Detailed review and testing of the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T tablet. Battery life
Just six months after the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime went on sale, ASUS introduced a new flagship -. This model was first presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March 2012, and since July it has reached the domestic market. Transformer Pad Infinity absorbed the best qualities of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, while in just six months, ASUS has worked hard on its mistakes, and also improved almost every aspect of its new advanced Android tablet computer. We offer you an overview of one of the most powerful “tablets” on the market today -.
So first, the design. Of course, it is at its best - how can you expect anything else from a top product from ASUS.
took over almost all the main features from Transformer Prime, with the exception of a few details. Indeed, why try to reinvent the wheel if the design is already practically flawless. The tablet is almost entirely metal, and the metal has an interesting texture and is pleasant to the touch. Only a small strip on the back surface is plastic - apparently, this is how ASUS engineers solved the problem with interruptions in the operation of the GPS receiver in Transformer Prime. Well, the attention to detail is pleasing. The tablet computer is very thin, just 8.5 millimeters thick, that is, a full millimeter thinner than The New iPad, and lightweight - 597 grams. The edges of the device are narrowed, which gives its outline smoothness and grace. The volume rocker is located on top, its movement is pleasant and clear. A standard 3.5mm headphone jack is located at the bottom left, with a micro-HDMI connector next to it. In the center of the bottom edge there is a connector for connecting to a docking station. By the way, the docking station itself is absolutely identical to that of the Transformer Prime, although after connecting the tablet to it, it immediately begins updating its firmware. However, the new firmware does not prevent the use of the docking station with Transformer Prime.
asus tf700 transformer pad infinity
will be sold both with and without a docking station. As for technical characteristics, then built on the latest dual-core Tegra 3 platform from NVIDIA, and on its updated version T33 instead of the simple T30. The difference lies in the frequency increased to 1.6 GHz in multi-core mode and 1.7 GHz in single-core mode, versus 1.4 and 1.5 for the T30, respectively. An additional performance reserve is necessary for comfortable work with a screen resolution increased to 1920x1200. Thus, as of today Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T– the most, let’s not be afraid of this word, powerful tablet on Android. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, and the capacity of the internal flash drive ranges from 16 to 64 GB, depending on the version. There is also support for microSD/microSDHC memory cards up to 32 GB in the tablet itself and SD/SDHC up to 32 GB in the docking station. The performance of the tablet is unprecedentedly high. This is confirmed by the results of synthetic tests - 5076 points in Quadrant Standard - the highest result among Android tablets. The highest result was also obtained in SunSpider 0.9.1, launched through the standard Android browser - 1926.0 ms. In AnTuTu Benchmark, the tablet also breaks all records - 12,550 points. In NenaMark 2 Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T produced 40.3 frames per second - an excellent result, only slightly inferior to the Transformer Prime - not surprising, because the new tablet computer from ASUS has a noticeably higher screen resolution. In GeekBench 2 you can compare with The New iPad - and the result is amazing! 1957 points for the “tablet” from ASUS versus 756 for the “Apple tablet”! An almost threefold advantage in computing power is quite serious. However, the graphics subsystem power of the ASUS tablet computer is slightly lower than that of the Apple iPad, according to the results of GLBenchmark 2.1.5. In any case, the processor and video core are enough to play Full HD video or for the most modern and sophisticated 3D games, and with a margin. There can be no compromises in this model.
Screen Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 T – SuperIPS+ with a diagonal of 10.1 inches and a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, the density is 224 pixels per inch. By the way, SuperIPS+ is an IPS matrix with a high-brightness mode. The display is covered with a glass plate, which has a mirror-smooth surface. There is no anti-glare filter, so this brings some discomfort when working with the tablet in bright sunlight. The screen has a special grease-repellent coating, which prevents unnecessary fingerprints from appearing, and if they do occur, they can be easily removed. With manual brightness control, it can be set from 7 cd/m2 to 214 cd/m2 in standard mode, and from 77 cd/m2 to 482 cd/m2 in special mode. At maximum brightness in the special SuperIPS+ screen mode, it practically does not dim even in bright sunshine, and we are talking not only about text information, but also about graphic information. There is also an automatic mode for adjusting brightness depending on lighting conditions, which, by the way, works quite well compared to other models - you don’t always need to go in and adjust the brightness manually, you can trust the “brains” and the tablet’s light sensor. The backlight flickering is not visible in any mode. The display has excellent viewing angles, the picture does not distort or fade even when the tablet is tilted strongly. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 18 ms. The contrast is at a high level, like most IPS displays - 840:1. There is no blockage in the highlights or shadows, the gamma curve is close to the ideal value. The deviation from the absolute black body spectrum is relatively small.
operating system transformer pad infinity tf700– Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It should be noted that the familiar interface looks simply excellent in high resolution. Among the additional settings, it is worth noting the ability to set the performance level - naturally, the higher the performance, the shorter the battery life. Among the useful widgets, it is worth mentioning the running applications widget, which allows you to close applications to free up RAM, as well as a widget that shows the charge percentage of both batteries - the tablet itself and the docking station. In general, the set of pre-installed software leaves a pleasant impression.
Autonomous operation of the tablet is ensured by two rechargeable batteries - 25 Wh in the tablet itself and 19.5 Wh in the docking station. When you connect the tablet to the docking station, the tablet is recharged from the dock's battery. Battery life is average – when playing video in Full HD resolution with maximum screen brightness in SuperIPS+ mode transformer pad infinity tf700 lasted six hours. But this reveals a non-obvious advantage of the “tablet” from ASUS - there is practically no heating of the case, unlike its competitors. Even under maximum load in the most demanding 3D games, the back of the case becomes barely warm, but no more - no higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius.
ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T has two cameras - front and rear. The front one is intended for video calls, has a resolution of 2 Megapixels and is not of particular interest. The rear, that is, the main camera, is equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor with autofocus and also has an LED flash. The quality of the pictures is excellent, as for a tablet computer. There are some artifacts and blurring in small details, but for everyday amateur photography this does not play a big role. Shooting text is also possible without problems, so you can take photos of documents or pages from books if necessary. Standard photography settings are provided, such as selecting lighting conditions for color correction, ISO settings and others. The video is shot in resolution up to 1080p, the quality is pleasing - the picture is juicy and clear.
Communication capabilities include Wi-Fi b/g/n standards, as well as Bluetooth version 4.0 and a GPS receiver. By the way, there is no 3G module, but ASUS is going to bring to the market similar in everything to Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T tablet model, but with a slightly different digital index, a 3G/4G module, but what’s most interesting is on a completely different dual-core Qualcomm MSM 8260A Snapdragon S4 Plus platform.
