ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 Review

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 has a screaming powerful engine, a deliciously gorgeous 10.1 Ultra HD IPS display, and a tactile keyboard dock for productivity. However despite all of the things going for it, the ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 can’t truly be a replacement for netbooks or laptops because it doesn’t have the full productivity prowess of a Windows 8 Tablet/Hybrid. The ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 sits dangerously in the middle of the Apple iPad Air and the Windows hybrids like the ASUS Transformer Book T100. With that said, the most important question we’ll need to answer in this review is if there is a good spot in the market for the Transformer Pad TF701, or for Android hybrids in general.

Before anything let’s quickly go over the specifications once again.

ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 Spec Sheet

• 1.9GHz Quad-core Processor, Tegra 4 Chipset
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB Internal Storage, Expandable via MicroSD Card
• 10.1-inches Ultra HD Backlit IPS Display, 2560 x 1600 Resolution
• 5.0-megapixels primary camera
• 1.2-megapixels secondary camera
• WiFi a/b/g/n, MiraCast, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS
• Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
• Micro HDMI, USB 3.0 Port, SD Card Reader
• Keyboard Station Dock
• SRP: Php27,995

Hardware and Build: Superb!

The new Transformer Pad uses anodized aluminum for the main chassis and casing. This material gives it a much better profile and a more premium feel. Similar to the design of the highly successful Zenbook series, ASUS etched concentric circles on the top late with the ASUS logo at the middle.

Up front we have the 10.1-inch Ultra HD IPS display. The black bezel around the screen is a bit thick but the good news is you’ll probably forget about it once you turn it on. The quality of the display is just stunning! It blows away most of the competition! The vibrant and bright colors combined with the Ultra HD resolution truly makes it a wonderful media consumption device.

Running along the sides of the tablet are the usual ports and controls. We have the headphone jack, micro HDMI out, microSD card slot, power lock, volume rocker, and the proprietary dock connectors for the keyboard. There’s a USB 3.0 port and SD card reader as well located on the sides of the Keyboard Dock. Great for connecting additional storage or charging up some accessories/peripherals.

The keyboard uses the same anodized aluminum for the main build. It has chiclet-type keys which are very responsive and tactile. Spacing of the keys is okay but you’ll definitely feel it’s kind cramped since it’s more akin to a netbook keyboard than the one you find on 13 inch laptops. Also they probably should have made it a backlit keyboard already given the premium price of the entire package.

Over-all the hardware and build is good. Perhaps our only gripes are the thick black bezel and the lack of more features in the keyboard.

What’s the point of having a keyboard for an Android tablet?

Talking about the keyboard… why do you need one with an Android tablet? Based on our experience the keyboard became useful mostly when we were typing out e-mails and notes from meetings. We also used it to come up with drafts for speeches and blog posts but we weren’t actually able to use it for blogging per se since the WordPress Android app sucks. Probably the most use we found for the keyboard is for it to act like the stand (since it’s also a dock) when we wanted to watch movies, lol.

The experience is totally different when compared to a Windows tablet. We also have the ASUS Transformer Book T100 and we’ve been using it for so many things related to work. We’ve done (and presented) PowerPoint presentations, edited worksheets on Excel, and did full blog posts using the browser on Desktop mode.

When it comes to productivity, we think that Windows hybrids outmatch and outclass Android hybrids, mostly due to the support for the full Windows experience.

Performance: Power Overwhelming!

Impressive score!

While we’re admittedly not fans of the productive side of the Transformer Pad, we’re thrilled with the entertainment value it offers. First up we have gaming. The NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core chipset combined with the 2GB RAM makes the ASUS Transformer Pad a screamer! Loading times for heavy games were almost non-existent and we barely felt any lag at all when playing in high levels already of games like Dead Trigger 2. The graphics also looked exceptionally awesome thanks to the 10.1-inch Ultra HD display. Heck we’ve never seen Dead Trigger look so superb!

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 was able to take everything we threw at it with no problem. As mentioned we did gaming from titles like Angry Birds Space Wars to Dead Trigger 2. We also did movie and photo editing, both of which didn’t have any stuttering or loading time issues.

Kill the zombies!!!

In short, the ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 is one of those very few Android products that have hit the pinnacle of the Android capabilities. It can do anything and everything an Android tablet can, and do those tasks well.

Camera and Battery Life

We took several shots using the 5MP primary shooter of the ASUS Transformer Pad but they weren’t that much to look at so we didn’t bother uploading them. Pictures looked decent in good lighting conditions but once you have low-light or harsh light, all bets ore off.

For the battery life, we a consistently got around 14 hours of use before needing another charge. Note though that’s with the keyboard dock (which apparently also adds more battery).

Verdict: Best Android Hybrid?

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF701 is a very capable Android hybrid device. However it still doesn’t have enough software for it to be a replacement for Windows laptops. Where it does shine though is in entertainment. The Ultra HD display is just superb and the 10.1-inch form factor gives you a lot of screen to display your content with. The game selection has already improved as well with a lot of the top titles now present on Google Play (but still lagging a bit behind iOS).

If you’re looking for the best Android tablet out there, the Transformer Pad TF701 is a great contender. The keyboard is really more of a bonus than anything, hehe.

Congratulations ASUS Philippines for bringing the new Transformer Pad TF701 to our shores!