ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T first impressions

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T is the Taiwanese company’s latest in their line of keyboard-wielding Android slates. It sports a high-res 10.1-inch WQXGA IPS screen, 2GB of RAM, and a NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core CPU. Impressive? Read on to find out more.

The new Transformer Pad actually looks like the Transformer Book T100 at first glance since they both sport the same “Transformer” form factor. The only giveaway is that the Pad features a more premium body made from a combination of metal and high-quality plastics.

The lid is crafted from dark gray aluminum with concentric circle finish, while the keyboard dock is of durable plastic with two kinds of finish – matte on top, bamboo finish underneath. This is a good sign that ASUS paid close attention to details that even the bottom part, which isn’t always seen, was given proper treatment.

On hand, the tablet is relatively slim at 8.9mm with a decent amount of heft at 585g. Dock it on the keyboard and you’ll really feel the weight at 1.14kg. It would feel a bit chunky at 18.9mm but still very mobile.

Now on to the best parts, the new Transformer Pad sports a 10.1-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) screen with a 299ppi pixel density – that is denser than the iPad Air’s 264ppi. Add to that the Super IPS+ panel for better viewing angles and good outdoor legibility.

Running under the hood of the Transformer Pad TF701T is the NVIDIA Tegra 4 CPU coupled with 2GB of RAM. We ran AnTuTu on it to see where it stacks up in this popular benchmark tool and here is the result:

ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T specs:
10.1″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600) Super IPS+ display, 299ppi
Scratch-resistant glass w/ Anti-Fingerprint coating
NVIDIA Tegra 4 Quad-Core, 1.9GHz
2GB RAM
32GB eMMC
microSD up to 128GB
5 megapixel AF rear camera, 1080p video
1.2 megapixel front camera, 720p video
Micro HDMI
2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone / Mic-in)
USB 3.0 port (dock)
SD Card Reader (dock)
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth V3.0+EDR
Miracast
GPS & GLONASS
Premium Speaker with SonicMaster technology
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
13 hours; 31Wh Li-polymer Battery (tablet)
4 hours; 16Wh Li-polymer Battery (dock)
263 x 180.8 x 8.9 mm, 585 g (tablet)

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T has a price tag of Php27,995 and is now available in major IT dealers nationwide. Check back on us in a week or two for the complete review.