Asus Transformer Pad TF300 (32GB)
Asus
MSRP: $399.00
Price Range: $279.00 - $549.28
Overview
CNET Editors' Rating: 3.5 / 5
The good: The Asus Transformer Pad TF300's Tegra 3-induced performance more or less matches the Transformer Prime's and goes a step further with a better rear camera, faster Wi-Fi performance, a more responsive screen, and an actual (and official) GPS feature. Micro-HDMI and microSD return, as does the keyboard option. The $350 entry price makes the TF300 the best full-Android tablet value currently on the market.
The bad: The tablet's design isn't as thin, sturdy, or sexy as the Transformer Prime's and feels a bit hollow in comparison. The $150 keyboard dock is still $150. The screen isn't outside-friendly, like the Prime's.
The bottom line: Though it isn't as thin or as sturdy, the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 delivers Prime levels of performance at a more affordable price.
Design, Features & Performance (out of 10)
Design: 7.0
Features: 8.0
Performance: 8.0
Review
For Android tablet fans, the Asus Transformer Prime TF201 represented that moment when they could say to their iPad 2-toting buddies: "Hey! I have something thinner, lighter, and -- at least on paper -- more powerful than you do. Also: keyboard! Ba-bam!"
Well, there's the possibility it didn't go quite like that, but I think you get my point.
Still, the Prime had some GPS issues and its Wi-Fi speed wasn't as high as some expected. And by "some," I mean me. Also, starting at $500, it wasn't exactly cheap.
Enter the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 Series. The TF300 starts at $380 for 16GB of storage, comes with Android 4.0.3 installed, replaces the Prime's metal unibody with plastic, lowers the speed of its Tegra 3 processor, and removes the flashlight from the rear 8-megapixel camera.
Are those changes enough to diminish the enthusiasm tablet enthusiasts should have for this new tablet? I'll give you a hint: No.
Design
Again, if you took the Transformer Prime TF201, added a few millimeters of girth, replaced its aluminum unibody with plastic, and made it slightly heavier, you'd essentially have the Transformer Pad TF300. There are a few other design differences, but those are the basics.
The TF300 measures 0.38 inch thick -- compared with the Prime's 0.32-inch thickness -- and the plastic outer shell doesn't feel quite as sturdy or as full as the Prime's metal body does. Those differences are readily apparent (although the TF300 is still relatively thin compared with most tablets); however, without using a scale, I initially had trouble discerning which was heavier. In fact, the TF300 weighs 1.4 pounds, 0.08 pound more than the Prime.
| Asus Transformer Pad TF300 | Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 | Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 | Apple iPad (2012) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight in pounds | 1.4 | 1.32 | 1.52 | 1.24 | 1.34 |
| Width in inches (landscape) | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.7 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| Height in inches | 7.1 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.3 |
| Depth in inches | 0.38 | 0.32 | 0.51 | 0.34 | 0.34 |
| Side bezel width in inches (landscape) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
Our TF300 model sported a Royal Blue finish with a finely grooved back and an embossed silver Asus logo in the middle. Other, less regal-sounding colors, Torch Red and Iceberg White, will be released in June. Along the right side of the back is a 1.5-inch-long speaker grille slit, replacing the basic speaker holes on the Prime.
The TF300 brings over every physical slot and input from the Prime. Along its left edge sit a Micro-HDMI input, a microSD slot, and a volume rocker that protrudes more dramatically from the tablet's body than on the Prime. An equally protruding -- and now easily depressible -- power/sleep button pokes out from the top edge. The 1.2-megapixel front camera and 8-megapixel back camera from the Prime are here, however, sans an LED flashlight.
The TF300 now -- even more easily than the Prime did -- slides into its keyboard dock. If you own a Prime, you can also place it in the TF300's dock. Attempting the opposite, though, isn't advised. While technically you can force the TF300 into the Prime's dock, it never fully locks into place. Also, you're probably risking damaging the connector by doing so. Officially the TF300 is not compatible with the Prime's dock, so don't expect much help from Asus if you damage something by going down this ill-advised path.
