Asus Prime Z270 A Compatible Ram

(Pocket-lint) - The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime isn't a robot in disguise, but information technology does have a few tricks up its sleeve that any Autobot or Decepticon would be proud of. This new Transformer improves upon the original version from before this yr, adds more power and funky new styling.

But is this update worth the substantial toll - it'southward more than a budget laptop - and does it offer plenty to be crowned the best Android tablet on the marketplace?

Our quick have

The operation of the Transformer Prime number is top-notch. The blueprint is stylish, and the addition of the keyboard is a corking way of turning what many see as a consumption device into a artistic device. The hope of an Ice Cream Sandwich update ways that the tablet should be equally fresh at the terminate of 2012 every bit it is at the finish of 2011.

The biggest bugbear some might have is the lack of 3G connectivity. Asus tell u.s. that there are no plans to bring a 3G version of the Prime to the UK at the moment, then you'll have to make a different provision if you demand data on the move.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer is a beast of a car that looks likely to stand the test of time. It's well-specified and well-equipped with ports and connections, offering greater flexibility than you'll find on some rivals.

An early arrival on the market ways y'all don't get the latest Os, just Asus is edifice on an already successful product line and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime continues to print.

Asus Transformer Prime

4.five stars - Pocket-lint recommended

For

Design
Tegra 3 processor
Updatable to Ice Cream Sandwich
Detachable keyboard

Confronting

Heavy when combined with the docking station
Doesn't accept ICS only yet

Pattern on a diet

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime sports a new thinner pattern, is clad in metal and ultimately looks considerably better than its predecessor, the Eee Pad Transformer. Gone is the plastic outer case, and in its place, a new slimmer and lighter approach. It weighs just 586g and measures 8.3mm thick, resulting in a device that makes even the iPad 2 look like it needs to go along a diet.

Equally is typical on Android tablets, Asus has opted for a sixteen:9 aspect ratio 10.1-inch Super IPS+ (1280 x 800) display. Like so many new devices, it's protected from moderate knocks and scrapes by Corning's Gorilla Glass.

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Running Google Android Honeycomb, and eventually Ice Cream Sandwich, there are no buttons on the front of the tablet. The blackness bezel is perhaps thicker than it needs to be, although does requite a good perch on which to hold the tablet without getting your fingers in the mode. Merely a front facing 1.2-megapixel photographic camera breaks the darkness of the border.

The sides offering power and book buttons, a hot-swappable microSD slot, headphone jack, micro HDMI port. In that location'southward also a docking port for connecting accessories and the all important power cablevision.

The dorsum sports a brushed aluminium stop to match the company's Zenbook, and is again merely broken past the inclusion of an 8-megapixel camera and flash on the elevation edge.

The Transformer Prime is light, solid, comfortable to hold and use. You lot are unlikely to be disappointed.

Tablet transforms into laptop

Like the Transformer, the Transformer Prime also comes with a laptop dock that allows you to not but extend the battery life of the tablet, only also employ it like a laptop. The "keyboard" comes bundled in the box, you won't be able to purchase the Transformer Prime without it, or so we're told.

The tablet slots into the dock and the result is well-designed and strong enough to pass off every bit a single unit, rather than ii disparate pieces.

The island keyboard is like shooting fish in a barrel and comfortable to blazon on and besides comes with a smattering of shortcuts that can exist used to speed upwardly important functions. In that location is a large drinking glass trackpad, the same ratio as the screen, that allows for more of a laptop-similar experience, although we found it to be very sensitive.

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Shortcuts will permit you to plow off the trackpad, toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, load upward the settings pane, fire up the browser, as well as offering playback controls and book.

The keyboard dock too gives you lot a USB port and SD card socket for transferring images, music, movies and files to the device quickly, be information technology from your photographic camera or portable hard drive.

It'due south worth pointing out that as presently as you disconnect the tablet from the keyboard, access to any connected retentiveness or devices is cut-off. You'll need to consider this when managing files, especially if you want something off the SD card when you don't have it docked.

