ASUS Launches The Transformer Book Chi
by Brett Howse on March 30, 2015 6:45 PM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Asus
- Transformer Book
Though the Chi series was first announced at Computex way back in June 2014, it has been a long time getting to market. ASUS is now accepting pre-orders for two models of the Chi. The T100 Chi will be the replacement for the well-received Transformer Book T100, and the T300 Chi is the flagship model. Both will be fanless designs, and include the now traditional Transformer Book keyboard dock.
Starting with the T100 Chi, we get a nice update to a good design. The T100 Chi is a tablet convertible , so all of the components are in the 10.1 inch display. Speaking of the display, ASUS has went with a 16:10 ratio, with a 1920x1200 resolution. It is nice to see a few devices bucking the 16:9 trend, especially with tablets. It also features a laminated IPS display, which removes the air gaps between the different display layers. This is not a new feature of course, but one that has normally been reserved for more premium devices. And the premium feel does not end there, with the T100 Chi being made completely out of aluminum. The T100 is powered by the Intel Atom Z3775 quad-core processor, and has 2 GB of memory. Storage is eMMC in 32 and 64 GB tiers. The T100 Chi has a MSRP of $399, which is very much keeping in line with the previous T100, and comes with the keyboard dock.
| ASUS Transformer Book Chi Series | |||||
| T100 Chi | T300 Chi | ||||
| Processor | Intel Atom Z3775 (quad-core 1.46-2.39GHz, Intel HD GPU) | Intel Core M-5Y10/5Y71 (2C/4T 0.8-2.0 GHz/1.2-2.9GHz, Intel HD 5300 GPU) | |||
| Display | 10.1" 1920x1200 IPS Multitouch | 12.5" 1920x1080/2560x1440 IPS | |||
| Memory | 2 GB LPDDR3 | 4/8GB | |||
| Storage | 32/64GB eMMC plus Micro SDXC | 128GB SSD plus Micro SDXC | |||
| Networking | 802.11n dual-band + BT 4.0 | 802.11n dual-band + BT 4.0 | |||
| I/O | Micro USB 3.0, Micro HDMI, Headset | Micro USB 3.0, Micro HDMI, Headset | |||
| Battery | 31 Wh | 31 Wh | |||
| Dimensions | 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.3" (256.5 x 175.3 x 7.1mm) | 12.5 x 7.5 x 0.3" (317.5 x 190.5 x 7.62mm) | |||
| Weight | 1.3 lbs (590g), 2.4lbs (1.1kg) with keyboard | 1.6 lbs (726g), 3.2 lbs (1.45kg) with keyboard | |||
| MSRP | $399 32GB $449 64GB | $699 FHD, $899 WQHD | |||
The T300 Chi is 12.5 inch tablet, with the same laminated display as the T100, but we are back to the 16:9 ratio. Two resolutions are offered, with a 1920x1080 model being the mainstream version, or you can opt for a WQHD 2560x1440 version as well. The 1080p model comes with the Intel Core M-5Y10 CPU, 4 GB of memory, and a 128 GB SSD with micro SDXC expansion. The higher resolution T300 Chi will come with the Intel Core M-5Y71, 8 GB of memory, and a 128 GB SSD with micro SDXC expansion. The tablet alone is just 1.6 lbs, and combined with the included keyboard dock, the weight doubles to 3.2 lbs.
Both models feature support for the ASUS Transformer Book Chi Active Stylus Pen, which has 256 pressure levels supported and could therefore be based on N-Trig technology is a Synaptics unit (Confirmed with ASUS).
The keyboard docks have always been the key to the Transformer Book series, and the Chi models feature a unique magnetic hinge to perform the connection. The new models also offer support for additional modes beside attached and detached, with flipped and tented now joining the capabilities. While they do not feature the kickstand of the Surface, if you do have somewhere to rest the tablet, the tent mode should offer some nice functionality.
The ASUS Transformer Book Chi T100 and T300 are available for pre-order starting today.
Source: ASUS
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chizow - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Yeah unfortunately Intel pushed Cherry Trail back, way back. I guess they figured if they were giving chips away, it might as well be their last-gen Bay Trail. If they gave away their better chips, there would be no incentive for these companies to start paying for them later this year.kyuu - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Well, supposedly the Surface 3 (non-Pro) to be revealed at BUILD at the end of April is supposed to have Cherry Trail.mkumar12345 - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Why the need to guess so much when it's been formally released now? Why is T90 chi delayed? Why is the atylus nowhere to be found? What is the stylus technology? Mu guess would be the new Wacom tech that's also in Toshiba write series, but why would Asus not make that clear is beyond me.Novacius - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
31Wh for the T300 isn't much.Daishi83 - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
And from reviews elsewhere, it shows.General consensus seems to be around 4 hours of Web browsing and 5 of video play back. Although all the reviews have been of modlels with the WQHD display so maybe the FHD versions will be better.
On the upside though, it seems to benchmark competitively with the Surface Pro 3.
ScottSoapbox - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Where is the stylus? There have been a lot of conflicting reports on it and it's no where to be found in Asus' website.chizow - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Nice updates to these devices, but Bay Trail Atoms aren't enough performance for what we needed so we ended up getting rid of the T100 and going with an SP3. Once Cherry Trail comes out these devices should be good enough for most users, but I found Bay Trail platform and/or the embedded eMMC storage tended to get sluggish.danielfranklin - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Drop the keyboard dock and give me 4GB of RAM on the T100!ToTTenTranz - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
I wonder why Asus stopped putting batteries in the keyboard dock, as it was the transformer series' greatest advantage.My TF700 can do over 14 hours in video playback.