To sum it up, it’s worth saying that this is currently the most powerful Android tablet on the market. There are a few small shortcomings, but these are even more features than disadvantages. Generally Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T in everything it is at its best, and the price for a flagship device without a docking station is relatively moderate - in any case, lower than for The New iPad.
What I didn't like
one speaker, good, but there is a mono feeling. Was it too weak to add a second one?
He worked for a month and died. The service center refused to repair it under warranty. By the way, you cannot peel off the sticker with the number - this is a denial of the warranty... They have this written on the coupon. And the service has been repairing it out of warranty for the second month now - they are waiting for the cable from the warehouse... Horrible, what for such a device with such a company
What I liked
assembly, materials, screen, operating time. The tablet feels very good. fast enough.
What I didn't like
1.Weight
2. Lags in the browser and applications, despite the quad-core
3.Keyboard freezing
4.One speaker, very quiet. I tried everything.
5.Wi-fi works disgustingly. There is a Galaxy s2 nearby and everything is fine.
6. Wi-fi direct does not work with non-ASUS devices.
What I liked
1.High-quality screen 2.High-quality assembly 3.Recharging from the dock
What I didn't like
1. Build quality is terrible! Six months later, the screen began to peel off from the body; clicks were noticeable when pressed.
2. The software component is just a shame! Constantly hangs, slows down, glitches, reboots! I use an HTC phone and couldn’t even imagine that Android could be so buggy. So on the tablet the Android is almost naked...
3. One and very crappy speaker.
4. The headphone jack is in an extremely inconvenient place.
5. There is no USB connector. There is no USB at all!
6. Uneven screen backlighting in a premium device!
7. The manufacturer claims 9 hours of work... Well, well.
What I liked
Tegra 3 Full HD Light weight
What I didn't like
If you are not satisfied with the ASUS OS, you want a tablet on the Android platform, then even more than tablets on the Android platform are enough. If it were Apple itself, you wouldn’t have fixed it, you’d have to go to the warehouse. Be happy with what you have, or finally buy yourself a new tablet on the Android platform!
What I liked
I will express my opinion to the user who wrote the review on April 11. 1. Androids are buggy, yes it happens, but that’s normal. 2. There is ONE speaker on all tablets! Quite normal! 3. The headphone jack is also designed the same on all tablets. 4. No USB port? So in general they don’t do it on tablets (mostly on the newest models)! 5. Androids consume a lot of energy. If you make the backlight energy-saving, then it will be able to work for up to 9 hours. 6. This tablet is specially designed this way mainly for work, so it is almost naked based on Android. 7. Don't lie. Uniform screen illumination!
What I didn't like
1 - the attachment of the docking station to the tablet failed after six months of use - but I didn’t use the dock often, so it didn’t bother me too much
2 - the main drawback is the USB cable - I soldered it 3 times
3 - micro HDMI output to TV - such adapters are rare in my city
4 - price at the time of purchase 31,000 (as of August 1, 2012)
What I liked
1 - Full HD screen 2 - sufficient brightness so that you can read soap in the sun 3 - 4-core processor 4 - quite a long operating time with the docking station connected - holds quietly for about eight hours
What I didn't like
No 3G, minor screen glare, which is only visible in complete darkness in test images.
What I liked
Good build, amazing screen, excellent stereo sound, fast processor, not a single dead pixel, light, thin, elegant, you really don’t want to let it go out of your hands. Very pleased with this device. GPS works great (I used Navitel."
What I didn't like
There are no obvious ones, but considering that I didn’t put it in critical situations, I couldn’t really identify any shortcomings.
What I liked
The advantages are described by other users. I think we can agree with most of them. In general, the machine is certainly cool.
What I didn't like
Maybe I haven’t figured it out yet, but for some reason, when installing wallpaper on the desktop, the photos are cropped to a poor resolution.
After a year of use, it began to constantly malfunction, the metal gets scratched very quickly. The language change button works after 3, even 4 seconds. A complete update and erasing of all information saves the situation for a couple of weeks. Battery lasts 3-5 hours. Sold, bought air,
What I liked
good screen, android, memory card
What I didn't like
Moderately buggy Android. Well, how can Google Play hang? How is this possible? In general, this is essentially the main problem of Android. "Unexpected process stop." On Windows I catch this 10 times less often. By the way, this is not my first experience with Android.
Latest information: after updating the system, the freezes stopped altogether.
Well, the charging connector is non-standard. It is reassuring that this is for business - there the adapter in the USB socket raises the current to 15 volts when it detects the tablet.
What I liked
Thing! Screen, speed, design - everything is very pleasing.
What I didn't like
One speaker is certainly not enough, but I knew about this when I chose it, so I don’t consider it a disadvantage, just wishes. The battery, of course, with active use lasts much less hours than the hours declared by the manufacturer.
What I liked
my first tablet because it has only advantages)) I bought it mainly for my 8-year-old son - he mastered it instantly) which means that the interface is more than friendly. The photo/video quality is excellent, watching movies/TV programs is also excellent. does not hang, does not slow down.
What I didn't like
1) The camera is a little worse than a regular digital camera (not a DSLR). In 8 megapixel mode, the camera can’t even handle texts (I knew this when purchasing). However, 5 megs is enough for me. If there is not enough light, some blurriness appears (this does not happen with a camera). Color rendition also drops. The autoflash has its own ideas about when to fire.
2) Texts (doc) do not always load successfully. The one-megabyte text did not open, another text was displayed strictly page by page when the screen was vertical. In non-mobile versions of sites, sometimes everything is loaded with squares creeping on top of each other.
4) A very unique entrance to the wifi network. When you enable additional settings, you cannot connect to the network. You cannot use both a login and a password when connecting; a password can only be used separately. However, on the home network we managed to get around this by obtaining an access code.
5) Bluetooth turned out to be incompatible with mobile phones and laptops. Pairing worked, but files cannot be transferred. Although there is wifi...
6) The letter “е” is missing on the keyboard.
What I liked
Not everything here applies to a specific model. 1) The glass is quite good, you can’t scratch it with your fingernail. 2) The battery charges quickly, in about 2 hours (I charge from 20% to 99%). 3) The built-in polaris office program displays everything perfectly. There are no mysterious letters in the drawings, the drawings are easy to look at, and the brightness of the drawings is just right. 4) Screen brightness can be adjusted as desired. The minimum brightness of the screen is slightly less than the illumination of the book in diffused light. 4) In bright light, the camera films everything clearly, you can see the structure of the fabric. Black color without colored spots, colors are reproduced well. 5) The voice recorder is good (it’s convenient to record music), the video is also ok. The music sounds quite high quality, although there is some sound distortion (noticeable only with solo cello). 6) Writing is very convenient. The text is typed quickly. 7) Google has free applications for Android (archivers and drawing programs, even in several versions), which is why I preferred Android. There is even Matlab and AutoCAD!!! However, of course, it will not be possible to find special programs like optical ones. 8) I liked adjusting the screen brightness. 9) The screen is very sensitive, it even reacts to your fingernail! But it will not respond to the rod. 10) I liked the speed of loading documents and the speed of the tablet in general. Although I haven't tested it in games.
