The Asus Transfrormer Pro 3 is the latest 2-in-1 convertible to challenge Microsoft’s ultimate tablet/laptop hybrid, the Surface Pro 4.
Since that hybrid arrived on the market, a number of manufacturers have tried their hand at either bettering it, or offering an alternative at a lower price point.
Last year’s Asus Transformer T300 was a step in the right direction for would-be Surface rivals, but was let down by a poor screen, unimpressive battery life and a plethora of micro-sized ports with limited usability.
The latest reincarnation of Asus’ long-running Transformer series – the T303UA – has a considerably more premium feel that is rather similar to Microsoft’s flagship tablet, right down to the versatile kickstand hinge on the back.
This particular hybrid is available with a choice of either an Intel Core i5 6200U or i7 6500U processor, 4GB or 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of solid state storage. We were sent the lower specification variant of the two, which – it has to be said – still has a respectable specification.
At US$999 (around £899 or AU$1337), the Transformer 3 Pro is actually more expensive than Microsoft’s equivalent Surface Pro 4, but comes with a larger screen with a wider gamut and higher resolution, and has better connectivity, too.
Design
To the untrained eye, the Asus Transformer Pro 3 looks and feels a lot like a Microsoft Surface Pro, albeit a little oversized. The diamond-cut magnesium shell is darker, and while the familiar button placement and adjustable kickstand are all welcome additions, they do not help to set it apart from Microsoft’s own.
It may seem a little bit of a cop-out to launch such a similar 2-in-1 tablet, but it actually makes a lot of sense. The most recent additions to the range of Surface tablets have been very well received, and so it just doesn’t make commercial sense to attempt to be too different.
The Samsung Galaxy TabPro S, for example, is a highly recommended machine, but sacrifices a full-sized USB port to achieve ultimate slimness. Meanwhile, the Huawei MateBook may look the part, but a poor keyboard cover and lack of power means that ultimately it underperforms against rivals.
On the right-hand edge you’ll find the USB 3.0 socket, a full-size HDMI socket and a Thunderbolt port. All are welcome additions, as often tablets either scrimp on connectivity or include down-sized versions that require a plethora of adaptors.
Over on the opposite edge there’s a headphone / microphone 3.5mm combo socket, volume bar and a USB Type-C port doubles as the charging socket. This is a definite plus over Microsoft’s tablet, which uses a proprietary power adaptor; so long as you have access to a USB charger with a high enough output, all you need to carry is a USB Type-C cable.
The top edge is home to the power button and a large vent that helps keep the high-powered internals of the T303UA nice and cool. There is a fan onboard, so it’s not a silent machine, but you’ll only find it spins up when put under significant load.
Where the display is concerned, Asus claims that the Transformer Pro 3 is the best for creative types, and after using it for a while, we are inclined to agree. The 3:2 display is capable of displaying 86% of the Adobe RGB colour spectrum and the entire sRGB colour gamut – as well as a few colours beyond.
Although the 12.6-inch screen may be a little larger than the Microsoft Surface, it also ups the pixel-resolution to 2,880 x 1,920, resulting in a density of just under 275 pixels per inch (or ppi). Unfortunately the display is not quite as bright at full-brightness, making it a little bit more difficult to use outdoors.
The Transformer Pro 3 weighs 795g and measures 289 x 211 x 8.35mm. That's a bit wider, but shorter and noticeably thinner than what you'll get from Microsoft.
Type, poke or draw – the choice is yours
Like the Surface Pro, there’s a soft ‘folio’ style keyboard cover for the Transformer Pro 3, but unlike Microsoft, Asus’ is included as standard. While – in our experience – these aren’t always the most comfortable keyboards to type on, Asus’ Folio keyboard manages to do the best with the limited space available.
The backlit keys are spread out sufficiently for comfortable typing, and there is just about enough travel to make fairly rapid touch-typing possible. They aren’t clicky like a regular keyboard, but when you compare it to the keyboard on the Huawei Matebook, they feel far less spongey.
Unfortunately the trackpad was less of a positive, as although it is reasonably large, it was a little haphazard at recognising my various swipes, pinches and zooms. Anything beyond regular one-finger commands seemed a bit beyond its comfort zone; it’s fortunate, then, that the touchscreen is much more responsive.
With a stylus pen and high-resolution screen that covers the full sRGB colour gamut, Asus are hoping that the Transformer 3 Pro will be an enticing package for graphic designers and illustrators.
The active stylus is nicely weighted, and has two buttons that can be assigned to functions of your choice, but annoyingly there is nowhere to actually dock or store it when not in use, making it worryingly easy to lose. The pen uses stylus tech from Wacom and supports up to 1,024 levels of pressure, which makes it very usable by professionals wanting to use the Transformer 3 Pro for illustration.
Its main rival – the Surface Pro 4 – uses N-trig stylus tech that works great for rapid note-taking, but can be a little hit-and-miss for precision artwork, where things such as pressure sensitivity are more important.
Specifications
Though it may have a familiar exterior, it’s what’s on the inside that counts with the Asus Transformer 3 Pro. Asus has packed in more bang for your buck in the form of a Core i5 or i7 processor, and specifications that include a more-than-satisfying 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM. Internal storage, likewise, maxes out at a mighty 1TB with a PCIe x4 SSD.
The unit we tested featured an i5-6200U processor, a 256GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. While this cheaper specification may not be quite as tasty as the i7 alternative, there’s still enough grunt to glide through the vast majority of apps.
