There are a few kinds of 2-in-1s out there, and among them there’s this narrow niche of full-power Windows slates with 12-inchish screens and matching keyboard folios, a niche pioneered by the Microsoft Surfaces a few years ago.
Unlike most other hybrids that are designed to be used primarily as laptops and have a secondary tablet function, this type of 2-in-1s are primarily tablets. That means that the hardware and the battery are tucked behind the screen and they are overall much thinner and lighter than a regular notebook, thus more comfortable to hold and use as slates. Laptop functionality comes second, albeit most manufacturers argue these devices are actually capable of replacing a traditional notebook in everyday use, and judging by the success of the Surface lines, many buyers agree.
In the last two weeks I’ve spent some time with a newcomer in the segment, an early sample of the Asus Transformer Pro T303UA, and I’m going to tell you what I think about it in this article. In very few words, this is a device that looks and feels a lot like a Microsoft Surface Pro, but with a few extra traits (a Thunderbolt 3 port, a larger display with a wide-gamut panel, more color options), a few flaws and a more down-to-earth price tag.
But is there more than meets the surface( :P ) lying past the specs and first impression? Keep reading and you’ll find out.
The Asus Transformer 3 Pro is primarily a tablet, with a secondary laptop role with the help of the included Keyboard Folio
Specs sheet as reviewed
| Asus Transformer Pro T303UA
|
| Screen | 12.6 inch, 3:2 format, 2880 x 1920 px resolution, IPS wide-gamut, touch |
| Processor | Intel Skylake Core i7-6500U |
| Video | Intel HD 520 |
| Memory | 16 GB LPDDR3 (soldered) |
| Storage | 512 GB NVMe SSD |
| Connectivity | Wireless AC, Bluetooth 4.1, WiDi |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 3.1 Thunderbolt 3 gen1, HDMI, mic/earphone, 2 MPx front-camera and 13 MPx rear-camera, IR camera |
| Baterry | 39 Wh |
| Operating system | Windows 10 |
| Size | Tablet: 299 mm or 11.77” (w) x 210 mm or 8.26” (d) x 8.35 mm or 0.32” (h)
Tablet + Folio: ~12.5 mm or 0.49″ (h) |
| Weight | Tablet: 0.79 kg or 1.74 lbs
Tablet + Keyboard Folio: 1.14 kg or 2.51 lbs |
| Extras | backlit keyboard folio, front facing stereo speakers, available in two colors, TPM |
My test unit comes with Intel Skylake hardware and the initial retail versions will ship with Skylake as well. A Kaby Lake update might be available later on, probably called Transformer 3 Pro T303UAK, but I can’t tell when or even if that’s going to happen.
Design and exterior
Design wise, the Transformer 3 Pro is pretty much a marginally oversized version of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, with similar materials used for the case, similar button placement and an adjustable kickstand on the back.
The build quality is solid, the magnesium shell feels nice to the touch and from what I can tell, should age nicely. I do have some concerns about the kickstand, whose mechanism is quite complex, and I’m not sure how well it will face the test of time. I don’t own a Surface so I can’t compare the two mechanisms, so this is just my feeling and I could well be wrong about it. Time will tell.
Still, I’ve read some other impressions claiming the kickstand on this laptop isn’t as well built or as stiff as the one on the Surface Pro 4. Something to keep in mind. I might agree with the first part, based on this sample, but the hinges were stiff enough on my unit and never felt that the kickstand would give in in any position.
Aesthetically, the Transformer 3 Pro is available in two color options, called Icicle Gold and Titanium Gray. We have the latter for this review. The tablet can be paired with 4 different folio options, the two above and some sort of beige and some sort of orange, that will definitely get some fancy names of their owns.
Another aspect that I want to mention here is the fact that the Transformer Pro has a rectangular shape, while the Surface Pros have a slightly trapezoidal profile, with leaning edges. That might not seem like much, but it translates in a smaller contact area when the Transformer sits on a flat surface, thus a less grippier one, especially since there are no rubber feet on either the kickstand or the bottom edge. In other words, take care when you have this set-up on your desk, even a slight kick can send it sliding away, and I’m pretty sure it won’t face tumbles well.
