AfterDawn: News

Asus makes the Transformer Prime official with specs, pics

Asus' much-anticipated Transformer Prime tablet has been officially outed today, and it packs a powerful punch.

The device is the world's first quad-core tablet, has a very sleek form factor, and comes with the optional keyboard dock that made its predecessor, the Transformer, so popular.



Asus says the tablet weighs in at 1.29 lbs, is just 8.3mm thick, and has a 178-degree viewing angle. The 10.1-inch screen has a 1280x800 IPS+ display with Gorilla Glass.

Under the hood is the Tegra 3 processor, 1GB RAM, 32GB or 64GB internal storage, an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash and a 1.2MP front-side camera for video chat.

For connectivity (not using the dock) there is a micro-HDMI port.

The Prime will launch next month with Android 3.2 but will quickly be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich.

Asus is selling the tablet for $499 base model and the dock for $150.




Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 9 Nov 2011 21:49

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• 6 comments

• i1der

  dont get me wrong these specs are mind blowing... Why they only kept 1gb in ram? Quad core with 1gb kind of hold back all that power i would think. I just got a tab 10.1 on July, so i will be all set for at least after the world ends... Maybe I should get anyways if the world really ends i will have miss the opportunity, nah... I'm good!
  

  10.11.2011 01:12 #1

• ruff469

  I'll be looking for the fire-sale or the one Tyrone and Jerome find in some dark alley somewhere and they just want to get rid of it for a quick $40.
  

  10.11.2011 08:07 #2

• buxtahuda

  Originally posted by ruff469: I'll be looking for the fire-sale or the one Tyrone and Jerome find in some dark alley somewhere and they just want to get rid of it for a quick $40. Agreed, to an extent. I'll try to find it at a discounted price for a while, as I do with all electronics, but I think I'll give it only a month after release. Then I'm getting it, regardless; though I hope that I could find a way of getting the dock for the free >.>
  
  Originally posted by i1der: dont get me wrong these specs are mind blowing... Why they only kept 1gb in ram? Quad core with 1gb kind of hold back all that power i would think. I just got a tab 10.1 on July, so i will be all set for at least after the world ends... Maybe I should get anyways if the world really ends i will have miss the opportunity, nah... I'm good! Eh. I think a gig is fine for something running Android, but yes it's still confusing to only have a gig with a quad-core processor. However, only three of the cores ever garnish any real performance increase, and I'm sure they're trying to make sure it's portable and as battery-efficient as could be.
  
  Again though, a gig is about all you need; my single-core 1gb HTC Vision multi-tasks, runs without hickups, and keeps a charge for over 24 hours; I run games at 60 FPS smoothly and can watch video fine. The extra cores on this thing and that roomy 64 internal GB are plenty of reason for me to get this, quad-cores are what I've been waiting on, and the dock/miniHDMI sells it. And that brushed metal back, it'll match my phone ^.^

  10.11.2011 08:46 #3

• plutonash

  Originally posted by i1der: dont get me wrong these specs are mind blowing... Why they only kept 1gb in ram? Quad core with 1gb kind of hold back all that power i would think. I just got a tab 10.1 on July, so i will be all set for at least after the world ends... Maybe I should get anyways if the world really ends i will have miss the opportunity, nah... I'm good! what do you need 2 gb of ram for?
  
  I think its a great tablet especially since it will go unrivaled for a good few months. Tegra 3 is ssupposed to have great battery life with the companion app. I think 12 hours for this tablet. Plus quad cores can be used for loading the web pages quicker, and playing games at a much better FPS.
  
  I wish they made a 2gb or 4gb model for $299. No one would even consider getting the new nook tablet when you can get this beast for an extra 50 bucks more. Its also thinner and lighter than the ipad2
  

  "Cable thief is a victimless crime."

  10.11.2011 10:57 #4

• mystic

  I'm running a acer iconia tab with win 7 pro and it wont even slow down.. its a little bit bigger and the keyboard is the other side as a shield for the screen in transport but it was free and the whole unit cost only $440.00 so why cant they move on and make something better I love mine dual cams 32 gb hdd and it runs android apps... and it has hdmi out on the tab.so I can connect netflix to the flat screen they can play catch up but the winners will be those(the company) who releases the newest with the must have not the so you built an ipad (and we now know they are playing follow the leader...
  

  10.11.2011 11:17 #5

• jolo

  Originally posted by i1der: dont get me wrong these specs are mind blowing... Why they only kept 1gb in ram? Quad core with 1gb kind of hold back all that power i would think. I just got a tab 10.1 on July, so i will be all set for at least after the world ends... Maybe I should get anyways if the world really ends i will have miss the opportunity, nah... I'm good! That is because it is NOT using Windows !!
  Don't think like it is running a garbage proprietary OS like windows or IOS.

  12.11.2011 05:42 #6