But every so often, there will be stuttering performing either tasks, just like what HC has always done. I am beginning to believe that all those performance issues really are Google's bad coding, as the hardware of this tablet is not in question. It's is a freaking quad-core! Until ICS ships, I believe, do not think that all the stuttering will be gone. Compare to iOS, sadly, iPad 2 still wins in the consistent smooth operation for now. ICS may very well change that quickly.
Aesthetically, this thing is the best looking tablet there is, bar non. Yes, it is prettier even than the iPad 2. It is thinner as you probably know, but what really strikes me is how solid the tablet feels. The flexing problem or the previous transformer are gone. This thing feels like a solid forged piece of metal when you hold it in your hand, and it exudes expensive and sophistication with aplomb. Design cue pays more than a nod to its Apple competitor, but that is not necessary a bad thing. It is different enough that no one will confuse the two, so on the aesthetic side this thing is the best looking Androids tablet there is. Compare to iPad 2, it is on par with the Apple on looks alone. Prime does feel more "expensive" than even the iPad, so combined with that aspect then it trounces even the Apple offering.
I bought my champaign gold Prime with the dock, so I'll go over a little bit about operation with the dock attached. The dock feels very much like the tablet: thin, light and high class. The keyboard layout is the same as the first gen dock, so if you're already comfortable with that, you'll be at home here. Two cons about the docks are that it is not backlit, and it is not as solid as the tablet itself. Don't get me wrong, it's not that the dock is of low quality, but compared to the tablet it does feel lower. An analogy would be like if you have been driving your Ferrari all day, stepping into your Mercedes S class feels like a let down. To match the quality of the Prime, I would've loved for the dock to be backlit, and the chicklet keys bigger. Maybe even for the keyboard to be thinner,I don't know. All I know is that I was blown away by the tablet. The keyboard, not so much. The top heavy comments made by several reviewers do ring true, Prime does tip over very easily. Be careful.
I have not had my Prime for that long to give a full review. Once I do, then I'll update my findings.26 out of 38 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The new gold standard for tablets
by Liftline on December 5, 2011
Pros: Vastly better in every key regard than the iPad. Amazing display, camera,video, smooooooooth operation, form and function. Apps are now plentiful and great.
Cons: Yes, with the keyboard it seems a little top-heavy, though not really a problem.
Summary: A truly great product that fulills much of what the iPad supposedly promised...and, best of all, its an open platform free of the goofy limitations and insane restrictions that ...
Summary: A truly great product that fulills much of what the iPad supposedly promised...and, best of all, its an open platform free of the goofy limitations and insane restrictions that Apple inflicts on its users.
19 out of 30 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Works great, just put in an order for a second one!
by Jason_Franco on January 3, 2012
Pros: - Nice Design, Built Solid
- Great display
- Usable Apps Included
- Works well as an entertainment power house or for the
professional who like to travel light but still be productive.Cons: 1. Stock Browser performance but that will be fixed with android 4.0
or installing another android browser from the market.
2. Not comfortable to hold and use with stock keyboard, download the
app thumb keyboard.Summary: I am going to keep my review as short as possible. First off, my tablet works flawlessly. I did have my concerns like some of you who have done your ...
Summary: I am going to keep my review as short as possible. First off, my tablet works flawlessly. I did have my concerns like some of you who have done your research about wifi performance, gps and light bleed. Off the bat, my wifi performance was good but not consistent. I used wifi analyzer to check my signal with comparison to my current android phone, the HTC EVO 3D. Both showed the same signal strength but I noticed the inconsistency with various download speeds that ranged from 8 to 20MPS. This was from about 15-20 feet away from my wireless router, the Netgear Wireless N600. I re-configured my router to use channel 11, set the security options to WPA2-PSK (AES), Mode set to 300mps. I disabled the guest network and the 5ghz wireless broadcast. After making those changes my wireless reception improved and I was consistently hitting 20 Mbs using the speed test app. My internet service is provided by Comcast. About the GPS... I was not able to lock onto any GPS satellites from inside my home. Took the table outside and locked on to 6 satellites and counting within seconds with great accuracy on location. Using the stock Navigation app I was able to lock and use. About light bleed... There is no light bleed what so ever on my tablet, confirmed using the light bleed app from the market. ONE issue I have with the tablet is when typing with the tablet using the stock keyboard can feel uncomfortable. Its like the edges of the tablet start digging into your palm. This will be easily be fixed once you put it in a case and/or download the app Thumb Keyboard. Performance wise, I did not notice any slowdown in switching between apps and screens until I installed the app called Pulse. This app or others like it may have a compatibility issue with the companion core causing a slow down when the Asus using the companion core to conserve power. Just something to keep in mind. The browser did not load web pages as fast as other free android browsers such as Opera, Dolphin Browser and Boat Browser. I was able to speed up the Asus stock browser by typing in the address bar, "about:debug" without quotes. *This will not take you to another screen though, follow my next steps...* Then enter the browser's settings, touch the option that says "debug", then make sure only the following is checked:
- Enable open GL rendering
- Enable Web Gl
- Use Wide viewport
Relaunch the stock browser and now one of my cons is no longer a con. Enjoy!