Every bit a pair the two work perfectly together. To the untrained eye, this is a netbook rather than a tablet with a keyboard, and there is enough weight in the base of operations unit of measurement for the pair to be used on your lap, without hazard of it over-balancing and toppling over.

Not only a pretty face

If you lot were wondering whether the Eee Pad Transformer Prime number is just a visual "tarting up" of the previous model y'all would exist wrong. Asus has worked hard to improve virtually every facet of the Transformer to create the Transformer Prime.

The Prime comes with a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Battery life is promised at 18 hours with the dock - the keyboard contains its own battery - 12 hours without.

The Tegra 3 processor also gives you plenty of power on tap. The feel is silky smoothen in daily navigation, with no sigh of lag or delay as you interact with Android. Games play extremely well and we've even had it playing 4k video smoothly. Unnecessary, perhaps, just undeniably powerful.

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The biggest change, however, is in the screen. Every bit the primary indicate for interaction, having a good screen on a tablet is critical. Here yous get an IPS display, which is brighter - so offers better visibility outdoors - and great viewing angles. The display is scratch resistant - thanks to the Gorilla Glass - but it does however have a sleeky end. This can have an touch on on how easy it is to see the screen when yous're outside.

The brightness tin can exist additional with what Asus is calling "Super IPS+ fashion". This essentially increases the brightness of the display at both ends of the scale. This mode can be toggled, and whilst boosting the brightness, it also appears to put some effort into conserving the integrity of the image displayed, rather than merely tinkering with the brightness and contrast settings.

With potent graphics, the ability to play whatsoever game on the marketplace at the moment hands, HDMI out, and USB gamepad support, you've got to ask yourself whether actually you are buying a games console in disguise.

We played a number of games, and weren't disappointed. Riptide with all that water, ShadowGun with its third-person shooting action, and other demos like Glowball all go to bear witness what is possible with the graphics.

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And information technology's not just the graphics that are good, audio is excellent too. In that location's a skillful speaker on the dorsum, ready to pump out sound effects and tunes, when needed, thank you to some dedicated "SonicMaster" technology.

Camera and video

We don't get as well hung-upwardly virtually cameras on tablets because they're unlikely to be fix to any corking chore. But Asus have produced a camera that is really very adept, giving u.s.a. an F/ii.4 discontinuity lens and flash to get you out of trouble when it's dark. Photos independent plenty of particular, good colour balance, and we would happily share them with others.

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On the video front, the Prime offers 1080p capture and we were very happy with the performance. Playback on the Prime is a breeze, with the tablet hands coping with 1080p footage you've recorded or imported from elsewhere.

Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and apps

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime currently runs Google Android Honeycomb 3.2.1, which is something of a shame, as at that place is a new kid on the block: Google Android 4.0, or Ice Foam Sandwich. Thankfully Asus has confirmed that the Prime will be getting the update as soon every bit it is available, simply you lot guessed it, in that location is really no confirmed date nevertheless.

Honeycomb is well-suited to the larger display of tablets, but isn't without its flaws and it's not uncommon for apps to crash occasionally. The Prime is no exception here, although that'due south a wider Android event rather than something Asus is responsible for. We've covered both Honeycomb and Ice Foam Sandwich operating systems in full reviews, so information technology's worth reading those if you want to know more.

A bigger issue possibly is compatibility. It'south a frustrating ane too, considering you lot know that, technically, there should exist no bulwark to a item app running on a device, but it doesn't. For example, we downloaded BackStab Hard disk drive, simply information technology refused to play.

Equally for apps bundled and pre-installed, yous'll get the very good Polaris Office, SuperNote, @Vibe Music, and a host of dedicated Asus apps to help you share and save your files in the cloud, as you lot did with the previous Transformer.

To recap

If you're after a new Honeycomb tablet, this could very well exist your next purchase

Writing past Stuart Miles.