Some of the color options
On other thing that differs on the Transformer in comparison to the Surface Pro is the fact that the exhaust grills are placed on the top side. This tablet is powered by Intel Core U hardware and as a result, there’s a fan inside, which needs air intake and exhaust grills. The fact that those are placed on the top edge means you’re not going to get in touch with them as long as you keep the slate in landscape mode, but you will if using it in portrait. Personally, I wasn’t bothered by the minimal airflow in either case.
But let’s get back to how this device feels in daily use. It’s thin and fairly light, so is comfortable to hold and use, although if you’re used to an iPad like I am you might find the extra weight taxing on your arms. On the other hand, I find that grabbing this by the kickstand (as shown in the pictures) is great for one-hand tablet use and actually takes the air-grills completely out of the picture, as your hand won’t have to come in contact with them anymore if you hold the device this way.
That aside, the kickstand is completely adjustable to any angle up to around 155 degrees, so you can set up the T303UA as a monitor for watching movies, down-low for typing or anything else in between. Practical, but again, be ware of the lack of grip.
When it comes to the IO and buttons, the Transformer Pro gets most of these on the lateral sides, with the Power button being the only one placed on top, while on the bottom there’s a connector for the keyboard folio, which will address in a little bit.
You’ll find the headphone jack on the left hand, conveniently placed at the top, with the volume rocker and a microSD card-reader beneath, while on the right there’s a full-size USB 3.0 slot, a full-size HDMI connector and a Thunderbolt 3 port. There’s also a groove on the lower-half of each side, which allows you to grab the kickstand and open it.
The TB3 port is placed towards the middle of the tablet and is also used for charging up this device, which means you’ll have to get used to having a pesky cable on the right side, which can get in the way of right-handed people when using a mouse. In fact, all the other peripherals might get in the way as well, since they are all here on the right edge. They’re also quite cramped together, but I was able to use all of them at the same time just fine.
The Thunderbolt 3 support is actually a major selling point for the Transformer 3 Pro T303UA, as most other similar slates lack one. It makes this compatible with all sorts of peripherals, including the Asus ROG XG Station 2 or the Razer Core (theoretically). I don’t own a Core so I can’t confirm if the two are actually going to work well together. Let me know if you find out anything about this.
Asus advertise a TB3 dock on the official Transformer 3 Pro page, which adds in two more USB slots and a full-size SD card-reader, but that’s not going to be included in the base pack from what I can tell, but will sold separately (can’t tell for how much yet). An Asus Pen is for sure going to be included though, with 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, but neither of those came with my sample and I can’t tell you much about them at this time. Also, I’m not sure if the pen would be able to magnetically attach to the tablet in any way, like on the Surface Pro 4, but I’ve read some reports that it doesn’t.
One final other aspect to add are the multiple cameras on this device. There’s a 13 MPx main shooter on the back, in case you want to take photos with a tablet (Don’t!), as well as a 2 MP webcam and an IR camera on the front for logging in with Windows Hello.
Bottom point, the Transformer 3 Pro looks nice, feels good in hand and appears to be well built, while offering a solid IO and accessories meant to improve user’s experience with it.
Keyboard Folio
Now, back to that keyboard. Just like the Surfaces, the Transformer 3 Pro is paired with a folio that hooks up via the connector on the bottom and includes a backlit keyboard and a clickpad.
The Folio is made of plastic, with some sort of faux-velvet soft finishing, so again feels nice and doesn’t show smudges or scratches. It hooks up easily to the tablet with the help of magnets and it can be used in two modes: flat on the desk or slightly lift-up, in order to create a forward leaning and more ergonomic typing position. Both of them work well, but I prefer the latter, especially since the folio’s chassis is fairly solid and doesn’t bend much. I even used this to type on my lap and while it’s not as comfortable as a regular laptop, it works fairly well.