What I didn't like
As usual for Android devices. Noticeable lags and sometimes freezing of the interface and native browser. The four-headed tegra cannot cope.
If you install live wallpaper, then the interface lags really start to bother you.
- Perhaps it’s just me, but the glass under the power button and symmetrically on the other side is a little loose, which spoils the feeling of the integrity of the device.
- one speaker located on the side. It’s already unusual when you watch a movie and the sound source does not match the image.
- The slim aluminum body adds style, but is awkward to hold. The tablet tries to slip out of your hands.
What I liked
Aluminum and glass. The tablet feels very tactile to hold in your hands. Very bright good screen.
What I didn't like
Terrible build quality. The screen peels off around the perimeter. It feels like it's on bad double-sided tape. When you grab the edge of the frame, the glass bends, and after 10 - 15 seconds you let go and you hear the sound of adhesive tape. After updating to Android 4.4, my device began to go into sleep mode and eat up the battery when the screen was off. The consumption was 50% of the battery in 8 hours. I took it to the service center and they rolled back the firmware to 4.3 and wrote that they had replaced the motherboard and battery.
What I liked
Powerful processor, high resolution screen, lots of RAM. In a word, excellent technical parameters for the money.
What I didn't like
1) There is one speaker, and from the back
2) The battery drains a little faster than we would like.
3) GPS searches for satellites for quite a long time.
What I liked
1) Excellent screen 2) IMHO optimal resolution 3) In IPS+ mode you can see the image normally even in bright sunlight 4) High performance, all games run without problems 5) Metal back cover 6) A very good camera 7) Loud speaker 8) Small dimensions and weight.
What I didn't like
Weak battery, only lasts for one evening, but this takes into account that Super IPS+ is always turned on (I don’t turn on energy saving, why bother your eyes on a dim screen?)
What I liked
The main advantages are, of course, the screen, powerful hardware, body materials, camera, assembly. etc
Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T is the new flagship of Asus, replacing the best-selling top-class Android tablet – Transformer Prime. These two beauties are very similar both visually and “filling”, and the main difference between them is the display. But, as is our custom, let’s put everything neatly and slowly into pieces.
Differences between the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T and its predecessor Transformer Prime
Display
Yes, he's gorgeous! Super IPS+ matrix, and even a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels - such a “hellish” combination will not impress anyone. However, such a high resolution also has a couple of disadvantages:
- The display consumes more power, which affects the tablet's battery life.
A 2.25 times greater number of pixels (versus a matrix with a resolution of 1280x800) increases the load on the processor and graphics accelerator. This also leads to a decrease in battery life, since the processor often has to work with a higher load and at maximum frequency. - In addition to this, there is one more drawback that, over time, should “eliminate itself”: the incorrect operation of a very large number of applications on tablets with such a high resolution.
Processor, memory
Transformer Pad Infinity, in a modification without a 3G module, is equipped with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip. However, there is a significant nuance: unlike Transformer Prime, the chip here operates at higher frequencies - up to 1.6 GHz, while in Prime the maximum frequency is lower at 0.3 GHz. The difference, although small, is still significant. But even raising the frequency cannot compensate for the greatly increased load due to the high resolution of the display - the tablet often freezes, and in general it does not work as smoothly as the TF201 Prime. This is the price to pay for a gorgeous display.
The Transformer Pad Infinity modification with a 3G module is significantly different (in fact, it is a completely different tablet), since it has a completely different platform: instead of the NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip, these tablets will be equipped with a dual-core processor from Qualcomm - MSM8260A.
Thanks to the latest technologies (lower manufacturing process and more modern architecture), this dual-core processor can compete equally in performance with four Tegra 3 cores, while consuming less power. We will be able to compare these two very different modifications of the Transformer Pad Infinity tablets in more detail only later, when the model with 3G goes on sale.
RAM quality has changed - now it is DDR3. Just a little faster and more economical than DDR2, which is installed in Prime. The volume is the same - 1 gigabyte. I would like to see 2 GB RAM in the top class, which includes the Infinity series tablets!
Communication capabilities, GPS
But here the tablet in question is very different from its predecessor, Prime. No, not because the Bluetooth module is now version 3.0 (this is a trifle). The differences are that Infinity is free from the huge disadvantage of Prime - poor reception of signals from GPS satellites and the extremely short operating distance of the Wi-Fi module. If you are not aware, let us remind you: the all-metal rear panel of the Asus Transformer Prime simply shielded the antennas inside the tablet, which had an extremely negative impact on the operation of GPS and Wi-Fi. This gross engineering miscalculation was corrected in the Infinity series: the design of the tablet remained the same, with the exception of the addition of a strip of plastic on the rear panel, which gave “freedom to radio waves.”
Cameras, sound
Both cameras have changed, and for the better:
The front camera has a large number of megapixels – 2 versus 1.2 for Prime. The quality has not increased so proportionally, but it is quite sufficient for video conferences.
The rear camera has become even faster (f2. 2 versus f2. 4 for the Prime), and the lens has changed (yes, yes, it’s there, how could it be without it! It’s just too small. :)). By the way, exactly the same camera module is installed in the cheaper Asus tablet – Transformer Pad 300. The photo quality is one of the best among all Android tablets.
The sound subsystem remains the same. It is noteworthy that on the official Asus website the characteristics of the Transformer Prime indicate “stereo speakers,” while for the Transformer Pad Infinity it is “speaker.” The sound quality can be rated 4 and is the same as that of the Prime, and, accordingly, there are still two speakers - they are simply located next to each other, and, as such, there is no stereo effect. In the Infinity description, an oversight in the Prime description was corrected.
Battery life
Just like Prime, Infinity is equipped with a battery with a very impressive capacity: 25 Wh. But the battery life is different, and this difference is more significant the greater the load on the tablet. If we compare the battery life when playing an HD video cyclically, with the display brightness set to 50% and Wi-Fi turned on (thanks to the guys from Engadget), then the difference with Transformer Prime is almost 1 hour, which is quite a lot. And this difference will be even more significant if you run some heavy game. But what kind of display does Infinity have? Right?
About the docking station
Docking station for Transformer Infinity A new “keyboard-dock station” module has been released for Transformer Infinity, which differs from the Prime docking station in only one way and not for the better – the battery capacity (19.5 Wh versus 22 Wh). Neither the dimensions nor the weight of the dock have changed, so the difference in batteries is surprising.