In short, this tablet looks great and does everything I want. I love everything about it, watching movies, fluidity, games, Multiple email account support using the Asus stock email app, and a beautiful display built into a great design to ice the cake. I was looking to jump in on a full featured Android tablet and I found it here with the transformer prime. All that's missing is Ice Cream Sandwich. I will update my review again when I receive the ICS update and/or our second transformer prime (champagne) that I ordered for my girlfriend. To bad it wont ship until the end of January early February from Amazon. The Grey Transformer tablet that I own know came from Best Buy, ordered on November 29th, shipped on December 19th, received on December 23rd. I know, I was one of the lucky ones!11 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Brilliant. Sad about the few that have issues.
by Static-X-Machina on February 22, 2012
Pros: Excellent customer support. Open 24/7 for North America.
Bleeding edge technology in tablet form.
Optional keyboard with built in touchpad, USB 2.0 port, extended battery, standard SD card slot.
Micro SD port, HDMI out, 8mp camera, 3.5mm headphone.Cons: Has had some issues with QC enough to raise an eyebrow but not enough to shun the device.
The rubber feet seem too short to protect the case against scratching on anything but a perfectly flat surface. (ordered laptop lifts rubber feet to solve this.Summary: The transformer prime is a stunning device and has a pristine sleek look that is almost sexy. There are hardly any stark lines to it and is a real head ...
Summary: The transformer prime is a stunning device and has a pristine sleek look that is almost sexy. There are hardly any stark lines to it and is a real head turner. I have had people walk up and ask what the heck it was that I had in places with free wifi when I ejected it from the keyboard to use it like a tablet.
The camera is 8 MP and takes stunning photos and has the option to use photoshop like tools to edit the photos.
The graphics is where it REALLY excels. Try playing shadowguns THD on this baby. The water ripple effects are what stand out as the standard version (if I am right) do not have water effects.
18 hr battery life with keyboard dock. Wow.... I will attest to this. I wake up at 6am every morning and unhook my prime from its charger and it never sees the charger again until I go to bed at around 11 and STILL has over 50% battery life on the tablet. This is with moderate to heavy usage and always with wifi on. I keep my brightness at about 1/3 to 1/4th maximum brightness and super IPS turned off. that being said it is plenty bright at that level indoors. It will test your browsing limits.
Well worth the money I spent.
Wife loves hers too!4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A+ - Outstanding in every major way.
by Livefreeorpay on December 12, 2011
Pros: - Functional and aesthetic; great design
- Amazingly smooth operation
- Fast, fast, fast...
- Brilliant, clear display
- Good crisp sound
- Intuitive interface
- The keyboard rocks
- Much more enjoyable experience than the iPad2Cons: - A little wobbly when mounted on the the keyboard. Not too bad though.
- Light...but not quite light enough.
- Competitive cost, but could be a little less expensiveSummary: We have just gotten one of these...and it compares very well against the iPad2 we've been using for months. Sort of a his/hers situation now...but we'...
Summary: We have just gotten one of these...and it compares very well against the iPad2 we've been using for months. Sort of a his/hers situation now...but we're fighting for this one over the iPad. We really like the openness of the platform...especially in contrast with the horrible (and sometimes insane)restrictions that Apple inflicts on users. We've been Mac/iPhone/iPad users for years now, but we're really fed up with the clunkiness of Apple's so-called ecosystem. The hardware is lagging also, but we've been living with it.
The new Android hardware is now as good or better than the iPad. The Android OS is the deal sealer; vastly superior to iOS. Hardware and software come together very nicely in this device.
looks like the future to us.8 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great product if well assembled, a real letdown if not
by Tomsgate on April 21, 2012
Pros: Great design, amazing battery life, fast...
Cons: From my experience, extremely poor assembly quality: 5 exchanges for flaws in a week!