The keyboard dock itself feels identical to the Prime's aside from its plastic body, with the only other major difference being that the USB port has a cover that remains adhered to the device when you open it. The keyboard still feels comfortable, if maybe slightly cramped for large hands like mine, and while the buttons are smaller than a MacBook Air's, they're fairly soft and well-spaced. Using this keyboard on a regular basis wouldn't be my first choice, but I could see myself getting used to its somewhat cramped (for my hands) feel after a while. Still, with Asus reverting to plastic, I'm a bit perplexed as to why the TF300 keyboard costs the same as the Prime's. They're both $150, but like the tablets themselves, the slightly heavier metal body of the Prime's keyboard just feels like it's a better-built device.
Software features
The TF300 is the first Asus tablet to come preinstalled with Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and while it's the best version of the Android OS yet, unfortunately for the TF300, it still lags behind iOS in app support. Check out the Ice Cream Sandwich section of the Transformer Prime TF201 review for details on what Ice Cream Sandwich brings to the table over the previous version the Android operating system, Honeycomb.
The TF300 also comes with plenty of Asus goodies installed. Once you register the TF300, Asus MyCloud gives you 8GB of free cloud-based storage space for the lifetime of the tablet, 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 TF300'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.
With SuperNote you can not only type notes, 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 or maybe getting in a little Draw Something practice.
With App Backup you can back up any installed application to the internal storage or microSD card. This makes it so you can reset your tablet without losing apps or app data. The Prime also comes with a free Polaris Office app that pretty successfully approximates Microsoft Office, allowing users to create PowerPoint, Word, and Excel docs. Finally, App Locker lets you password-protect any app on your tablet, preventing anyone from opening it unless the correct password is entered.
Via Asus' tweaks to the Android interface, you can choose to run the Tegra 3 CPU in normal, balanced, or power-saving mode. 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. This CPU-throttling feature was also on the Prime, and I'm still waiting for other vendors to adopt similar modes, as they are pretty useful.
While the TF300, like the Prime, allows you to take screenshots with the "recent apps" button, one of my favorite features of the Prime has been criminally axed. The Super IPS+ (In-Plane Switching) mode, which boosted the Prime's screen brightness -- making reading in sunlight a bit easier -- is unfortunately gone from the TF300's feature set. Bummer.
Hardware features
The TF300 is only Asus' second tablet to house Nvidia's quad-core processor, the Tegra 3. The Pad TF300 includes a 1.2GHz Tegra 3, compared with the 1.3GHz version found in the Prime. However, the tablet has 1GB of DDR3 RAM -- as opposed to the DDR2 RAM used in the Prime. The TF300 comes in either 16GB or 32GB storage sizes and has 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 3.0+EDR, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and GPS (yep, it's an official spec this time!)
The Mobile keyboard 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 PlayStation 3 game pads, as well as supported wireless game pads through the use of an USB dongle. However, the USB dongle requires a full USB port, necessitating the use of the keyboard dock to accomplish this setup. Also, while our Micro-HDMI cable easily plugged into the TF300, moving the tablet around, even a little, dropped the signal to the monitor. This was not something we experienced on the TF201.
Performance
The TF300's IPS screen sports a 1,280x800-pixel resolution and, aside from having lower overall brightness than the TF201's, is of the same quality, with wide viewing angles, a satisfying contrast ratio, and no visible color tint problems. Don't expect iPad levels of clarity or Galaxy Tab 7.7 black-level depth, but it's still excellent compared with most tablets.
| Tested spec | Asus Transformer Pad TF300 | Apple iPad (2012) | Asus Transformer Prime TF201 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum brightness (Super IPS) | 331 cd/m2 | 455 cd/m2 | 358 cd/m2 (570 cd/m2) | 336 cd/m2 |
| Default brightness | 135 cd/m2 | 160 cd/m2 | 183 cd/m2 | 336 cd/m2 |
| Maximum black level (Super IPS) | 0.22 cd/m2 | 0.49 cd/m2 | 0.27 cd/m2 (0.45 cd/m2) | 0.3 cd/m2 |
| Default black level | 0.09 cd/m2 | 0.17 cd/m2 | 0.15 cd/m2 | 0.3 cd/m2 |
| Default contrast ratio | 1,504:1 | 941:1 | 1,220:1 | 1,120:1 |
| Maximum contrast ratio (Super IPS) | 1,500:1 | 928:1 | 1,325:1 (1,266:1) | 1,120:1 |
The screen feels more responsive than the Prime's when swiping through screens, nearly reaching iPad levels of sensitivity. Apps load quickly (only a hair more slowly than on the Prime) and menus pop up in a snap. Also, there's still that great, smooth Tegra 3-induced, 60-frames-per-second screen transition effect when closing apps or swiping through apps and widgets.
