ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T Pro Reviews

Charging $499 for your tablet is a dangerous move. If the Transformer Pad Infinity cost less than the iPad, or included the dock in the $499 price, it could be really compelling — the screen and build quality are phenomenal, and even though Jelly Bean didn't solve all its performance problems this is certainly one of the most capable and powerful Android tablets I've tested. It's a better tablet than the Acer A700, which has the same 1920 x 1200 screen but a much more bland design, and the Infinity is certainly better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. If the Infinity could match, say, the $379 price of the Transformer Pad, I'd be sold — though I'd still give the Sony Xperia Tablet S and its universal remote capabilities a long look.

The ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T is the most powerful tablet on the market. There’s no doubt about it, even several months after its release. There’s little doubt that it’s the best 10” Android tablet you can buy. Based on the price and functionality, it could be the best tablet of this size. But it isn’t, and that’s because of the software. Performance isn’t a problem thanks to the Tegra 3 T33, which is the proven most powerful mobile processor on the market, as you’ve seen in our benchmarks above. No, the software is problematic because it seems as if Android isn’t up to spec with such high-end parts. The 1920×1080 display works, and looks beautiful, but it lags even in performance mode. Even something simple like mouse movements – something that Android has supported for two years now – aren’t as smooth as it should be.

The Asus Transformer range continues to expand and evolve apace and with the Infinity you get a superb 1080p screen, 64GB of storage and an even more powerful incarnation of Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chipset. In use it is an altogether superb device but at £200 more than the basic Transformer Pad, the premium for the HD screen is a high one. If it was my money, I’d probably be more inclined to buy a Transformer Pad and a 8GB Nexus 7, and a lot of beer with the change.

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 takes over from its predecessor as the top Android tablet available. You get high performance mixed with high style, and you don't have to make a lot of sacrifices to get both. Other tablets--including the Prime, which is expected to drop in price once this model gets into the market--may provide better value, but no other Android tablet will give you the full package that the Infinity does.

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T costs $500 and at that price faces direct competition from the new iPad, so - despite the fact that one runs on Android and the other on iOS - comparisons are inevitable. They both feature brilliant screens, but they are brilliant in a different way. The Asus Infinity has the brighter, better suited for outdoor use one, while the iPad claims an advantage in the sheer level of detail and image quality. We’d call it a draw in terms of screens, but what about the app advantage? Android is far from having the whopping 250,000 tablet-optimized apps that the iPad has and it will take some time for it to catch up. When it comes to memory, though, at $499 the Transformer Pad Infinity offers double the memory than the iPad with 32GB on board. $599 will buy you a 64GB Transformer Pad Infinity. Enough with the comparisons, though. If you are looking to replace your notebook with the Transformer Pad Infinity with keyboard dock, it might be a bit too early. Asus has done a good work on the dock, but it’s Android that is slightly lagging behind to fully support it and developers are probably also to blame. We miss more and better working gestures and shortcuts. But if you don't have such huge ambitions, you won't be disappointed. Nothing changes the fact that the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity is a great tablet on its own. Moreover, it’s the best Android tablet we’ve ever tried. It has a great design, amazingly bright screen and adequate performance and battery life. We can whole-heartedly recommend it as a standalone tablet.

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity is one of the best high-end tablet on the market. Compared to the dominant iOS tablets, it offers more “bang for the buck” with the storage extension options (with MicroSD on the Pad + SD slot on the dock) and the brilliant keyboard dock integration that also significantly extend the battery life (+ 6 hours). Tablets are mostly used for entertainment, and Asus pushed the envelope on that front as well. The enhanced 8 MP camera is one of the best in this market, and provide way more options than the iPad’s camera app (this is often the case on Android). The device is a killer for gaming, we can just tell by looking at the graphic performance, TegraZone games and game-controller capabilities. The new Full HD display is a pleasure to look at whether you browse the internet, read books, flick through your photos, or watch a movie. Last but not least, the design is elegant and despite its largely enhanced performance, Asus managed to keep the body thinner than the iPad (without the dock).

Gosh, it would have been nice if the TF700 were around last fall. Compared to the Prime, the TF700 is an upgrade on most counts: it's slightly faster, the screen is sharper and there's now a plastic strip on the cover designed to give the underlying antennas more breathing room. As it is, though, the TF700 doesn't offer many reasons for Prime owners to upgrade, given that the battery life is actually longer on the original, and given the similar camera performance. Unless your Prime has signal reception issues, or you just have to have that higher-quality screen, you're better off sticking with what you already own. If it is a crisp display you're after, you'd be foolish not to at least consider the new iPad: for the same money, it offers a stunning 2048 x 1536 panel -- and it doesn't suffer from as many performance hiccups as the TF700 either. Still, if you're in the market for a new Android tablet, specifically, the TF700 should absolutely be on your shortlist: it's among the best Ice Cream Sandwich tablets you'll find at any price.