Summary: Hi eveyone,
Just wanted to share my personal experience regarding the TF201. Note that I love this product, its conecpt and design, which is why I own one despite what ...Summary: Hi eveyone,
Just wanted to share my personal experience regarding the TF201. Note that I love this product, its conecpt and design, which is why I own one despite what happened to me. I did not make this up or exaggerate any of this in any way. This is all true:
I bought my first TF201 about a week ago in a store (Saturn in Luxembourg). Grey model, 32GB with keyboard, very nice. Yet I soon noticed that the motion sensors (rotation, gyro, compass etc.) would stop working after a while for no apparent reason. I wrote to Asus support about it, and they suggested to have it replaced. "Bad luck" I thought, this can happen, and since I still had a few days left to exchange it at the store for another one, no big deal. So I did, and left with a new one, gold model this time, they were out of grey ones...
I opened the new box, started setting up the tablet and went to put it into the dock: very difficult, it wouldn't really fit. After a brief inspection, I noticed that the screen was not attached to the frame properly on the bottom. There was a gap, which made the tablet very hard to fit the hinge. I returned it the same day...
Third model, again a golden one. I had checked the screen in the store right after exchanging the old one: this one was fine. I took it home and started setting it up. I then noticed that the vibration unit (which vibrates at boot up and shut down, or when you mute the tablet) made an unhealthy sound: it was loose in the tablet, rattling...
I exchanged it the next day. Pissed! Thankfully, the staff in the store was very friendly and forthcoming... I opened the fouth one in the store in front of a vendor and we inspected the tablet together: the screen was loose on the bottom. The store decided to send the entire TF201 batch back: 18 units. I got my money back, no problem.
The vendor told me he had had another costumer return on the same model: black screen of death and no possibility to transfer data to a computer anymore. Total shutdown. The customer broke the devive in half in front of the vendor...
This may sound crazy, but despite all of this, I still wanted a TF201: I think it is a great product, looks amazing and is exactly what I want... when it is well built. So I went to another store, which had grey models and a more recent delivery, and bought one there. I inspected it in the store (ok) and use it now. It's fine for now, exept for a couple of dead pixels which you only notice on boot screen...
So, to all of you who consider buying a Transformer Prime (TF201), here is my advice:
- Buy it in a local store, NOT online: you might have to return it and you need to be certain you can exchange it easily
- Return the device as soon as you notice anything wrong. Don't assume it's a software issue: it's probably not...
- Inspect the device in the store right after buying it for screen gaps. Turn it on and check the vibration sound. Might save you a trip back...
- Get a microSD card and backup frequently. You never know what might happen...
- If you have a perfectly fuctionning device, enjoy it (because it is great) and do not give it away.
On a positive note, all the flaws I noticed were assembly related, thus easy to spot quickly and return the units. Also, I think the components are fine, except for some screen bleed ans dead pixels sometimes, but barely noticable... I can live with a dead pixel on boot screen and a tiny bit of screen bleed on boot screen, as long as the rest is fine: this device is great to use, has impressive battery life (especially with the dock), a nice keyboard etc. Worth it. Of course I would prefer a perfect unit in every aspect, but these seem to be pretty rare, according to my experience. If you have one, smile! :)
My advice to Asus:
- Improve your assembly line, for crying out loud! Qualified people, or more staff: productivity is good, quality is better! Selling faulty devices is a bad choice: you get money more quickly, but returns are more frequent and your reputation suffers from it. Bad move.
- How about setting up a quality control? How can units with loose screens even be shipped? Anyone could see the unit is faulty, even without turning it on!!!
See you!
Thomas2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This tablet is surreal!! Best tablet on the market!
by S_Eke512 on March 26, 2012
Pros: Incredible picture/video quality!
Extremely fast processor
High resolution screen
Great Wi-Fi
Easy access to Android Market w/ fast downloads
Incredible memory
GREAT battery life!!
Charges quickly
Great on-screen keyboard with SWIPE.
LightweightCons: Availability.
I don't have enough money to buy more of them!! :-)Summary: I've researched and waited on this tablet for the last three months. I've read countless reviews on multiple sites and talked, at length, with other tech junkies like ...
Summary: I've researched and waited on this tablet for the last three months. I've read countless reviews on multiple sites and talked, at length, with other tech junkies like myself about which tablet was the best on the market. When I finally had the money AND was able to find one online (the only major knock I have against this tablet is how hard it is to find, which is a GREAT thing that a company should have as a knock), I bought it immediately.