Thankfully, apps like the Marvel comics app are beginning to take advantage of Tegra 3's extra horsepower by offering smoother transitions between panels in digital comics. Not quite iPad-smooth, as there's still some judder, but smoother than when the Prime debuted.
The TF300's Web speeds in the default browser were a few seconds slower than the iPad's when travelling to the same sites; but still a couple seconds quicker than the Prime, on average. Also, when quickly swiping down long Web pages, there was no visible clipping.
Thanks to its hardware scalability, I used Riptide GP as a games performance benchmark. Depending on the speed of the tablet's CPU, Riptide GP will deliver a noticeable increase or decrease in frame rate. The TF300's frame rates were just about identical with the Prime's approaching 60fps, with the Tegra-exclusive screen water splashes in tow. The frame rate feels lower than the iPad's, however, and after playing the game on the iPad's high-resolution screen, it was difficult to go back to the TF300's "low" 1,280x800 pixels, as much as I love water splashes.
I tested the TF300's theoretical download speed using the Speedtest app, with the tablet less than 5 feet away from our closed network test router. The TF300 delivered performance consistently faster (by about 5Mbps) than the Prime and was only about 3Mbps behind the iPad. When I ran the same test through a couple of walls, about 30 or so feet away from the router, the iPad's lead increased to about 6Mbps and the TF300's lead over the Prime decreased to 4Mbps. As a real-world test, I downloaded Angry Birds Space, delivering the following results. These results are an average of three iterations; all of the three iterations per tablet were within 5 percent of each other.
| Asus Transformer Pad TF300 | Asus Transformer Prime TF201 | Apple iPad (2012) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angry Birds Space download speed (in seconds) | 19 | 21 | 12 |
The TF300 is using the exact same wireless hardware as the Prime, so it's possible that its new plastic casing helps improve Wi-Fi performance over the Prime. Speaking of which, GPS performance is much improved over the Prime as satellite connections are much easier to find, although signals didn't get to impressively high levels.
The 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera performs largely as you'd expect a tablet front-facing camera to, with little redeemable value beyond its use as a crude video chat device. The 8-megapixel back camera, however, seems to have improved over the Prime's. While I miss the LED flash, what I get in return is a camera that takes noticeably higher detailed shots. The TF300 is running a different version of the camera firmware, though, so hopefully some of these improvements will make their way to the Prime, since the hardware is, by all accounts, identical.
1080p video recorded with the rear camera was as detailed as the Prime's, but didn't capture quite the number of fine details the iPad's camera does. Also, image stabilization is lacking compared with the iPad's when performing even slow, methodical pans. It's not terrible by any means; the iPad just delivers smoother moving pictures. I was able to play both 720p and 1080p movie files from outside sources smoothly on the TF300 with no problems.
The TF300's speakers produced fuller, louder sound than the Prime's and even at maximum volume I noticed nary a distortion and no tinniness. Now, you won't be replacing your home-theater-in-a-box with a TF300 anytime soon, but for a tablet, it delivers pretty soundly...<cough...>. I'll um, I'll just let myself out.
I did experience a few random app lockups, but nothing consistent and nothing a quick app force-stop command couldn't fix. Also, once when I connected to the dock, the screen displayed some weird graphical anomalies. The app shortcuts began to pulsate and the edge of the screen started to "tear." I only experienced this once, but it's worth mentioning.
The TF300's battery lasted over the course of about two days, matching the Prime's battery life over the same period, with each tablet performing largely the same tasks. Asus claims 10 hours with the standalone battery and 15 hours with the keyboard dock attached. Here are our official CNET Labs-tested battery life results. More tablet testing results can be found here.
