The Rundown
The original Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime came out only a few months ago, but opinion news has said that Asus has already announced a new version of the popular tablet.
The hardware in the new Prime will be the same as the original, so it will have the powerful Tegra 3 1.3 GHz quad-core Nvidia processor and 1 GB of RAM still. But some of the changes that will be seen are sure to make buyers of the original rethink their decisions.
Perhaps the most notable update is the inclusion of a 1080p 1920×1200 resolution screen as opposed to a 720p 1280×800 resolution screen. In addition to the 1080p screen, Asus has also addressed the problem that many users seem to be facing: bad wifi and GPS connections. Rather than a solid aluminum back like the original, they added a plastic strip along the top and back of the tablet, which is suspected where the radio is housed. This seems to be the solution to the poor connections.
First Reaction
My first reaction to the new Prime was “wow, awesome!” But what isn’t so awesome is the extra $100 Asus tagged on. The original Prime was already a bit high at $499, but the new version will run a hefty $599 for the 32 GB version and $699 for the 64 GB version.
Tablets were always seen as secondary devices, or even nice computers that are relatively inexpensive and well-built compared to other cheap laptops of similar price. With a $599 price tag, we’re walking dangerously close to the point where it makes more sense to buy a laptop rather than a tablet with less functionality.
That said, the tablet is still quite nice, and I’m sure there will be plenty of people looking to pick one up that were unhappy with the first Prime that hit the market.
Closing Remarks
Should you buy the new version of the Transformer Prime? Well, that all depends on your situation. It’s a very nice tablet that has the same functionality as the previous version but with a better screen and improved wifi.
If you have perfect wifi response and the screen looks sharp enough on your original Prime, I wouldn’t be running out to the store to replace it if I were you.
The original Prime offers exactly the same functions as the new version, with the addition of a 1080p screen. And I’ll be honest with you, you really can’t tell the difference between a 720p screen and 1080p screen on a 10-inch tablet. Sure, you might be able to notice a slight variation in text or when swiping, for example, but other than these, you won’t notice.
Even with the negative spin on the new version of the Transformer Prime to make the original tablet owners feel better about their purchases, the new version of the Prime will be a winner when it hits store shelves in Q2 of 2012.
The tablet better be on its a game, because it’s suspected that the new iPad will be coming out around the same time!
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