ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 vs. ASUS Transformer Prime Tablet Comparison

ASUS had finally launched another model in its Transformer product line. The release of the latest ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 or simply ASUS Transformer Pad 300 had transpired this April 2012 and it came with the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. Looking closely at its predecessor, the ASUS Transformer Prime, it can be noticed that not much is different among the two except the price. Could it be that ASUS released the Transformer Pad 300 in order to capture a larger market with its lower price? Or there is more to it? Or could the old adage that you get more from what you pay for apply to these devices?

Finally we can examine the differences or the similarities of ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 and the ASUS Transformer Prime. Let us compare both devices in accordance with their hardware as well as taking basis on a few benchmark tests to determine the performance of the two.

Design & Screen

Transformer Pad TF300 has taken much of its design from its predecessor, the Transformer Prime. Though some minor changes are visible such as the thickness of the tablet, Transformer Pad TF300 has a depth of 9.9 mm while Transformer Prime has a much thinner body that measures 8.3 mm. It can also be noticed that the Pad TF300 lacks an LED flash that comes with its 8 megapixel camera. Transformer Prime also has a more premium look with its casing made mostly of metal, while the Transformer Pad TF300’s casing is made entirely with plastic.

Another difference between the devices is its type of screen. It is quite difficult to distinguish the differences, but putting the two next to each other will allow you to see the slight advantage of the Prime. ASUS Transformer TF300 houses a 10.1 inch IPS LCD capacitive screen while Prime has a Super IPS+ screen. Both are capable of a 1280 x 800 pixels resolution display, Both devices are also protected by the Gorilla Glass Technology developed by Corning. The Android OS is also has an overlay ASUS’ Waveshare UI.

The minor cuts with the build of the ASUS Transfer Pad TF300 may be associated with its reduced cost compared to the Transformer Prime.

Hardware, Connectivity, & Features

Both devices are powered by Nvidia’s latest chipset, the Nvidia Tegra 3, which is among the fastest mobile processors today. Nvidia Tegra 3 is a quad-core Cortex-A9 processor that has a clock speed of 1.4 GHz. Prime has a rated clock speed of 1.3 GHz while the Pad TF300 runs at 1.2 GHz, which can be the reason why Prime performs better on benchmark tests. Both devices also have similar graphics processor, the on-chip ULP GeForce 12-core GPU that comes with the Tegra 3 chipset. 3D stereo also comes built-in with the Nvidia chipset.

In terms of the sound features, Pad TF300 has vibration and mp3 ringtone alert types while Prime has none of these. However, Prime features an SRS sound enhancement for its audio quality. Pad TF300 also supports HSDPA, HSUPA, LTE, and UL with speeds that can reach up to 21 mbps, 5.76 mbps, 50 mbps, and 100 mbps respectively. On the other hand, a dongle is needed to allow the Transformer Prime to connect to these networks due to the problems encountered in the early development of the Tegra 3 wherein it did not have support for the said networks. This comes as a great advantage of the Pad TF300 over Prime. Though both devices support Wi-Fi connectivity, only Pad TF300 features a Wi-Fi hotspot option. Upgrades were also done with the Bluetooth connectivity of the Pad TF300 with its Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and EDR feature compared to the Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP of the Prime. In addition, both devices have a USB port and HDMI port.

For the camera, both devices have similar specifications with 8 megapixels and autofocus feature. The devices are able to capture images with a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels. However, Pad TF300 lacks an LED flash to go along with its rear camera. With the same installed hardware, both devices are able to record videos at 1080p resolution. Both also feature a 1.2 megapixels secondary camera.

Performance

The latest ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 and its predecessor ASUS Transformer Prime is placed head-to-head on several benchmark tests to further determine the difference of the two based on its performance. Merely looking at the list of its specifications would not suffice since both are powered with the same quad-core processor, same GPU, and both with 1GB of RAM installed. Tests were conducted with both devices running on an unmodified Android 4.0 OS.

Quadrant was the first benchmark test used. It has been the most widely used benchmark app for Android devices. Quadrant app measures the CPU, RAM, write speed, as well as the 2D and 3D capabilities of the devices tested with it. Results show that both tablets can perform, more or less, twice than other tabs in the market such as Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. However, Transformer Prime wins by a margin of 8.64%, gaining a score of 4338 over 3993 of the Transformer Pad TF300. Though the margin is not that great and the later can still be considered to perform at par with the Prime. Tests done using AnTuTu, also showed similar results with a slight deviation on the margin of difference. The Transfomer Prime won by over 15.3% than its younger sibling.

Tests conducted over CF-Bench showed more performance comparison with other devices that are available on the market. Both devices scored more than twice compared to the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Sensation, and Motorolla Attrix. The results of this benchmark test also showed a consistent verdict that Transformer Prime is truly by far more superior than the Pad TF300, scoring more than 19.7%.

Storage

ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 offers two variant in terms of its storage space. It comes with a version that has 16 GB storage and a 32 GB variant. On the other hand, Transformer Prime has a basic model with 32 GB of storage and a much pricier model with 64 GB.

Both devices comes with a microSD slot that can support up to 32 GB of additional storage, so it would be a better option to buy the device with the lower storage and buy a cheaper microSD card than pay for the additional solid state storage that can save you a few bucks.

Price

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 was released by ASUS to address its aim to change the tablet market by providing a top-of-the-line performance at a reasonable price. Clearly, ASUS have succeeded in their goal through the release of the Transformer Pad TF300 that performs at par with its pricier predecessor. However, there were some compromise that ASUS had to do in order to deliver a device that is of high quality and relatively low price. There were slight changes in the materials used for the Transformer Pad TF300 and it does weigh heavier that the ASUS Transformer Prime.

ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 sells for about $379 for its 16 GB variant and $399 for the 32 GB model. On the other hand, the ASUS transformer Prime, released last December, remains on the top of the tablet sector that sells for $499 for the 32 GB version.

The $100 savings for choosing the Transfer Pad TF300 over the more superior Transfer Prime is not bad at all, especially when you get almost the same performance and features.

Conclusion

ASUS Transformer Pad 3G or also known as ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 has several added features and hardware that makes it a much better choice than the Prime. The Pad TF300 comes with a pre-installed Android ICS while the Prime runs on Android Honeycomb, though it can be upgraded with ICS. Some would only choose to have the latest OS already installed to veer away from the hassle of updating the device. Pad TF300 also supports networks such as HSDPA, LTE, and UL which provides the device with versatility to connect to the internet even in the absence of a hotspot. In order to do this with the Prime, the user will need to purchase a 3G dongle that will add up to the cost at the same time can be inconvenient to use. The lack of a Wi-Fi feature of the Prime is also a disadvantage since the user will not have the option to share network connection to other devices.

ASUS Transformer Prime may perform better than the ASUS Transformer Pad 3G based on its computing performance, but if we analyze it the difference is not that that significant with less than 20% deviation on performance. The major consideration on why we are leaning towards choosing the Pad TF300 is the price, wherein the discrepancy between prices of both devices is about $100 and can even reach $120 if we opt to purchase the 16 GB version of Pad TF300. However, an upgraded version of the ASUS Transformer Prime will soon be available, hopefully within the same price, and it we are expecting it to dominate the tablet market once again.