However, it is very pleasant that the dock from Prime is completely compatible with the Infinity tablet.
Dimensions and weight
The tablet has become only slightly thicker and heavier than its predecessor. The difference is so small that it could not even be mentioned: 0.2 millimeters thicker and “as much” 12 grams heavier.
Price and conclusions
But with the price, everything is very interesting: abroad, at the time of writing this mini-review, the cost of the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 tablet (with NVIDIA Tegra 3, without a 3G module) was only 499 US dollars for a modification with 32 GB of memory. This is exactly the same as Transformer Prime cost when it came out. At the same time, Prime has now fallen in price quite slightly - by 20-40 dollars in the USA, for example. And if you are faced with a choice between taking Prime or Infinity, then, without a doubt, you should prefer the second. Moreover, personally, I would take the Infinity not so much because of the high-resolution display, but because the new tablet does not have the “innate pathology” of the Prime - poor GPS and Wi-Fi performance.
Conducted another presentation of Eee PC mini-notebooks, 700 and 900 series.
Now holding a presentation of the 700th series of Eee PC, which has been on sale in the world for almost a year, and in Russia for 4 months, is somewhat untimely. On the other hand, the suitable 900 series is a very interesting new product, in addition, a lot of interesting things were told at the presentation about the positioning of this series of laptops. The presentation was conducted by Dmitry Lukin.
The presentation slides were in English, even those that related directly to Russia.
This is the presentation plan, pardon my English...
By the way, before moving on to the review of the presentation, we would like to remind you that it has already been published on our website, and in addition, we have filmed it. Finally, there is a very extensive Eee PC discussion thread on the forum, which contains a wealth of information on this model.
Positioning the Eee PC
The presentation began with a story about positioning. This topic worries ASUS so much because the positioning of the laptop “among the masses,” especially here in Russia, is quite different from the positioning that the company would like to see. Therefore, at the beginning of the presentation, a lot of attention was paid to this aspect.
It all started with a story about positioning according to Intel. The processor giant is now also interested in this market. In particular, the announcement of the new Intel Atom platform is promised at Computerex, and, according to some rumors, the next version of the 900 series - Eee PC 901 - will be built on this platform. The most interesting slide (the rest talked about the use of Intel processors in various market segments) .
Intel, however, is somewhat optimistic about the use of the Eee PC (it’s hard to imagine how you can use the Eee PC as the first laptop in the house), however, it puts the emphasis correctly - this is a lightweight, small mobile product that is suitable for simple home tasks . If necessary, it can be used for something more complex (an example was given with Photoshop, but, in my opinion, this is over the top), but this is not its range of tasks.
And this slide exactly reflects the place where, according to ASUS, the Eee PC should be located. The coordinate axes are quite simple: vertically this is productivity, horizontally - mobility. Leaving aside the mobility of servers (we are apparently talking about a home server), you can clearly see where the Eee PC is aimed - it is more functional than a smartphone or PDA, and less productive, but more mobile than a laptop. Actually, the positioning here coincides with the conclusions of our research. Another thing is more interesting - from this ASUS concludes that the Eee PC is NOT a laptop!
We'll talk about the important consequences of this positioning a little later, but first let's look at the technical information presented.
The main advantages of ASUS Eee PC as a device
Let's talk about this quite briefly, since this information can be gleaned from.
The main advantage of the Eee PC is mobility. The planner-sized device is easy to take with you wherever you go. You can have fun on the road. You can easily carry it around the house, etc.
At the same time, the performance of the device against the background of modern powerful computers and laptops leaves much to be desired - at most, it will be enough for simple office tasks, surfing the Internet and other things. However, you shouldn't ask for more from the Eee PC - it's a mobile entertainment device. However, it is more than enough for the undemanding home user.
An important advantage is the unpretentiousness of the device. Representatives of ASUS told several times how they dropped the Eee PC during the preparation of the presentation (I wonder if anything fell before the presentation of the ASUS-Lamborghini series laptops?), and nothing, it worked. Indeed, the body of the device is very strong; it should withstand all road troubles. Plus, the Eee PC does not have a hard drive, it has an SSD drive, in fact, it is an analogue of flash memory. In everyday life, it is more convenient than a hard drive, since information is read very quickly, and the SSD is not afraid of shocks and falls. True, everything is very unclear with durability; flash memory fails relatively quickly with active use. In the case of a separate device, this is not so scary, but if Windows is installed on the SSD with its love of writing and rewriting the swap file...
The remaining advantages are indeed advantages, but do not require any special comments.
By the way, then a funny incident happened here. Dmitry Lukin took out a translated review from some site (from some forum, probably) about using the Eee PC and read it aloud to the assembled professional journalists, many of whom had already published their materials on the Eee PC.
And we still had to find it... However, let’s chalk it up to a technical flaw and move on.
Eee PC 700 and 900 Specifications
It's no secret that color models of the Eee PC 701 with pastel-colored covers have already appeared on the market. They look good, although it’s a pity that only the color of the lid changes, and not the entire body.
Let's look at the technical specifications of the Eee PC 701.
By the way, 700, 701 is just a revision version of the motherboard. The presence of certain components and the method of their installation may depend on it (the elements are soldered or in slots). Please note - only the 4G model is supplied to Russia, the middle one in the line. There will be no 2G, 8G models on our market. We also won't have Eee PC Surf and Basic subtypes. This is the attitude towards the Russian market.
Therefore, feel free to remove the modem from the specifications (it’s a pity, it would probably be useful in the regions, dial-up access is still common there) and be prepared to always have a webcam (more on that later). The remaining characteristics are quite standard and have long been known to the market.
Let's move on to comparing the 700th and 900th series.
The main difference between the 900 series and the 700 series is the large screen. During the presentation, we were able to rotate both versions of the device. Overall they are very similar.
But a large screen without a thick frame, of course, looks nicer.
Finally, note that the 900 series has a much larger touchpad. This makes the laptop more convenient to use
It seemed that the lower part of the case had not changed (except for a slightly increased size and the fact that the speakers were now on the front edge, and not next to the matrix), and the filling should have remained the same. The content will change in the 901st model. Slide with full technical specifications.
Changed characteristics are highlighted in red (due to this they are difficult to read). Screen - 8.9", 1024x600 pixels, with LED backlight. The new model has twice as much RAM (1 GB, upgradeable to 2 GB), which is excellent. Hard drive - 4 GB, please note that expansion options are supplied to Russia will not.
