ASUS has just officially announced the first tablet device to feature a Quad-Core processor, the Transformer Prime.
Sure, ASUS’ CEO Johnny Shih has confirmed the tablet before and showed it off at a press conference, but this time we’ve got the real deal – full specifications and prices.
So not only does the Transformer Prime sport the newest Nvidia Tegra 3 Quad-Core processor, it also packs a very impressive 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display with a crystal clear resolution of 1280 x 800. The screen is covered with a sheet of ultra-tough scratch-proof Gorilla Glass too.
Two versions of the tablet will be available – Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold – which look like gunmetal grey and silver to our eyes. Each will be available with either 32 or 64GB of internal storage, which can be expanded further using a Micro SD card slot.
As with the original Eee Pad Transformer Tablet, an optional netbook-sized dockable QWERTY keyboard can be used with the tablet to effectively transform it into a fully functional, very sleek netbook. The dock adds extra USB sockets, a touchpad and full keyboard, while the tablet itself has a Micro HDMI-out socket for playing back HD videos onto a HD television.
The photography section of the specs sheet keeps us smiling too, with an 8-Megapixel Auto-Focus camera with an LED flash and an aperture setting of f2.4 on the back, plus a 1.3-Megapixel camera on the front for video calling.
The Transformer Prime will beat the iPad 2 on form factor, much to Apple’s annoyance. Weighing in at a light 586g and at just 8.3mm thick, the Prime will be considerably slimmer than Apple’s offering.
Despite the extra power from the Quad-Core processor, ASUS boasts that the battery life of this tablet is actually 12 hours – a very impressive feat for a tablet with this much power inside. In fact, if you dock the optional keyboard, the battery life should shoot up to around 18 hours, which is unprecedented on an Android tablet so far.
The ASUS Transformer Prime will be going on sale in December running Android Honeycomb 3.2, with an update to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) coming as soon as possible, say ASUS. The 32GB model will set you back $499 while the 64GB will cost $599. The additional keyboard dock will be priced at $149.
This is definitely a tablet device to watch, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.