Asus Transformer 300 vs 101

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viralcow

Limp Gawd
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Feb 9, 2011
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I've been eyeing the Asus TF-300 for a while now, to use for college. I'm going to be taking notes on it, so a keyboard dock is a must. The problem is, at ~$520, the price is a bit steep (these summer jobs suck :mad:) and I'm wondering if I should just go with the TF101, which can be had for $300, dock included. I'm not interested in playing games on it, so I'm not sure if I really need the tegra 3 quad-core... the TF101 can be upgraded to ICS and can basically handle anything I'll throw at it.

Sure, the TF300 is thinner, faster, and has longer battery life, but is it worth the extra $220?

EDIT: Hm I swear I was in the mobile computing section... can a mod help out and move this thread there?
 
Where have you seen the original TF that cheap? I like mine, paid $300 for it a year ago, glad I got it at that time for that price... I don't think these kinds of tablets are worth over $400 under any circumstances, but I'm also not sure I'd pay much for last year's tech right now... $300 WITH dock does sound fantastic, without it's meh.
 
Personally I own the Tegra 300 and I love it, even though it does suffer from the light bleed, however; there isn't much a wifi issue due the plastic back (can't remember if TF101 was suffering from this or it was just the Pime).

From what I read and I do agree is that when it comes to Android, you will not see a huge difference from dual core and quad core, especially from the Apps that you are going to be running. If you think you are going to go to a lot of Flash related websites, thats where you will see the difference and also if you plan to playback HD Movies.

If you just plan to have it for normal websurfing and taking notes, I don't see the issue of just going with the TF101. If you go this route I highly recommend for a sale. The Specs are quite old now-a-days.

Now before you go out and buy a tablet, let me make you aware that right now your in the middle of a time where new tablets are coming out. If you can wait, wait a month or 2. We should be seeing the release of a new Nexus Tablet from Google that is Quad-Core at the $200 price range or so. Rumors have it that its going to be a 7" device. I don't know if that is too small for you or not.

If you are taking notes I'm going to take it that you want a transformer for the keyboard dock, well keep in mind that there is the Samsung Tablets out there as well that have the keyboard dock too. Ranging from the the 10.1 Galaxy Tab, 8.9 Tab, 7.7Tab (Don't recommend the 7.7, its a overkill in price for what you get) and also the 7"Tab.

When it comes with the Samsung Tablets, I have been seeing them on sales ( I think its refurbs tho) about once a month, so you might want to take a look into that too.

There are so many factors and so many options when it comes to tablets in the Android World. The Top two companies right now are Asus and Samsung.

I hope I helped out a bit on your decision.
 
The TF101 leaves a lot to be desired for battery life but otherwise it's a great piece of hardware so that would drive the decision if I had to choose again.
 
I get like 7-8 hours out of mine before even taking the dock into account, I know the Prime does even better but that's not too shabby... If I were buying today I'd look for a deal on the TF300 tho.
 
Consider that google is expected to announce their Nexus tablet at Google I/O in the next week or so, and it's expected to be priced under 200$.
 
I really don't understand how they're pricing 7" tablets that low yet 10" tablets are usually $500+ (with a scant few like the TF300 coming in at $400). It seems like the manufacturers themselves decided 7" would be the cheap alternative even tho it's probably not much cheaper to manufacture and they're still hoping to keep 10" tablets as the premium alternative just because Apple is able to sell the iPad for $500-700. Amazon and Barnes & Noble probably forced their hand to an extent but still...
 
Well there you have it. Google Nexus 7" Tegra 3 Tablet with IPS screen and 1280x800 resolution for $200(8GB) / $250(16GB). It sucks it doesn't have a SDCard slot, but that is one hell of a deal. You can Pre-Order them now.
 
MicroUSB port can be used to hook up thumbdrives with an OTG cable, almost makes up for the lack of micro SD slot IMO.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I am very tempted by the nexus tablet but as I said, the primary function will be schoolwork so a keyboard is a must.

Right now I'm stuck between buying the tf300 now or save up for the surface RT edition... that thing looks sweet.
 
The only real shortfalls of the TF101 I've found is the complete lack of ability to handle 1080p video, and it struggles with high bitrate 720p mkv's. I've had good success with MX Player App for 720p tho, some people convert everything to other formats, but that is way too much of a pita and time wasting for me.

The other thing is many Tegra3 games do not have a Tegra2 counterpart. Many say coming soon for T2, but who knows.

So basically gaming and video are the only limitations I've noticed, if that's worth the extra money or not is up to you.
 
I dont think pricing has been announced on the Surface RT has it? It'll probably be in the $500 range tho, but the keyboard covers will likely be cheaper than the TF dock.... You'll definitely get a worse typing experience with shallower keys and a device you can't even use on your lap, but on the other hand you do get Office with WinRT, at the same time general app availability for WinRT will lag behind Android and iOS for a while. If anything I'd probably save up for a tablet convertible that can run Win8 x86, ASUS will have several.
 
Amazon has the TF300 for $380 not sure where your seeing $500 from...
 
This is also my dilemma. TF300, or wait for Surface (iPad might still be an option).

I cant remember the name, but I heard of a TF that Asus was going to release that you could dual boot windows with. Anyone know what this is going to be called?
 
Really for school work and taking notes etc, you are going to be so much better off with a laptop (even a 1-2 year old cheapy) There are tons of deals on run of the mill laptops in the 350 to $400 range (new) and even less. The only thing you are sacrificing is a little bit of weight (depending on laptop) and battery life. However in the long run for 1-2 years at school, you are going to be saving yourself a lot of headache with compatibility and stuff for school. I know that android tablets CAN do what you are looking for (I own 2 of them myself), but a laptop is going to make life 100% easier. Its my strong suggestion to someone on a limited budget - your time is valuable too.
 
Currently I am using a gateway netbook to take notes and have an Asus G73 as a desktop replacement in my room.

While I agree a laptop is best for schoolwork, I just feel the netbook is inadequate. too slow, gets a bit hot, has 3 hours of batterylife. Has trouble running HD youtube, for instance. And it doesnt make sense to buy another full-fledged laptop when I have the G73.
 
Well, a more modern netbook would run for 6+ hours, would have no trouble with HD, wouldn't be any slower than an ARM tablet (the tablet might just seem faster because of the emphasis mobile OS place on user UI), would cost the same, and it'd be vastly better than any tablet for actual school work.

That being said, a tablet with a quality display is a far more enjoyable experience for other tasks (anything from surfing to media), netbook displays are by and large crap, and a tablet would be fine for lightweight work (like taking notes) if you have the G73 for when you need to hunker down and get some real work done. You could have revealed that little tidbit earlier... :p

At this point the WinRT ecosystem is a big unknown and the TF300's dock/keyboard looks closer to a real keyboard than either of the Surfaces options so I'd have to give it the nod, Surface aint out yet tho and price is still up in the air.

A lot of people seem to be gravitating towards some of the new Win 8 devices out of a desire to pare down the number of mobile devices in their life but with stuff like Dropbox, Pocket, and browser tab/history/bookmark sync across devices I don't see why thats a bigger urge than ever. Its easier than ever to go from phone to tablet to laptop without missing a beat and interrupting what your doing.
 
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