Also a new camera, a different touchpad, different batteries, slightly changed dimensions and weight. By the way, at the presentation it was mentioned that due to the earthquake in China, the plant where the maximum capacity batteries for the Eee PC are made was damaged, so these batteries will be in short supply for some time. A total of three battery versions are planned - 4400, 5200, 5600 mAh. It is claimed that the Eee PC battery life is from 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
The case color for the 900 series is planned to be either white or black.
Let's talk about other important news.
Iron Party Policy: Guarantee and Upgrade
It's not for nothing that we mentioned that ASUS is so jealous of the fact that the Eee PC is not a laptop. This finding has several very important practical implications.
Corollary one: the two-year worldwide warranty that applies to ASUS laptops does not apply here. The warranty is local (that is, only in the country of sale), the warranty period is 1 year.
The second very “happy” news for Russian users is that during the warranty period, all upgrade work must be carried out only at a service center. Damaging the warranty stickers voids the laptop... oops, an Eee PC that isn't a laptop... voids the Eee PC's warranty.
Moreover, Dmitry Lukin specifically emphasized that even a possible upgrade of an SSD from 4 GB to a larger volume (up to 10 GB) does not apply to Russia; these modules should not even be imported to us. Maybe in the future the situation will change.
Confrontation between Linux and Windows XP
The discussion about operating systems flared up while Dmitry Lukin was reading a translated review - it was mentioned that the author “installed XP.” However, unfortunately, there was no mention of where exactly he got it.
For quite a long time, Microsoft has not made this operating system publicly available, meaning it is impossible to buy it. Installing Vista on the Eee PC is crazy; even if it runs there, it will work slowly and sadly.
Dmitry Lukin advised buying the OEM version of XP, but at the same time emphasized that “I bought this as a partner,” that is, users will have a hard time.
If we do not consider various illegal methods of installing XP on an Eee PC, then the policy of monopolists in the Russian market drives the user into a corner - either buy a version with Linux and use it, or purposefully look for an Eee PC with XP. Fortunately, there will be such versions, but ASUS representatives kept vaguely talking about “limited supplies,” so perhaps not all is well here.
Another means of monopolization by one well-known company. By the way, it seems that there is a possibility of licensing XP specifically for low-budget PCs and laptops (and this is one of the legal ways to get it), but for this the processor must have a speed of no higher than 1 gigahertz, and RAM must not exceed 1 GB, there are a number of other restrictions on the technical side.
There is also an interesting incident associated with operating systems; it consists in the fact that the webcam does not work in Linux (at least according to ASUS representatives) - there is no necessary software.
Prospects
Finally, perspectives. This is, firstly, the 901st series, the announcement of which will be a little later. According to rumors, it will be on the Atom platform and will have a built-in Bluetooth interface. And later, apparently, the 1000th series with a 10" screen will appear, which in positioning will compete with 10" laptops.
No official information about prices for the presentations was provided.
This ended the official part of the presentation and journalists were able to communicate with company representatives informally.
And a little later a small entertainment program was organized.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the representatives of ASUS for the interesting presentation and for the excellent organization of the event, which, as always, was excellent.
Only six months have passed since the release of the top ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet, when ASUS released a new flagship - Transformer Pad Infinity. This model was presented back in March of this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and then was brought to Taiwan at Computex (along with other extremely interesting ASUS tablet innovations). And so, since July, Transformer Pad Infinity (in a version without 3G, with the index TF700T) has become available for purchase in Russia.
Pad Infinity is the direct successor to the Eee Pad Transformer Prime. They look like twins, and at first you may even wonder if they are the same tablet. But the Pad Infinity has two significant differences: firstly, it is equipped with a screen with a resolution of 1920x1200, and secondly, it runs on a more powerful version of NVIDIA Tegra 3. Interestingly, a 3G version of the tablet will also go on sale ( as we remember, Transformer Prime was never released with 3G), and instead of Tegra 3 there will be a dual-core system on the Qualcomm MSM 8260A Snapdragon S4 (Krait) chip. Interesting solution! But we tested the version without 3G and with Tegra 3, and we are studying it.
But first, let's take a look at the technical characteristics of the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity and see how they compare with its predecessor (Prime) and with its closest competitors.
Specifications
Who do we consider the main competitors of the Transformer Pad Infinity? In principle, everything is obvious here: first of all, this is The New iPad, and after it, a potential buyer should keep in mind the Acer Iconia Tab A700 (or A701, if you need 3G). As a matter of fact, at the moment these are all tablets available for sale with a Full HD screen (although Acer was not yet in Russian retail at the time of writing, but it was supposed to appear any day now, so we also included it here).
| ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime | Acer Iconia Tab A700/701 | The New iPad | ||
| Screen | 10.1″, Super IPS+, 1920×1200 (224 ppi) | 10.1″, Super IPS+, 1280×800 (149 ppi) | 10.1″, IPS, 1920×1200 (224 ppi) | IPS, 9.7″, 2048×1536 (264 ppi) |
| SoC (processor) | NVIDIA Tegra 3 T33 @1.6 GHz (4 cores + 1 auxiliary, ARM Cortex-A9) or Qualcomm MSM 8260A Snapdragon S4 Plus @1.5 GHz (2 Krait cores, ARMv7 ISA) | NVIDIA Tegra 3 @1.4 GHz (4 cores + 1 auxiliary, ARM Cortex-A9) | Apple A5X @1 GHz (2 cores, ARM Cortex-A9) | |
| GPU | GeForce ULP | GeForce ULP | GeForce ULP | PowerVR SGX543MP4 |
| Flash memory | from 16 to 64 GB + 8 GB cloud storage | 32 or 64 GB | from 16 to 64 GB | |
| Connectors | Micro-HDMI 1.4a, 2 dock connectors (one on the dock), 3.5 mm headphone jack, USB 2.0 (on the dock) | Micro-HDMI, 2 dock connectors (one on dock), 3.5mm headphone jack, USB 2.0 (on dock) | Micro-HDMI, Micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack | dock connector, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Memory card support | microSD (up to 32 GB), SD/SDHC (up to 32 GB, on the docking station) | microSD (up to 32 GB) | No | |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Cameras | rear (8 MP) and front (2 MP) | rear (5 MP) and front (2 MP) | rear (5 MP; video shooting - 1920×1080), front (0.3 MP) | |
| Internet | Wi-Fi (optional - 3G and 4G) | WiFi | Wi-Fi on A700, Wi-Fi + 3G on A701 | Wi-Fi (optional - 3G and 4G LTE without support for Russian networks) |
| operating system | Google Android 4.0 | Google Android 3.2 (upgrade to version 4.0 available) | Google Android 4.0 | Apple iOS 5.1 |
| Dimensions (mm)* | 263×180.8×8.5 | 263×180.8×8.5 | 260×175×12.4 | 241.2×185.7×9.4 |
| Weight (g) | 597 | 598 | 675 | 652 |
| Price** | $406() | N/A(0) | no information | N/A(0) |
* - according to the manufacturer
** - since in Russian retail ASUS Transformer pad Infinity is available only in the version with 64 GB of flash memory, other tablets are taken with the same amount of memory; both ASUS tablets come with a docking station included
So, as we see, among Android devices Infinity is the leader in terms of characteristics. It differs from the Transformer Prime in screen resolution, SoC power and HDMI interface version, and from the Acer Iconia Tab A700 in weight, thickness, SoC power, HDMI version, camera resolution and screen brightness (according to ASUS, the maximum screen brightness is 600 cd/m² , while for the Acer tablet this figure, according to our testing, is 265 cd/m²). But Acer has Micro-USB and, most likely, the price will be lower.
