Asus Transformer T300 Chi: An Inexpensive Yet Awkward Tablet Hybrid
Asus wants to help you align your chi — specifically, with its new Transformer Book T300 Chi, a tablet/laptop hybrid with a detachable wireless keyboard.
The T300 is one of the first machines to use the new Intel Core M chip, designed for two-in-one machines. The M chip allows hybrids to run cooler and quieter (no fan in this machine) and is said to offer a longer battery life. More on that below.
(Asus)
It’s certainly easy on the eyes. Asus says the 7.6mm T300 is the world’s slimmest Windows tablet; even with a keyboard attached it’s still thinner than the MacBook Air. An all-aluminum diamond-cut chassis has soft, roundcorners and a nice smooth feel. The 12.5-inch tablet/touchscreendisplay looks gorgeous. Its price includes a terabyteof online storage. And at $699 for the 4GB model, it’s competitively priced, though not the cheapest hybrid on the market.
So what’s not to like? For one thing, it’s still a Windows 8.1 machine, although it will be upgradable to Windows 10 when the new OS appears sometime this summer. It comes with only trial versions of Office apps, so if you want this machine for work you’ll probably need to add the price of an Office 365 subscription ($100 a year) to the cost. It’s also a bit heftier than other hybrids in its class. And like a teenager after a growth spurt, it can be gangly and awkward.
Tale of the tape
Let’s take a look at the Chi’s specs. The T300 Chi comes with 4GB or 8GB of memory, 128GB solid-state storage, and a Core M 5Y71 processor running at 1.2GHz. The Core M chip is criticized by nerds for being underpowered relative to the i3 or i5 chips in other laptops, but I found performance perfectly acceptable, even when playing midlevel games like Asphalt 8: Airborne. You probably don’t want to use it to edit video or play graphically intensive games, though.
(Asus)
The T300 weighs in at 3.2 pounds, which is divided almost evenly between the tablet and the keyboard. That’s twice the weight of Microsoft’s 10.8-inch Surface 3 and heftier than the much pricier 13-inch Lenovo Yoga 3 (2.6 pounds) and even the MacBook Air (2.9 pounds). Despite its thin profile, the T300 needs to cut back on the carbs.
The gorgeous 12.5-inch WQHD display (2560x1440) would make the T300 a great personal home theater device, if not for the puny 2-watt speakers that provide just enough sound for one person sitting in a quiet room. Asus bundles an Audio Wizard app that improves the sound a little, but not enough. You’ll want to wear headphones.
Asus is claiming a top battery life of eight hours for the T300, which isn’t exactly knocking it out of the park these days. In our casual testing, though, we got between five and six hours of juice using the device’s default setting (“balanced”). If you want eight, you’ll probably have to run it in power-saving mode most of the time.
On the other hand, the keyboard has its own battery that lasts for an insane 84 hours of nonstop typing, so you don’t have to worry about it dying while you’re watching the computer’s battery dwindle. The full-sized keyboard is surprisingly solid; this gives it a nice feel when you’re banging out text but also makes the whole unit bulkier than slim keyboard models like the Surface 3.
(Asus)
The T300 rounds out the package with micro USB, HDMI and SD ports; an audio-combo jack; and a front-facing 2-megapixel camera. Accessories include a stylus ($40) and cases ($40 to $50).
Pose and cons
Because this is a two-in-one with a removable wireless keyboard, you can configure the T300 in more poses than a Vicky’s Secret fashion model. Unfortunately, most of them are pointless.
First, you can use it like a traditional laptop. The screen extends to about a 105-degree angle, which is OK but less than most pure laptops. Even then, you won’t want to walk around carrying this in one hand with the screen open, as so many people do with their MacBooks. The large display makes it too top-heavy; at any moment I was afraid it would tumble out of my hands.
(Asus)
You can separate the wireless keyboard from the tablet, so you can keep it in your lap as you type. But unlike Microsoft’s Surface, the tablet doesn’t have a “kickstand,” so you’d need to lay the screen flat or prop it up on something. Can you say awkward?
You can detach the screen, flip it horizontally, reattach it, and fold it back onto the keyboard, covering the keys. This allows you to hold the T300 vertically like a digital clipboard, then reassemble it later when you need to type. But the 12.5-inch screen is really too bulky and heavy for this kind of action; I can’t see many people doing this. It’s much easier to just take the keyboard off and use it as a tablet by itself.
You can also “tent” the unit — fold the keyboard behind the screen in an upside-down V so you can use it as a touchscreen display. The problem? The T300’s power button is on the top of the tablet (which then becomes the bottom edge when you fold it into a V). So every time you set the thing down on a hard surface the screen goes dark. Hello, Asus designers, anybody home?
Your best option, especially if you want to use the T300 to watch movies when you’re not typing, is to attach the display as if you’re going to turn it into a digital clipboard and then fold it back at a roughly 60-degree angle.
Chi whiz
Bottom line: The T300 is a decent enough computer but nothing to get excited about. If you want a portable Windows machine that does double duty as a tablet and a laptop, the Surface 3 is cheaper and more portable.
If you’re looking for a backpack-friendly computer for a student, you might consider the T100 Chi. This 10-inch twin to the T300 features an Intel Atom processor, an alleged battery life of up to 10 hours, and one year of Office 365; it sells for $399.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct information about the Chi accessories and T100 processor.
Questions, comments, complaints? Email Dan Tynan: ModFamily1@yahoo.com.