The chart below reflects the results for the TF300's battery life in hours with the mobile keyboard dock.
| Balance mode | Peformance mode | Power saving mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus Transformer Pad TF300 (with dock) | 13 | 12.2 | 13.2 |
Here are the battery test results (in hours) for the TF300 as a standalone tablet without the mobile keyboard dock.
| Balance mode | Peformance mode | Power saving mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus Transformer Pad TF300 (without dock) | 8.7 | 8.4 | 8.7 |
Our take
The TF300 isn't as thin or sturdy as the Transformer Prime. You also lose the rear camera flashlight and its screen isn't as bright. You do get roughly the same overall speed as the Prime with slightly faster Wi-Fi performance, a better rear camera, and an actual GPS feature that Asus can openly tout on its specs sheet.
The TF300 doesn't lose much compared with the Prime and actually gains in a couple areas. At $380 ($400 for 32GB) it's cheaper than even an iPad 2, but unfortunately, the Android OS still lags way behind in app support compared with iOS. Still, if Android is your thing, the TF300's price makes it the current best value for a full-Android tablet on the market.
Basic Specs
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 10.4 in x 0.4 in x 7.1 in |
| OS provided | Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich |
| Installed RAM | 1 GB |
| Processor | NVidia 1.2 GHzTegra 3 |
| Display type | 10.1 in, TFT active matrix |
| Wireless connectivity | IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11b, Bluetooth 3.0, IEEE 802.11g |
| Battery installed (max) | Lithium polymer |
| Weight | 22.4 oz |
User Reviews
Average User Rating: 3.5 / 5
User Rating Breakdown
5 Star: 6
4 Star: 6
3 Star: 1
2 Star: 0
1 Star: 0
Amazing Tablet for the Price!
Rating: 5 / 5
on August 4, 2012
6 out of 6 users found this review helpful
Pros: + ICS runs beautifully on this device
+ Display is very bright for indoor use
+ Touchscreen is very responsive
+ Build is pretty solid
+ Battery life is superb
Cons: - Not much bloatware
- Android still lacks a number of tablet based apps
Summary: I have owned this tablet for 10 days now and have used it extensively every day (5+ hours a day). I have to say that I couldn't be happier with this tablet's performance.
Specifically:
Operating System: 4.5/5
Android Ice Cream Sandwich runs beautifully on this device. I may have an app close on me once every 2 or 3 days. I know apps crash significantly less often on iOS, but you also have to deal with iTunes which I personally find sluggish and heavy. Homescreen and app drawer transitions are very snappy, I never experience any lag. You can fully customize your homescreen with useful widgets like Gmail and weather that automatically updates you without having to open any applications. I always liked Android more than iOS, and it's because of the customization available
Speed: 5/5
This tablet runs applications and videos for me without missing a beat. I've tested it with several Youtube videos, as well as in-browser Amazon Instant Video streaming and I don't experience any lag, even just on balanced mode. I've also run multiple apps at the same time, often switching back and forth between a couple of games and Google Chat, and the processor handles it perfectly. I've had no problems with internet browsing being slow, but I did immediately download Dolphin Browser for Android, so that may have something to do with it. Web pages load almost as fast as they do on my computer. I have no complaints about the speed of the tablet.
Sound: 4/5
There is one speaker towards the right of the device (when holding in landscape) that is slightly awkwardly placed. However, the sound quality is still much better than adequate. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality when using it to watch shows on Amazon Instant Video. You can hear clearly words and music.
Portability: 5/5
The tablet is not heavy, I can hold it in one hand for a long enough time to do what I need to do, and holding it with two hands (while browsing or reading PDF documents for example) is very easy and feels natural. It's a light device that is easy to carry around, and feels sturdy enough so that I don't have to worry too much about damaging it as long as I'm just somewhat careful (it's not like you're going to purposely smash it on the floor or even let it be in a situation like that). The battery life is great as well, I often go 10 hours before needing to charge the tablet, maybe 8 and a half hours for heavy use.
Feel: 5/5
There are some complaints about the plastic back, but I have absolutely none. I love the feel of holding the tablet, the plastic back feels sturdy to me, and it is pleasant to the touch when holding the device. Also, because of the plastic back, I always get excellent Wi-fi reception, and GPS signal is very strong for me. It found me in less than 30 seconds the first time I tried using it, and it updated my position in real-time in a satellite view while in a car.