It’s more difficult to compare with The New iPad, since everything is different: SoC, GPU, screen resolution (in this parameter, the Apple tablet is still out of competition, although with the advent of Full HD tablets on Android, the gap has become smaller). But, at least from those characteristics that can be compared, it is clear that in general the competition is already on an equal footing. In particular, the advantages of Infinity include lower weight and thickness. Even if the difference between them is small, but still.
We will dwell on the remaining features of the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity in more detail as we progress.
Equipment
We tested a pre-sale sample, so let's immediately say that a commercial sample may be packaged and equipped slightly differently.
ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity came to us in a medium-sized box, the design of which is very reminiscent of the packaging of the Eee Pad Slider and both Transformers. In Russian retail, the tablet is sold only with a docking station (at least for now), but we received a sample without it, so in the photos below we used the docking station from Transformer Prime.
In addition to the tablet itself, the following items were found in the box: a charger (charging from Slider or both old Transformers is also suitable), a USB cable and a cloth for cleaning the screen. We also had in the box adapters for American and British standard sockets. This will most likely not happen in a commercial copy.
Design
As mentioned, Infinity looks almost exactly like Transformer Prime.
ASUS decided to follow Apple's example: if the design is good, why change it radically? And the design is really good. The tablet is metal (except for one detail, which we will talk about later), very thin (8.5 mm, which is almost a millimeter smaller than the iPad) and lightweight. In the photo below we see an ASUS tablet, and to the right of it is the new iPad.
The edges are tapered, like an iPad, which adds grace to the body. However, in Infinity the taper is not as smooth, there is a slight bevel.
One more difference is even more important. Even at a quick glance, you can see that the upper (if you hold the tablet in landscape orientation) part of the back surface is plastic, not metal (as in Prime). This was done, obviously, to avoid problems with GPS that were observed with Prime. Well, we can only be glad that the company is drawing the right conclusions from its mistakes.
The color scheme remains the same as the Prime. The set of connectors and buttons has also been preserved, but their location has changed.
The volume rocker is now on the top (it was on the left).
3.5 mm headphone jack - bottom left (was top right).
In addition, Micro-HDMI is now on the bottom left (it was also on the left, but closer to the top).
The appearance of the docking station has been preserved exactly. Therefore, the new tablet is compatible with the Transformer Prime docking station.
However, when connected to it, Infinity begins to automatically update the docking station's firmware. However, this does not prevent you from later using the same docking station with Transformer Prime.
Screen
The manufacturer designates the Transformer Pad Infinity matrix type as Super IPS+. We saw the same thing with the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime - this is a regular IPS, only with an added high-brightness mode.
A detailed examination of the screen using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his conclusion.
The tablet's screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, and, judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, it does not have an anti-glare filter, as a result, in some situations the tablet can be used as a mirror. There is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen, so fingerprints can be removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control, its maximum value in normal IPS mode was 214 cd/m², the minimum was 7 cd/m². When the special IPS+ mode is turned on, the brightness range moves up - a maximum of 482 cd/m², a minimum of 77 cd/m². As a result, at maximum brightness in bright daylight, you can use the tablet without much inconvenience, and lower brightness will allow you to comfortably use the tablet even in complete darkness. Automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor works (it is located to the left of the front camera eye), but it works with some peculiarities: when this mode is turned on, the brightness is set in accordance with the level of external illumination, then the brightness increases quite quickly with an increase in external illumination, but with a decrease in the intensity of the external light, the screen brightness remains at a high level. However, if you turn off and turn on automatic brightness control, the brightness will be set in accordance with the level of ambient light. In complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to at least 7 cd/m² (which is too low), in an office illuminated by artificial light, the brightness is set to 116 cd/m² (comfortable value), in a very bright environment - 475 cd/m². When IPS+ mode is enabled, the corresponding values are 76, 177, 477 cd/m². Brightness adjustment is apparently carried out using pulse-width modulation, but at minimum and maximum brightness there is no backlight modulation at all (apparently eliminated by a filter), and only at average brightness values (50-80 cd/m²) is there modulation with an amplitude of less than 100% and with a very high frequency - 23 kHz - so backlight flickering is not visible in any case.
This tablet uses an IPS type matrix, as a result the screen has very good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen. True, as is typical for any IPS matrix, the black field brightens when deviated diagonally, but remains close to neutral gray. This diagonal increase in black field brightness is very noticeable when tilted upward, and much less noticeable when tilted downward. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good, only close to the edge of the screen in a couple of places there is a local increase in brightness. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 18 ms (9 ms on + 9 ms off). The graph below of brightness changes when switching from a white field to a black field and back proves that the tablet has a non-switchable dynamic brightness adjustment - it decreases in dark images.
Therefore, we measured the contrast on a black and white template, and not with sequential display of black and white fields on the entire screen. The contrast ratio is typical for IPS - 840:1.
A gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a significant rollover in either highlights or shadows, and the approximating power function index is 2.29, which is quite close to the standard value of 2.2.
The color gamut is noticeably narrower than sRGB:
The spectra confirm this:
Apparently, the matrix’s light filters mix the components with each other. This technique allows you to increase the brightness of the screen with the same energy consumption for backlighting. The color temperature balance is average: shades of gray have a color temperature of about 8000 K. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) is relatively small.
Color temperature and delta E do not change much over the entire relevant area of the gray scale, so visually the color balance does not raise any complaints.
The screen, in general, deserves high praise, but two things confuse us - the “one-sided” algorithm for automatic brightness adjustment and a significant increase in the brightness of the black field when the gaze is deviated upward relative to the perpendicular to the screen.
Operating system and software
The tablet comes with Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system.
We have already encountered the operating system itself more than once, as well as a set of pre-installed ASUS applications, so we will not repeat ourselves, but we will provide screenshots of several main applications so that you can evaluate their appearance in high resolution (reduced frames are shown below; screenshots in the original are available by clicking quality).