As you can imagine, we should start seeing significantly more aggressive pricing on the original Transformer Prime since the new Pad Infinity is here with all its high-end trimmings for exactly the same MSRP. So, depending on where things settle at retail for the Prime, you may have a hard decision to make if you're considering either of these Asus slates. You could save a few bucks and go with the Prime or go all out for the new Transformer Pad Infinity. We'd offer that $499 for a 32GB tablet with the quality and features of the Transformer Pad Infinity is a reasonably good deal and you'll appreciate its upscale image quality and performance from top to bottom. If you're looking for a 10-inch Android slate, we say go for it.

Asus has almost defined its tablets as the de facto alternatives to the iPad, and with this offering it's hard to argue. Everything we'd look for in a high-end tablet is present and accounted for with the Transformer Pad Infinity. While power is always welcomed, it was the improved screen that really caught our attention. Given that we use our tablet mostly for browsing the web and watching video, we couldn't help but marvel at the resolution, either. Tablets have been derided as consumption devices rather than production devices in the past, but that time is well and truly over, thanks to the amount of apps available. No matter what your hobby, chances are you'll find an offering on Google Play to cater for it, and the quad-core Tegra 3 processor nestled inside Asus Transformer Pad Infinity can run it. Add to this the benefit of being able to snap-in a fully featured keyboard and touchpad and this device becomes a work platform as much as an entertainment machine. If you've already bought the Asus Transformer Prime, then you won't need to upgrade – but if you're looking for a top Android tablet (and have the cash to splash), then the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity should be at the top of your list.

The best Android tablet you can buy, although the price will make you think twice

Asus gives its hybrid a stunning high-resolution screen and a turbo-charged processor, but it’s as expensive as they come

In the past few weeks, we ran a lot of the new tablets through our tests. There were no real surprises or highlights. The technical specifications of the various models are too similar, but that is not surprising as the available platforms is limited. Asus has still managed to bring a smile on our lips. The Asus Transformer Tab Infinity TF700T was an exceptional test model for our lab. The new Asus flagship has few flaws which blemish the otherwise perfect performance. This 10.1 inch device has very high performance, a great display with a very high resolution and great hardware. The docking keyboard makes the packet perfect. The recommended price is 719 Euros at the moment. This is a considerable investment, which not every buyer is ready to make, as he/she will not even have the option of a 3G module. This is the main flaw of this device. The other critique is aimed at the cameras. The 8 MP camera may look impressive but the picture quality is what matters. The picture quality is only good in when the surroundings are well-lit. We did not like the high temperatures of the power adapter either: over 60 degrees is too hot.

If you’re waiting for Apple to release a MacBook Air with Retina display, it could be a longer wait than most anticipate. There is a reason that the MacBook Pro with Retina display is shaped like it is. Apple likely couldn’t have delivered this notebook with a tapered design for at least a couple of reasons, the most critical being the size of the battery needed to power the Retina display. It’s no accident that the battery stuffed inside this MacBook is the biggest yet. Even with the additional battery size, the new MacBook Pro with Retina display delivers only the same battery life as the standard MacBook Pro because the display is so densely packed with pixels that it needs a strip of 48 LED backlights to push light through the LCD panel. The next notebook rumoured to be inline for a Retina upgrade is the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which the rumor mill says will arrive around October. In the meantime, if you want to get your hands on a MacBook with a Retina display, your only option is the 15-inch variant. This means that it is not for everybody, as tempting as the Retina display may be. It is easily the most portable full-power notebook on the market, though it is still fairly large. While 4.46 pounds is also relatively light for a notebook this size, it does not compare with the 11- or 13-inch MacBook Air for overall portability. When you factor in the cost as well, it clearly remains targeted at creative professionals or other power-users who need the extra processing power that come with Intel’s and NVIDIA’s latest silicon.

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 takes over from its predecessor as the top Android tablet available. You get high performance mixed with high style, and you don't have to make a lot of sacrifices to get both. Other tablets - including the Prime, which is expected to drop in price once this model gets into the market - may provide better value, but no other Android tablet will give you the full package that the Infinity does.

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is the best Android tablet money can buy, with an incredibly bright and sharp high-resolution display and blazing fast quad-core processor, but there just aren't enough apps.