The Transformer 3 Pro does not quite have the grunt to play all of the latest games, but there is enough power onboard to handle digital painting using the included stylus, or even basic 3D modelling and CAD.
There’s no question that it’ll fly through word processing or any type of web or office applications, but we would consider opting for the i7 / 8GB model if you plan on doing anything more intensive such as video editing.
Despite the T303UA’s ultra-slim form factor, its performance is anything but lightweight. The Core i5 processor and fast SSD make it a speedy all-rounder for everything from web browsing to photo editing.
When things start getting a bit hotter under load, however, the fan spins up rather loudly to remind you that this isn’t a low-powered tablet like so many of Asus’ earlier attempts at a hybrid tablet, such as the Asus Transformer Book TP200SA.
Performance
Despite the slightly lower clock speed of the i5-6200U compared to the 6300U you’ll find in the Surface Pro 4, there was very little to difference to note, with only a few dropped points across the board. Whilst the scores in 3DMark were not terrible, this is no gaming powerhouse, so don’t expect go-anywhere gaming performance.
If you’re looking for a machine with a little more power, there’s always the pricier T303UA-GN047T, which packs an i7-6500 and double the RAM.
Alternatively, the HP Spectre X360 is a hybrid laptop that offers more power across the board, whilst the iPad Pro 12.9 has guaranteed all day performance, despite the limitations of iOS.
Battery life
While Asus have done their best to include some of the very best elements we would desire in a 2-in-1 tablet, it seems that they forgot about fitting a reasonable battery into the svelte frame. The included 39Whr battery performs considerably worse than the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S and early signs suggest that the cheaper Acer Switch Alpha 12 last longer, too. In fact, the Transformer Pro 3 has the weakest battery of any of the rival 2-in-1 models, and lasts almost half as long as the HP Spectre x360.
To benchmark the battery life of the T303UA, we used PC Mark 8’s battery life test, which ran for 3 hrs 5 mins before pleading for the charger. Meanwhile, TechRadar’s own HD video test saw it last for 4 hrs 45 mins with the screen brightness at 50%.
You can eke out a little more battery life if you use headphones rather than the onboard speakers, and even more if you disconnect the folio keyboard, but Asus’ claim of “all day battery life” is far removed from the experience we had.
One positive is that the fast charge technology included means you can at least resurrect the T303UA before long. The USB Type-C charger charges the battery to 60 per cent in just an hour when in standby mode, while a full charge from a dead battery takes two to three hours.
Camera and audio
We aren’t about to recommend that anyone be stupid enough to use the Asus Transformer 3 Pro as their primary camera, but the capabilities are there, just in case. The rear 13-megapixel camera is usable and better than many competing tablets, but the lack of flash means it’s only really good for photos taken in good lighting. The resulting images are good enough to share on social media, but nothing more.
It’s likely that most tablet users would make much more use of the front-facing camera for Skype or other video calling, and in this regard the 2-megapixel camera is up to the job. The camera is also compatible with Windows Hello, allowing for easy login on Windows 10.
The inbuilt microphone is reasonable, and managed to cancel out background noise in louder environments, while the speakers are boosted by an amplifier to make them loud enough for Netflix or Youtube. The audio is tuned by Harman Kardon technology, which claims to make the audio distortion-free, even at higher volumes.
In practice, the speakers are nothing special, and I certainly wouldn’t choose to listen to music through them, but considering the thickness of the chassis, there wasn’t many better options.
Verdict
With its original Android-powered Transformer tablet, Asus was one of the first to market with a 2-in-1 tablet hybrid, and while the Transfrormer 3 Pro is a world away from the original model, some frustrating limitations hold us back from giving their latest and greatest tablet hybrid our highest rating.
The T303UA has plenty of power, a decent folio keyboard and a really gorgeous screen. As for the looks, Asus has borrowed heavily from the Surface Pro 4 design, but it’s safe to say that’s certainly no bad thing – even if the pricing is a little steep.
We liked
While it suffers a little outdoors, the Asus' pin-sharp screen is even higher resolution than the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, and has a 100% sRGB colour gamut that makes colours pop.
Thanks to the nippy i5 processor, there is plenty of power on board and we never encountered any major slow-down, even with multiple applications including Photoshop on the go.
Unlike some rivals, there is a great selection of ports on board, and we applaud Asus for including a folio keyboard as standard. The backlit keys are solid and responsive, even if the trackpad is a little erratic.
We disliked
Despite many other boxes ticked, the biggest let-down was the lacklustre battery life. The 39Whr battery is simply not big enough to power the T303UA for long enough periods of time to make it truly portable.
While the included stylus might be more useable for creatives, there isn’t anywhere to safely store it when not in use. We would have liked to see a magnetic system, similar to the Surface Pro 4, which allows users to easily keep the stylus on hand.
Then there’s the price. It’s not the most expensive tablet hybrid around, but it is pricier than the base model of i5-powered Surface Pro 4, whose market the T303UA is squarely aimed at.
Final verdict
The Asus Transformer 3 Pro has all the power you could want from a high-end 2-in-1 tablet at this price point, but in some respects it is the victim of its own powerful innards, providing poor battery performance that seriously hampers its portable purpose.
Connectivity is great and the screen is an absolute joy to use, whilst the inclusion of a good-quality folio keyboard and stylus are both very welcome.
Unfortunately it’s just a little too expensive to provide genuine competition to the Surface Pro 4, which is positively dominating this corner of the increasingly crowded pro-spec 2-in-1 market.