We also note the “exclusive” ASUS settings, which allow, in particular, to turn on/off the high brightness mode and set the tablet’s performance level (the higher the performance, the shorter the battery life).
It is also worth paying attention to ASUS widgets. In addition to those installed by default on the main screen, this is also a widget of running applications (allows you to free up RAM by closing applications) and a widget showing the percentage of charge of both batteries (in the docking station and in the tablet itself).
In general, the software package in ASUS tablets leaves a very pleasant impression.
Platform and performance
The tablet runs on a system based on the NVIDIA Tegra 3 T33 chip. This is an updated version of NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30, which differs from the original version by the increased frequency of processor cores: now in multi-core mode, the frequency of each core can reach 1.6 GHz, whereas previously this figure was at 1.4 GHz. In single-core mode, the maximum frequency of the T33 is 1.7 GHz (versus, respectively, 1.5 GHz for “just” Tegra 3). The need to accelerate one of the already most powerful SoCs is clear: a screen resolution of 1920x1200 increases the performance requirements. Therefore, if Infinity were equipped with a “regular” Tegra 3, then it would be less comfortable to use than the old Prime. So the decision is quite logical, but at the same time it makes Infinity nominally the most powerful Android tablet to date. How much is this reflected in the benchmarks we use and what is the increase compared to Prime, and most importantly, is there any gain compared to the Acer Iconia Tab A701 (the second available Android tablet with a Full HD screen)?
We tested ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity and ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime by setting Performance Mode (maximum performance) in individual settings. Additionally, Transformer Prime has been updated to Android 4.0 (it was originally sold with Android 3.2). Each test was carried out several times, the best result was selected for each tablet.
The first one we will have is Quadrant Standard. And immediately the tablet takes the record. 5076 points! The Acer Iconia Tab A701 and Transformer Prime are left far behind.
In the browser test SunSpider 0.9.1, through which we run absolutely all tablets that have been reviewed by the editors, the picture was repeated (although this test is no longer so indicative for modern powerful tablets). The standard Android browser installed by default was used (results may vary in other browsers).
For comparison, the Acer Iconia Tab A701 has 10,165 points in this test.
Now let's run the Nenamark 2 benchmark, which tests the performance of the graphics subsystem.
The result, as we see, is very worthy. The loss of the two Full HD tablets to the previous ASUS flagship is explained precisely by the difference in resolution: with a higher resolution, the frame rate is naturally lower. But the good separation of the new product from the Acer model is indicative.
We usually also use the SuperPi benchmark, but it crashed on the Infinity test unit, so we weren't able to get SuperPi results.
And in the multi-platform GeekBench 2 we can not only test the CPU and RAM of the ASUS tablet and Android competitors, but also compare the results with The New iPad.
And here a considerable surprise awaits us: ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity completely smashes the new Apple iPad! Obviously, the presence of four processor cores in NVIDIA Tegra 3 versus two in the Apple A5X has an effect. Infinity also wins over Prime, which is quite expected.
The last benchmark we will use to check the performance of the tablet is GLBecnhmark 2.1.5. Like Nenamark2, it tests GPU performance. And since this benchmark is multi-platform, we have the opportunity to compare the results with The New iPad (on iOS we used version GLBenchmark 2.1.3, current at the time of testing).
| ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity | The New iPad | |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt (Standard) | 33 fps | 52 fps |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt (High) | FSAA not supported | 52 fps |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt (Fixed Time) | 30 fps | 52 fps |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt (Offscreen) | 74 fps | 138 fps |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 PRO (Standard) | 47 fps | 58 fps |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 PRO (High) | FSAA not supported | 55 fps |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 PRO (Fixed Time) | 44 fps | 58 fps |
| GLBenchmark 2.1 PRO (Offscreen) | 94 fps | 224 fps |
| Swap buffer test (swap buffer) | 60 fps | 60 fps |
| Triginometric test (vertex weighted) | 42 fps | 54 fps |
| Triginometric test (fragment weighted) | 8.7 fps | 4 fps |
| Triginometric test (balanced) | 5.0 fps | 2 fps |
| Exponential test (vertex weighted) | 38 fps | 59 fps |
| Exponential test (fragment weighted) | 7.6 fps | 13 fps |
| Exponential test (balanced) | 4.1 fps | 8 fps |
| Common test (vertex weighted) | 33 fps | 58 fps |
| Common test (fragment weighted) | 11 fps | 4 fps |
| Common test (balanced) | 6.6 fps | 2 fps |
| Geometric test (vertex weighted) | 25 fps | 57 fps |
| Geometric test (fragment weighted) | 8.7 fps | 6 fps |
| Geometric test (balanced) | 4.8 fps | 4 fps |
| Loop test (vertex weighted) | 26 fps | 59 fps |
| Loop test (fragment weighted) | 17 fps | 16 fps |
| Loop test (balanced) | 8.7 fps | 11 fps |
| Branch test (vertex weighted) | 41 fps | 58 fps |
| Branch test (fragment weighted) | 21 fps | 30 fps |
| Branch test (balanced) | 8.4 fps | 16 fps |
| Uniform array test | 60 fps | 59 fps |
| Fill test (warm up) | 525787552 texels/sec | 1940806912 texels/sec |
| Triangle test (while) | 53790024 triangle/sec | 85224592 triangle/sec |
| Triangle texture test | 53161876 triangle/sec | 71603424 triangle/sec |
| Triangle texture test vertex lit | 28531190 triangle/sec | 47003244 triangle/sec |
| Triangle texture test fragment lit | 26328386 triangle/sec | 39368016 triangle/sec |
So, we see that, in general, The New iPad emerged victorious in this competition - its superiority in the gaming scene is especially clear, while in synthetic subtests the Apple tablet was in some places inferior to the ASUS flagship. However, the iPad has a higher resolution. So, in general, we can award an unconditional victory here to the iPad and its hardware.
Summing up the performance testing of the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity, we can say that it is currently the undisputed leader among Android tablets. Comparison with the main competitor - Apple iPad - is not so clear. According to the two multi-platform benchmarks we used, the iPad outperforms the Infinity in graphics, but falls behind in processor performance. However, judging by the available information about NVIDIA Tegra 3 and Apple A5X, this is how it should be.
But, one way or another, for all modern tablet tasks (including 3D games, Full HD video playback, etc.), the performance of the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity is more than enough. In particular, NVIDIA Tegra 3 (even in its regular, non-overclocked version) allows you to play Full HD video without using hardware acceleration - the power of the processor cores is enough for this. Although, of course, hardware acceleration allows you to extend battery life.
Autonomous operation and ergonomics
Autonomous operation of the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity is ensured by two batteries: one in the tablet itself (25 Wh), the other in the docking station (19.5 Wh).