Since I received my tablet on Friday (3/23/12), I have almost literally not been able to put it down!! After fulling charging it, I started to play with it to find out just exactly what this thing that I've been coveting for so long could do... And three days later, I'm still beyond fascinated by this piece of tech! It is AMAZING in every sense of the term! It's lightning fast in moving from one open page to the next with the ability to move between programs seamlessly, the screen and resolution is off the charts, clarity is superb, and the apps I downloaded did so in incredible speed (less than a minute tops... Most around 30 seconds). The picture quality (thanks to the AMAZING 8mp camera!) was brilliant to say the least, with multiple stock effects and a zoom capability I did not know the camera had. The video quality was mesmerizing for any device and was everything and more than I could have hoped for... (When I was in the market for a tablet, one of the main things that sold me on the Prime over the iPad2/3 was the camera and I was anything but disappointed!).
One of the clever things that is very aesthetically pleasing is the living wallpaper (interactive/moving wallpaper) that comes with the tablet and the option to download other LWP's from the Android market. This, too, set the tablet apart from an artistic and graphic stand point that was a subtle but great discovery.
I had the great benefit of being able to do a direct, side-by-side comparison with a friend of mine over the weekend who has the iPad3 and by the end of the night on Saturday, he was looking into finding a Prime that was available and wanted to sell his iPad as soon as he found one! Mind you, my friend is an avid fan of Apple and has always bought Apple products, from his MacBook Air, to his iPod touch, to his previously mentioned iPad3. He was incredibly impressed with the speed, look, feel, and video/picture quality of the Prime. The resolution difference on the screen between the two was marginal at best. Again and again as we played with our respective tablet, he was found setting his down to admire my Prime and inquire about it.
Not wanting to make this review too long, I'll sum up my overall thoughts so far on this tablet and respond to some other reviews on the problems I read about before buying mine, because I fear that if I do not cap myself, I will literally talk all day about this mind-blowing tablet!!
First, to address the cons I've seen in other reviews:
I have not experienced any difficulty with the Wi-Fi whatsoever. Even when the signal strength of the router was low (as was indicated by the Wi-Fi signal at the bottom), my browsing was far superior than that of the LAPTOPS in the room running on the same Wi-Fi network, one of which was a MacBook as previously mentioned. Maybe this is a problem that ASUS solved in the time before I got mine but either way, I have had 0 problems with it at all.
I have not used the GPS so I'm not sure if it's still glitchy but I did notice that Google Maps opened about sluggishly when used from the home screen, but this may have also been a product of the fact that I turn off all "Location" services on all my tech for privacy purposes.
I have not had any issues with ICS and love how quickly my tablet works and processes, so the updates they have done since January have been effective and I did not have to wait for a single update since I've had my tablet.
The battery life, which was never listed as a "Con", is beyond superb! It took all day (8-10 hours) of consistent use before my battery completely died and it retains its charge very well.
All in all, this tablet is the most amazing tech I've ever held in my hands, played with, and owned. It excites me every time I pick it up and I have only just begun to find out all that it is capable of. I have the hardest time putting it down for any reason and consistently find excuses to use it even when my laptop is available. The ability to switch between three different levels of power output is also an amazing plus that allows you to pick and choose how fast you want things to run or if you're on a long flight or trip, you can preserve battery life substantially by reducing the power output without losing speed in major programs or open pages. It is truly remarkable.
I would give this tablet more than 5 stars if I could because it is truly THAT good! I would recommend this tablet over any other, hands down, and would especially recommend people to buy this tablet instead of spending more money for a lesser product in the iPad 3. The Prime is $60 cheaper for twice as much memory, a significantly better camera (8mp to the iPad 3's 5mp camera. And the Prime records in HD 1080p over the iPad 3's 720p), equal screen resolution, substantially better battery life, no over-heating problems as is the case with the new iPad, and a quad-core processor that absolutely crushes the competition! This is an investment that no one will regret. My only "buyer's remorse" is that I don't have more money so that I could buy 3 or 4 of these amazing devices!!!
Hope this helps as much as other reviews helped me in my decision making!!
S.E. -- Senior Year College Student.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Wireless performance is terrible.
by Pistol204 on February 19, 2012
Pros: All other aspects of the tablet seemed great. First tablet, so not much to personally compare against other that occasional IPad usage of friends.
Cons: Wireless required you to be almost on top of my new Netgear N600 router. Connection dropped by almost leaving the room. I read other complaints on this before purchasing, but assumed it was fixed. Big mistake.
Summary: Taking mine back today. Don't want to give in to the Apple hysteria, but may just have to swallow my pride and get one. I hope Asus can fix ...
