Asus Transformer 3 Pro: not a Surface killer

The 2-in-1 market was set on fire by the introduction of the Surface. As manufacturers and designers alike, were thrown in the ring to create devices that ape the Microsoft Surface. Acer has made it, Lenovo has done it too, Dell is going to, and now Asus too, with its Transformer 3 Pro.

The Taiwanese company has been creative about the name though, with the Pro reflecting in the specification of the device. The top-spec Transformer squeezes in Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of internal storage.

The keyboard is a two step detachable while the stylus looks sober and grey with Asus Collection printed on it. However the real question here is whether the device is truly a Pro like it says and worth the cash (over Rs 1.5lakh).

Design

One of the most important parts of a 2-in-1 device is the design. The design for the Asus Transformer 3 Pro is similar to the surface. When the first impressions were released we could have said it could be a Surface beater. But having the device for over two weeks and using it on a daily basis instead of the regular laptop, we have come to understand the device and think of it differently.

The components are strong, but there are still weaknesses which affects the device’s overall capability.

The first is the paint job. We had liked the Golden version of the Eeebook, the Rose Gold version of the Zenbook 3, and the Gold version of the Transformer 3 Pro. But in all aspects, the paint coat is not a very stable one. The Zenbook had come in a pouch of its own, but for the Transformer we carried it around in the rear pouch of a backpack. In just a matter of few days we could see scratches on the back, even though we have not been rough with the device whatsoever.

Visually speaking, the Transformer Pro’s Surface factor game is on point. At 12.6-inch display, it is slightly larger than the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4. The rear hinge which also looks very Surface-ish, can fold down to a 155-degree angle, and can be infinitely positioned and feels very firm and smooth. Of course, a device at this price point begets a certain amount of build quality.

Which brings us to this point that for all that cash, we are getting a decent detachable laptop device which is prone to scratches and brings us to an another question is why would someone pay Rs 1, 44, 990 for this device which gets scratched easily than pay a lower amount for the liquid cooled Acer Switch Alpha 12.

Battery

Before we had got this device, we were expecting that a device with the entire Pro features which the Asus Transformer 3 Pro definitely succeeds — the battery will be in correspondence to the form factor that the Transformer possesses. In some respects, such a powerhouse doesn’t make sense because then the battery will have to stand up when the powerhouse is actually in motion.

And true indeed, the Transformer 3 Pro has one of the weakest battery lives in all of the range of 2-in-1 devices in the market right now. Even the Surface Pro 4 is more efficient with almost 50 per cent more battery life. Battery charge went from full to 50 per cent charge after two hours of usage. One may think we were pushing the device hard with its core i7 processor et al? Not at all — with battery saver on, Wi-Fi connected, and Microsoft Edge open with four tabs running maximum, and that was all we were working with.

Fortunately, the device comes with fast charge capability which means the Transformer 3 Pro can go from zero to full charge in under three hours. Another phenomenon we noticed was that the fan kicked in with just limited applications running (Movie Player, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Word).

But then, if you are really planning to pull the strength of that Core i7 processor on the go, it will further demolish your battery life. With battery saver off and screen brightness at 100 per cent, do not expect anything more than three hours of battery life.

However, plug it in, and you are introduced to a whole new level of heavy usage and you can pull off a massive smile as you can make the most of the Transformer 3 Pro’s powerful innards.

Screen competence and drawbacks

One of the major features we noticed about the screen was the super – high resolution (2,880 x 1,920 pixels) which looked fantastic. But the large amount of pixels means business on the Pro.

The display uses a wide color gamut (121 per cent of sRGB) with the screen looking absolutely dynamic, and bigger viewing angles (close to 180 degrees) presenting a sharp contrast which is impressive.

Asus has implemented a glossy coat on the display which means you will be staring at your reflection mostly. Furthermore, as the battery is restricted, we’ve been attempting to operate the Transformer at lower brightness settings (25 per cent or 50 per cent) which causes the reflection even more.

The Transformer 3 Pro is, in a sense, the victim of their own doing. Good resolution, dynamic colour and wide viewing angles are present alongside reflection from the shiny screen so we increase the battery and voila! The battery goes down.

Keyboard and Stylus

At a glance, this is the part where the Asus shines briefly. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 charges extra for its keyboard and for the stylus. Asus however offers it alongside the Transformer 3 Pro.

The Asus Transformer Pro 3 comes with a two-step detachable keyboard with magnetic connection points and instant sync with the device. The keyboard is backlit with adequate feedback and the presence of a two-step-detach unit means you can either have the keyboard in a slanting position or flat on your table surface.

The trackpad is responsive and makes sure you feel no friction across the trackpad as your finger glides along. However, at some times we found specific gestures not working, much to our confusion as we could not work out why.

Verdict

The Asus Transformer 3 Pro houses all the power you would want from a pro device with specs to match for any 2-in-1 device at this price point which on paper, sounds really good.

The reality, however, is somewhat different. The Transformer 3 Pro has inadvertently dug its own grave with its power specs, delivering poor battery life which means there is a less probability of serving its actual purpose of being portable.

The inclusion of the keyboard and the stylus is a good move by Asus – but looking at it from an overall price view point; we were left thinking as to how Asus plans to outmanoeuvre the already established Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Maybe the less powerful Core i5 model will make sense, but then we have to wait as the Indian version is the sole Core i7 only.

We initially reflected the Transformer Pro 3 had the potential to transform the expectation of the 2-in-1 market. But then we think the device works much better as a desktop power device much more than a portable one. And that kind of defeats the whole portable 2-in-1 device purpose.