When using a tablet with a docking station, the tablet's battery is recharged from the docking station's battery until the latter is completely empty. The remaining charge percentage of both batteries is displayed in the secondary menu in the lower right corner - everything is exactly like the Transformer Prime.
Testing the tablet's battery life is tricky, as there are three performance modes, two screen modes (in addition to automatic brightness, of course, plus the ability to manually adjust the brightness), and the ability to connect a docking station. That is, there are a lot of options, and it is simply unrealistic to check them all. Therefore, we will give only some guidelines based on the main scenarios for using the tablet: watching a Full HD movie indoors, 3D games indoors, reading and working with mail outdoors. In all cases, we used the tablet without a docking station, since we did not have a docking station from Infinity.
First, let's look at the result of AnTuTu Tester. By loading the CPU of a mobile device up to 100%, this test allows you to understand what the battery consumption will be, for example, when watching Full HD video without hardware acceleration. In addition, the benchmark shows maximum heating.
The results were mixed. On the one hand, at maximum CPU load the tablet can work for a very short time: only about two and a half hours (the brightness was set to maximum in normal mode, IPS+ was not turned on). This, of course, is not enough.
On the other hand, the maximum heating was only 37.4°. That is, we can say that the tablet does not overheat at all. This is especially important in light of the fact that The New iPad is criticized by many for the strong heating of the case. In fact, the problem, in my opinion, is exaggerated, but Infinity's situation is still better.
Now let's look at other tests of battery life. With maximum screen brightness in IPS+ mode and with Wi-Fi turned on, the tablet, just lying on the table, worked for about 5 hours. This is indicative of such a common use case as, for example, reading in the country or working with email on the summer veranda of a cafe. Indoors there is no point in IPS+ mode, it is excessive brightness, but outdoors it is just right. Perhaps, it is for this scenario that Infinity is ideal, since it really has a very large brightness reserve (although, as you can see, using this mode affects battery life).
For use in a well-lit room, the comfortable mode is regular IPS with maximum brightness. In this mode, we launched the game Dead Trigger, which made good use of the capabilities of NVIDIA Tegra 3. We could play for just under four hours, which is quite normal.
As for video playback, an MKV file with a bitrate of 3843 Kbps and a resolution of 1920x800 (typical resolution for widescreen films with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 or 2.35:1 - most often Hollywood blockbusters), encoded with the AVC codec ( [email protected]), played on the tablet for about six hours (brightness set to maximum in normal IPS mode; suitable for indoor viewing). For playback, Dice Player was used, which enabled hardware acceleration.
Overall, I would say that the tablet has an average battery life and a very good thermal situation. Under maximum load (3D games, for example), the back of the case becomes warm, but nothing more.
Cameras
The tablet is equipped with two video cameras - front (2 MP) and rear (8 MP). The rear camera has a flash, manual focus and autofocus, as well as a number of settings (in particular, you can select picture parameters - 4:3 or 16:9, set ISO, shutter speed, select a shooting mode...). There is digital zoom. In general, the situation with cameras is similar to what we saw with Transformer Prime, only the resolution of the front camera in the new model has been increased (previously it was 1.2 megapixels).
The quality of pictures taken with the rear camera is normal.
Clarity, of course, is not enough, there is a slight blurring and artifacts, but in general this is a normal level for modern tablets in the upper price segment. Below is a fragment of the photo whose thumbnail you see above.
There is digital zoom. Here is the maximum possible option (shot from the same point as both pictures above).
Shooting a page with text lying on a windowsill did not cause any problems for the tablet. Here is a fragment of the photo (the full version is available by clicking).
We were very pleased with the quality of the video: a 30-second MP4 video with a resolution of 1920×1080 and a volume of 73.4 MB (you can download it) demonstrated excellent clarity and good color rendition.
conclusions
The best Android tablet on the market? Yes, if you close your eyes to the lack of a 3G module (which is found in the Acer Iconia Tab A701). The main competitor of The New iPad is undoubtedly. ASUS has improved an already excellent product by equipping the Infinity with a Full HD screen and an overclocked version of NVIDIA Tegra 3. At the same time, oddly enough, it was possible to maintain both thickness and weight, and even avoid overheating. Therefore, the design of the tablet deserves the highest marks.
However, there are some details that confuse and raise questions - not for engineers or designers, but for marketers. Firstly, why is it necessary to release a version with a cellular module later? The same iPad goes on sale on the same day in all modifications. Secondly, why make different SoCs for versions with and without 3G/4G? Perhaps the fact is that Qualcomm's chip already has a cellular module, while NVIDIA's does not. However, this leaves consumers with a difficult choice, because the Qualcomm chip is dual-core, while Tegra 3 is quad-core. Thirdly, why is only the version with 64 GB of memory and a docking station included in the sale so far? Because of this, the only available version of Infinity in Russian retail costs 32,950 rubles (at least this is the recommended price). For comparison, the cheapest version of The New iPad will cost only 20,490 rubles (in official Russian retail; you can find it cheaper from “gray” suppliers). Of course, it’s not entirely correct to compare like this, because the amount of memory is different (and 16 GB is still not enough for the new iPad), but the 64 GB version of the iPad will still cost less - 28,990 rubles. Yes, no one argues: the docking station (also the keyboard) is a huge plus. But why isn't the buyer given the choice to buy with or without it?
In general, we have no hesitation in presenting ASUS with another Original Design award (for being able to create the thinnest and lightest Full HD tablet, and even with a metal body, while avoiding overheating), but we advise potential buyers to wait for a wider range of Infinity configuration options. And then, having compared your desires and capabilities, make a choice.
P.S. After the publication of the article, Alexey Nistratov, technical PR manager of ASUS, sent us answers to the questions raised above on behalf of the company. We present this comment.
In the spring, when the new model was ready for production, it turned out that the SoC manufacturer for the two hottest new products from ASUS - TF700KL and Padfone - was experiencing difficulties with the supply of chips, promising to resolve them only by the end of the third quarter. Therefore, it was decided to release the TF700T model based on the Tegra 3 chip, which does not yet include a 3G/4G communication module in this generation. The Tegra option with an additional 3G chip turned out to be more difficult to manufacture, more expensive and worse in terms of power consumption, which is critical for this chipset. As for prices and configurations, the TF700T is planned to be delivered in August without a docking station and with 32 GB of flash memory; the retail price for the model in this configuration is expected to be around 24 thousand rubles. In my opinion, this is an interesting proposal that is adequate to competitive models. But at the same time, we are confident that today the best choice is the maximum supply, which reveals all the capabilities of the device. She is also the most in demand. Well, the long-awaited version of the tablet with 4G should appear in the fall.
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