The 10-inch tablet dons a 2,560x1,600-pixel resolution and houses
Nvidia's latest 1.9GHz Tegra 4 processor with a 72-core GeForce GPU.
Other specs include 4K output via HDMI, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal
storage, Bluetooth 3.0, and a 5-megapixel rear camera and a
1.2-megapixel front camera. The tablet has an optional accompanying
keyboard dock that accommodates a touch pad, a USB 3.0 port, and an SDXC
card slot.
The TF701's design and shiny metallic finish is similar to that of its predecessor, the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700. The TF700 is a solid tablet with a beautiful screen but a now outdated CPU. The upgrades to the new TF701T are excitingly relevant. Its high-resolution screen is matched by only a few other tablets, and its zippy new CPU addresses some of the TF700's flaws.
Hands-on
OK, let me get the bad news out of the way first: the new TF701 is both fatter, heavier, and feels much more plasticy than its predecessor. The good news is that this does nothing to diminish the impact of its super-bright, super-sharp screen, or its whip-fast performance.
Apps opened quickly, widgets whipped by in a flash of 60
frames-per-second (fps) smoothness, and gaming was even more impressive
than what I've seen from Nvidia's Shield. Dead Trigger on the TF701 ran
at a full 60fps with tons of particle effects and characters on screen.
The intensely brilliant screen and high contrast -- marked by deep rich
colors and low black levels -- only further convinced me that this is
one of the finest gaming experiences I've yet had on a mobile tablet. If
developers are up to the challenge, I feel the TF701 is poised to
deliver on the gaming front. The iPad 5 is probably coming soon and will
likely use an ungraded version of the A7 chip. While the TF701
obviously impressed me today, by the time it's released the tablet
performance landscape could look very different. Things move way to fast
in the mobile space to take anything for granted.
The volume button has been raised and flattened, making it easier to find and much more difficult to accidentally press. Asus has redesigned some of the icons to exude a softer, more pastel-like look that I'm not sure I can fully appreciate.
Asus Splendid, which allows you to calibrate the display's color
options, is one the best apps inclusion decisions the company has made
with its recent tablets, so I was happy to see its icon on the TF701T.
Unfortunately Asus removed the interface shortcuts for throttling the
CPU speed between normal, battery, and maximum from the drop-down
settings menu; however, the options can now be found their own app.
Despite my issues with the its build changes, I was
pretty taken with the performance and software options of the TF701.
Asus says it's shooting for somewhere between $400 and $500 for 32GB.
That's a pretty wide range, but somewhere near the lower end of that
scale would be pretty impressive and the move to a more plastic build
should help facilitate this. Look for the TF701T around November. My benchmarking trigger fingers will be counting the days.
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The TF701's design and shiny metallic finish is similar to that of its predecessor, the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700. The TF700 is a solid tablet with a beautiful screen but a now outdated CPU. The upgrades to the new TF701T are excitingly relevant. Its high-resolution screen is matched by only a few other tablets, and its zippy new CPU addresses some of the TF700's flaws.
The keyboard feels a bit too plastic-like for my tastes.
(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)
OK, let me get the bad news out of the way first: the new TF701 is both fatter, heavier, and feels much more plasticy than its predecessor. The good news is that this does nothing to diminish the impact of its super-bright, super-sharp screen, or its whip-fast performance.
Thankfully, Asus didn't cheap out when its comes to ports.
(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)
The volume button has been raised and flattened, making it easier to find and much more difficult to accidentally press. Asus has redesigned some of the icons to exude a softer, more pastel-like look that I'm not sure I can fully appreciate.
Asus claims the back of the tablet is made from aluminum, but it really doesn't feel like it.
(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)
I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to play around with the 5-megapixel camera.
(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)
Follow @ UltrabookConvertible