Product Ratings

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People looking for a balance between the iPad and a standard laptop have now found a perfect alternative to their needs. Thanks to the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Tablet which ensures you get the best of both worlds. It’s more of a tablet than a laptop to be honest but truly something more impressive than many other tablets at a price which is well under £450.

Powerful performance may not be its prime domain but let’s see what makes this beauty so attractive that everyone is talking about it these days. The main highlight of this tablet has been the docking station which transforms this tablet beautifully into a proper laptop. Another impressive feature is that the battery life also improves from 9 hours to 16 hours when docked as it comes with additional cells concealed within the dock.

The TF101 Tablet is powered by a Dual Core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor running at 1.0GHz which is the same as the Apple iPad 2 if you’re wondering. When it comes to RAM its 1GBs and storage capacity is 16GB as standard but it can be extended up to 32GBs.

During our tests we found this machine super friendly and easy to use with the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. The 10.1 inch screen is nice, responsive and bigger than the iPad 9.7inch screen. The difference may seem very little on paper but in reality it feels much bigger and easier to use. The viewing angles on the IPS panel LCD are quite flexible as well at 178°. To be honest we found the IPS panel quality pretty much similar to that of an iPad’s, so we wonder why iPads are priced so high as this is the single most expensive piece of kit on these devices and surprisingly the ASUS offer more of it.

When it comes to other noteworthy features the Transformer TF101 has got it all from 5mp rear camera and front 1.2mp cameras to match the iPad’s and impressive SRS Sound Technology for dynamic 3D sound. IT also comes with HDMI out port which allows you to connect it to your HDTV. We are further impressed with the connectivity specs as not only it comes with Wireless N WiFi but also offer Bluetooth. When docked you also get USB ports available for additional devices.

We think that the Transformer TF101 is one of the most impressive products launched this year and Asus has made a very sensible move by keeping the price much more affordable than the iPad 2. We think the iPad 2 finally has some competition lining up.

Tablet Specs

Processor: NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 – 1.0GHz – Dual-core
Operating system: Android 3.0 Honeycomb
RAM: 1GB
Screen type: LCD screen with IPS panel
Screen resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels
Screen size: 10.1-inches
Touchscreen: 10 finger multi-touch support
Screen features: LED backlighting 178° viewing angle Scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass
Memory capacity: 16GB (up to 32GB with optional microSD card expansion)
Memory card slot: SD Card Reader in docking station (MMC/SD/SDHC/SDXC)
microSD card slot for memory expansion
Device interface: 2 x USB 2.0 (docking station)
Wireless: WLAN 802.11 b/g/n
Internet connection: WiFi
Video interface: 1 x mini HDMI 1.3a
Audio interface: 1 x 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone/Mic-in)
Features Sound: SRS Premium Sound – Stereo Speakers – High Quality Mic
Camera: 1.2 megapixel Front Camera 5 megapixel Rear Camera
Additional features: G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, E-Compass, GPS
Battery type : 24.4Wh Li-Polymer Battery
Battery life: Up to 9.5 hours away from dock (tablet only) Up to 16 hours with dock
Dimensions: 271 x 171 x 12.98 mm
Weight: 680g