Summary: Taking mine back today. Don't want to give in to the Apple hysteria, but may just have to swallow my pride and get one. I hope Asus can fix the wireless, as they appear to have a great product other than that. What good is a tablet if you have no mobility on your internet connection???
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Asus
- Part number: TF201-B1-GR
- Description: The Eee Pad Transformer is the best tablet choice for users looking for media consumption and mobile productivity in an elegant yet versatile design. The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer features the powerful and responsive Android operating system, ASUS' intuitive waveshare user interface that results in an exciting portable tablet for content creation, social communication, high-definition media playback and smooth realistic game play.
General
- Product Type Web tablet
- Operating System Android 3.2 (Honeycomb)
Display
- Type 10.1 in S-IPS+ TFT active matrix - LED backlight
- Display Resolution 1280 x 800
- Touchscreen Yes
Memory
- Flash Memory 32 GB
- RAM 1 GB - LPDDR2 SDRAM
- Supported Flash Memory Cards microSD
Processor
- Processor NVIDIA Tegra 3
- Multi-Core Technology Quad-Core
Camera
- Rear-facing Camera 8 megapixels
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Front-facing Camera 1.2 Megapixel
Communications
- Wireless Connectivity 802.11b/g/n,
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR Location
- GPS Navigation None
Multimedia
- Max External Resolution 1280 x 800
- Audio Microphone , Stereo speakers
- Supported Digital Audio Formats MP3
Software
- Preloaded Software File Manager,
ASUS Sync,
ASUS WebStorage,
ASUS @Vibe Music,
NVIDIA Tegra Zone,
SuperNote,
App Backup,
App Locker,
Polaris Office 3.0,
MyCloud,
MyNet,
MyLibrary,
ASUS Launcher Input Device
- Type Touch-screen
Expansion and Connectivity
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x microSD
- Interfaces 1 x Audio - Headphones/microphone - Mini-phone 3.5 mm,
1 x Audio / video - HDMI - 19 pin micro HDMI Type D Battery
- Technology / Form Factor Lithium polymer
- Capacity 25 Wh
- Run Time (Up To) 12 hour(s)
Miscellaneous
- Color Amethyst gray
- Sensors Ambient light sensor,
Gyro sensor,
Digital compass - Features Bluetooth ,
Expandable memory ,
Rear camera ,
Front camera - Included Accessories Power adapter
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 10.4 in
- Depth 0.3 in
- Height 7.1 in
- Weight 1.3 lbs
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Product series
-
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (32GB, champagne)
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Android 4.0,
1 GB - LPDDR2 SDRAM,
NVIDIA Tegra 3,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11b,
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR,
IEEE 802.11g,
10.4 in x 0.3 in x 7.1 in,
10.1 in TFT active matrix - LED backlight - Yes,
1.3 lbs -
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (32GB, gray)
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Android 3.2 (Honeycomb),
1 GB - LPDDR2 SDRAM,
NVIDIA Tegra 3,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11b,
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR,
IEEE 802.11g,
10.4 in x 0.3 in x 7.1 in,
10.1 in TFT active matrix - LED backlight - Yes,
1.3 lbs -
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (64GB, champagne)
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Android 4.0,
1 GB - LPDDR2 SDRAM,
NVIDIA Tegra 3,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11g,
Bluetooth 2.1,
10.4 in x 7.1 in x 0.3 in,
10.1 in TFT active matrix - LED backlight - Yes,
1.3 lbs -
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime (64GB, gray)
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Android 3.2 (Honeycomb),
1 GB - LPDDR2 SDRAM,
NVIDIA Tegra 3,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11g,
Bluetooth 2.1,
10.4 in x 7.1 in x 0.3 in,
10.1 in TFT active matrix - LED backlight - Yes,
1.3 lbs
Accessories
- ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 TranSleeve - protective sleeve for web tablet (35098619)30.63 - 31.10
- ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 TranSleeve - protective sleeve for web tablet (35098736)34.99 - 46.95
- Targus Truss Leather Case/Stand for Asus Eee Pad Transformer 10.1" - case for web tablet (35091426)47.84 - 59.76
- ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 TranSleeve - protective sleeve for web tablet (35098757)29.99 - 63.95
- ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 sleeve - protective sleeve for web tablet (35152954)39.99
- ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 sleeve - protective sleeve for web tablet (34997690)37.98 - 39.95
- ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 sleeve - protective sleeve for web tablet (34639241)43.67 - 46.99
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Asus products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Asus
- Address:
44370 Nobel Drive, Fremont, CA 94538 - Phone: +1-510-739-3777
- Email: tmd1@asus.com
- Fax: +1-510-608-4555
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