Display: 5/5*
The display is very bright for indoor use and more than meets my needs. I have only noticed light bleed on the bright black boot-up screen of the device, but if I had never seen the device boot up, I wouldn't have known that there was any. I can never tell when I'm playing games, browsing the web, or reading documents. It's bright and displays colors wonderfully, I have no qualms from the display.
*-the device is difficult to use in direct sunlight. This isn't affecting my score for it because I don't need it or use it in direct sunlight, but you should know if that's what you want to use it for, you should get the Asus Transformer Prime or wait for the Infinity TF700 for a better screen that's made to be viewed in direct sunlight.
Overall: 5/5
I love just about everything about this tablet, and would recommend it to any of my friends and family. For the price of about $400 dollars for this tablet with 32gb of storage, you're getting a light sleek tablet with a quad-core processor and excellent battery life.
*you can see best price for this tablet at my blog -> Androidtablet2012deals.wordpress.com/asus-transformer-tf300/
Thank for reading, hope this helps.
A really good tablet with a few issues.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
on May 31, 2012
3 out of 3 users found this review helpful
Pros: 1. Price
2. Performance
3. Keyboard dock
4. Surprising loud, albeit not great, speaker(s)
5. Good battery life
Cons: 1. Light bleed
2. No native word processor
3. Sometimes slow and finicky web browser(s)
4. Less than stellar screen resolution and colors
Summary: I was one of those people who always said I'd never buy a tablet. I had absolutely zero interest in owning one; I already had a smartphone, a laptop, a desktop, and a netbook (which I never used), so I was pretty adamant. Then a friend bought me a Nook Color for graduation. The very next day, we traded that for a Nook Tablet and I rooted it in order to make it a "true Android tablet," but was unimpressed by its performance. So, by the third day we'd returned the Nook Tablet and then went to BestBuy where I had every intention of getting a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.
Having read less than impressive reviews on that device, however, I soon found myself torn between a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the Asus Transformer Prime, and the Asus Transformer Pad TF300. Although I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone, I opted against the Samsung tablet for two major reasons: 1) The Samsung tablet wasn't quad-core, and 2) Having owned two Samsung smartphones, I knew that Samsung had a terrible track record when it came to updating its devices to the latest Android OS in a timely manner. I mean, my Galaxy S2 STILL doesn't have ICS.
So, it came down to the Transformer Prime and the Transformer Pad. Ultimately, I opted for the Transformer Pad because its plastic construction wasn't as flimsy as I'd been led to believe, and the plastic build also ensured I'd have better wi-fi reception and avoid the issues with GPS and signal strength that the Prime suffered from. With the exception of the Prime's aluminum body, longer-lasting battery, camera flash, and moderately brighter screen, the Pad is practically identical while costing significantly less.
The Pad has the same Tegra 3 quad-core processor as the Prime, and it shows; the Pad is fast, powerful, and fluid. The Pad has surprisingly loud audio, but it lacks stereo output (either because there's just one speaker, or, if there are two speakers, they're too close together). Still, it's far louder than even my laptop. When my screen is black, I notice some light bleed in a few of the corners, but it's nothing major and becomes unnoticeable when the screen is displaying colors other than black. That being said, the Pad's screen is a bit underwhelming. I wouldn't say it's terrible, but the screen on my Galaxy S2 blows this thing out of the water. The Pad's colors aren't as vibrant and text/images aren't nearly as sharp. It took me a while to adjust to the lower resolution and more subdued colors. If you don't already have a mobile device with amazingly high resolution and vivid colors, then you probably won't have any problems with the Pad's screen at all.
The native browser is unforgivably slow and buggy at times. I thought to rectify this problem by downloading the Dolphin tablet browser, and while it is significantly faster than the native browser, it too, has its share of buggy moments. Hopefully, this will be fixed in the future. Still, if you have this tablet (or any other Android tablet, for that matter) I recommend the Dolphin browser over the native one because it's faster and it has the helpful feature of treating your tablet as if it's an actual computer while browsing the web instead of a mobile device; this is very useful in most situations, but particularly when watching Youtube.
