Android Tablet: Transformer Tablet

Transformer Tablet

The big draw to the 10.1-inch ASUS Transformer Pad (AKA the TF300T) is the way it pairs up with a supplied keyboard dock. Offering the best bits of an Android 4.0 tablet and a keyboard-packing notebook, the two connect through a docking port in the keyboard's hinge, clicking into place and easily separated with a the slide of a locking catch. With the tablet packing a powerful Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, it's offering equivalent performance to ASUS's premium Transformer Prime tablet, but shaving off £100 from the price to make it affordable at a few pennies shy of £400.

If it's not lacking in performance, where then have the corners been cut? That would be in its build quality, though even then it's only a marginal step down from what's offered by the Prime. While the Prime tablet features a textured metal back, the Pad gets a lightweight, cheaper plastic covering, available in blue, white or red, depending on your preference. The screen too is a bit of a downgrade, using a 1280 x 800 IPS panel compared to the Prime's Super IPS panel. While viewing angles are reasonable, it's highly reflective, and lacking in the deep blacks of its bigger brother, not to mention the insane resolution's offered by the new iPad's Retina Display. And while there are ports for microSD and micro HDMI on the tablet itself, there's no SIM slot, meaning you'll be limited to Wi-Fi connectivity.

Even with these relative shortcomings, the Pad feels very close to the best Android tablets on offer, especially with that price tag. As well as the impressive specs under the hood, the keyboard really sets the Transformer Pad apart from the pack of also-rans in its price category. While it too flexes a little, with a plastic construction not quite a match for the Prime's equivalent, it's a generous addition to an already low-priced package. Typing away on the chiclet keyboard is comfortable enough, but the real surprise was the quality of the track pad; controlling Android with a pointer, it was responsive and smooth, and even supported multitouch gestures. There's even a full-size USB 2.0 port and and full-size SD card reader on the side of the keyboard dock. Paired with the right productivity apps, you can get some serious work done here.