ASUS Transformer Prime takes on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10

ASUS Transformer Prime takes on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad 2 [TABLE]

ASUS today officially unveiled the eagerly awaited Transformer Prime. The first ever tablet to come with a quad-core Tegra 3 chip pushes the boundaries of what could be achieved in performance land and will definitely be the King of the tablet Hill for couple of months.

And with Ice Cream Sandwich promised to come until the end of the year, it gets more and more appealing by the minute. However, is its raw computing power and clever laptop dock enough to win your heart?

As usual, we put the newcomer against its rivals. This time it’s up against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the all-time bestseller – Apple’s iPad 2. Check out our extensive specs-comparing table to find the answer.

	ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime	Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1	Apple iPad 2
OS	Android Honeycomb 3.2 (Ice Cream Sandwich in December)	Android Honeycomb 3.1	iOS 4.3
Display	10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD	10.1-inch PLS LCD	9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD
Resolution	1280 x 800	1280 x 800	1024 x 768
Height	263 mm	256.7 mm	241.2 mm
Width	179 mm	175.3 mm	185.7mm
Thickness	8.3 mm	8.6 mm	8.8 mm
Weight	586 grams	560 grams	601 grams
Processor	1.3GHz quad-core processor Tegra 3 chipset	1Ghz dual-core Cortex-A9 processor	1Ghz dual-core Cortex-A9 processor
Storage	16GB / 32GB	16GB / 32GB / 64GB	16GB / 32GB / 64GB
microSD	Yes	No	No
Front camera	1.2MP	2.0MP	0.3MP VGA
Rear camera	8.0MP Auto-Focus with LED Flash (1080p)	3.15 MP Auto-Focus with LED Flash (720p)	0.7MP Fixed-Focus 720p video
Wi-Fi	802.11 a/b/g/n	802.11 a/b/g/n	802.11 a/b/g/n
USB	USB 2.0, Host with adapter	USB 2.0, Host with adapter	USB 2.0 (host with Adapter)
HDMI	HDMI (via adapter)	HDMI (via adapter)	HDMI (via adapter)
Bluetooth	2.1 + A2DP	2.1 + A2DP	2.1 + EDR
Battery	22Wh	25Wh	25Wh
Price (Wi-Fi only)	$499 (16GB) $599 (32GB)	$499 (16GB) $599 (32GB)	$499 (16GB) $599 (32GB) $699 (64GB)
Availability	Coming December	Currently available,	Currently available
Sensors	Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light Sensor	Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light Sensor	Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light Sensor
Video codecs	MP4 / DivX / Xvid / H.264 / H.263 / MKV / WMV 9 / MPEG2	MP4 / DivX / Xvid / H.264 / H.263 / MKV / WMV 9 / MPEG2	H.264

As you can see, the Transformer Prime has its weak points, compared to the others, but manages to overcome them with finesse. For starters, it has a smaller battery than its rivals and misses a 64GB storage option. However, it compensates this with the laptop dock, which can provide up to 6 additional hours of battery life and the presence of a microSD card slot.

Another possible setback is it’s later availability scheduled for some time in December. But if you think about it – it will definitely be upgraded to run Ice Cream Sandwich. Is it worth the wait? Shout it off in the comments.