As for the battery, I'm impressed. I'm not a heavy user (I mainly use my tablet to play word games and do light web browsing and reading), so I find that I rarely have to charge my Pad, perhaps once every other day. Apps that are optimized for tablets really shine on this device thanks to ICS and the quad-core processor. With the exception of the browsers, I've never had problems with any of the apps that were actually optimized or specifically designed for tablets. I love the keyboard dock. It is, of course, significantly smaller than a regular desktop or laptop keyboard, but if you're at all comfortable with typing on netbooks then you shouldn't have any problems using the keyboard dock. I have fairly large hands for a man, but I still find the keyboard dock adequate, just make sure you turn off the hyper-sensitive track pad while you're typing. Oh, and the keyboard charges the Pad when you dock it, provided the keyboard dock has an adequate charge.
The keyboard dock leads me to my biggest and final gripe with the Pad: it doesn't come with productivity software. This should have been a no-brainer, especially when one considers that Asus made such a functional keyboard dock in the first place. Yes, you can use Google Docs (now merged into Google Drive, if you weren't yet aware), but that presents you with Google Docs' main shortcoming: you need to be connected to the internet in order to use it. If I could open, edit, save, and create word documents without having to be connected to the internet I'd probably get rid of my laptop, or at least relegate it to the same dust-gathering status of my netbook.
So, that was my rather long review of the Asus Transformer Pad TF300. I'm truly pleased with it, despite some shortcomings. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone in the market for an Android tablet. If you've always wanted the Asus Transformer Prime but were put off by its sticker price and/or GPS/wireless issues, then this is absolutely the tablet for you.
Updated on Jun 23, 2012
limits on remote video play
battery issues w/ keyboard
Rating: 3.5 / 5
on April 22, 2012
3 out of 3 users found this review helpful
Pros: like overall, but some items bother me.
Cons: limits on remote video play
battery issues with remote keyboard
Summary: Vendor didn't respond to my questions/concerns
They block the video from videos rented from Android play if displaying on remote TV via micro HDMI, but can remote tablet display on remote tv. Even fully charged tablet and keyboard hold charge seperated but discharge when connected. I like the tablet but I would not buy the seperate keyboard again. Can't open psw protected excel spreadsheets. Service vendors like netfliks don't support movies without using brower which is a weak solution at best.
You will not be disappointed!
Rating: 5 / 5
on April 30, 2012
2 out of 2 users found this review helpful
Pros: Price. Hundreds cheaper than leading tablets.
Nice bright and crisp screen.
Very fast and smooth.
Cons: Finger prints shows up very easily on screen.
Summary: I was debating between the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and Asus Transformer Prime. Made my choice to go with the Prime and was days away from ordering it. However, before I could place my order the TF300 came out with just about the same specs as the Prime, but with better wi-fi and GPS connection. Plus it was $100 cheaper. This was a no-brainer. The only tablet I have to compare it to is my wife's Nook which is also a good tablet, but it is too small for my liking and has a closed Android O/S. The TF300 handles very well; it's fast and has a bright crisp screen, runs ICS and has 32 GB of storage. Also it's easy on the hands and does not run hot. This tablet will easily match up with any tablet on the market now including the Ipad, Prime and Galaxy but for hundreds less.
Great, fast and thin pad.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
on April 30, 2012
2 out of 2 users found this review helpful
Pros: - Nice bright colorful screen.
- Plastic is sturdy regardless of what critics say.
- Has 32Gb of storage
- It only cost me $389
- No need to connect to a PC for updates like Apple.
- Comes with cloud storage.
- Did I mention it only cost me $389?
Cons: - Only one speaker.
- Some minor issues with touch screen but I believe its because I'm running GoThemes.
Summary: I love the new Asus TF300. I was debating between the IPAD and ASUS and decided to get ASUS. The fact that you can run Flash, use live wallpapers and can update your software wirelessly convinced me that Android was the way to go. Some of the critics are claiming it is heavier than the IPAD 3 but really, do you care if one weights .07 more than the other? Overall, paying $389 over a $499 IPAD 3 is a better investment and the ASUS is just as good as the IPAD and will do just about the same thing.
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| Store | In Stock | Price |
| J&R Music and Computer World | Yes | $319.99 |
| Authorized ASUS Dealer | ||
| Sears | Yes | $279.00 |
| Datavision Computer Video | Yes | $344.00 |
| PCNation.com | Yes | $339.90 |
| MacMall | Yes | $349.00 |
| NCIXUS | Yes | $399.99 |
| Memory4Less.com | Yes | $549.28 |