The magnetic connection between the tablet and the folio could be stronger though, as it can’t support the folio when grabbing the two by the tablet and leaving the folio hanging. That’s possible on the Surfaces. Just to keep in mind, the folio weighs around 350 grams, so is not very heavy.
The keyboard gets a standard layout, with tiny arrow keys, but not much else to complain about. It’s also backlit (with 3 intensity levels to choose from) and types surprisingly well and fairly quiet. I haven’t used the keyboard on the Surface Pro 4 extensively, but from what I can tell this one feels quite similar, perhaps with a little more flex in the frame.
The keys’ drop is around 1.4 mm and the resistance is close to what I want, just a tad shallow, so I was able to type fast and to the most part, accurate, with little accommodation time required. I was a surprised by the overall experience to be honest, as I’m normally not a fan of the mushy keyboards Asus usually put on their devices (see my Zenbook reviews here on the site), yet I found this one to be surprisingly good, especially for a keyboard-folio.
A trackpad sits beneath the keys, smooth and, from what I can tell, made of plastic. It feels right to the touch and performance is decent with taps, swipes and even gestures. I did run into occasional jumpiness (cursor would jump to the lower left corner when trying to perform a physical left click), as well as double-clicks being performed while trying to register single clicks or taps, but I also believe my unit was defective, as the physical left click button would just get stuck from time to time, and require a slight bump to get it working again. Hopefully final retails units won’t run into this, yet I’ve read quite a few complains about the trackpad from regular buyers, so beware.
Screen
The screen on this thing is excellent, except for one thing: is not very bright (300 nits of max brightness advertised, around 280 nits measured), and that combined with the glossy matter of the touchscreen will make the Transformer 3 Pro quite difficult to use in strong light or outdoors. The Surface Pro 4 in comparison gets a 400 nits panel, much more appropriate for every use scenario.
If you’re fine with this aspect, you’ll surely love this panel. In few words, it’s an IPS touch-enabled panel with a 12.6-inch diagonal, 3:2 aspect ratio and 2880 x 1920 px resolution, but on top of those it covers 86% of the Adobe RGB color spectrum, which means it’s a wide-gamut panel.
This particular aspect makes color pop on this display, and combined with the TB3 support, means the Transformer 3 Pro should attract attention from those professionals who need a compact, powerful and versatile device for their work. I’m mostly looking at photographers and digital editors, but others will be interested as well. Just keep in mind that while the colors are well calibrated out the box, there’s still a strong blueish tint on the panel and I recommend calibrating it yourself or use our calibrated ICC profile available over here.
Oh, and don’t forget that Asus bundles the T303UA with an active Asus Pen that supports up to 1024 levels of pressure, which will make it even more desirable to professionals. The pen didn’t came with my test unit though so I can’t share much about its feel and performance for the time being, but I was told it will be included in the final retail package. The digitizer is N-Trig though, which means it should work well with other pens, but I just didn’t have any to test.
You’ll find more details about the panel used on this laptop and its abilities below, the measurements being taken with a Spyder 4 Elite.
- Panel HardwareID: BOE BOE06AC (NV126A1M-N51);
- Coverage: 100% sRGB, 83% NTSC, 86% AdobeRGB;
- Measured gamma: 2.2;
- Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 280 cd/m2 on power;
- Contrast at max brightness: 640:1;
- White point: 8400 K;
- Black on max brightness: 0.44 cd/m2;
- Average DeltaE: 0.50 uncalibrated, 0.53 calibrated.
I don’t have the tools to measure whether PWM is used for lower-brightness intensities, yet I could actually notice the screen flickering on blue and red backgrounds with the naked eye, when its brightness was set below 50%. That’s something to further look into, let me know if you spot more details about this anywhere online.
Hardware and performance
Hardware wise, our test unit was motorized by an Intel Core i7-6500U processor with 16 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 512 GB NVMe SSD, which from what I can tell is going to be the top configuration Asus are going to offer for this device. The initial retail units are scheduled with Skylake hardware, at least in my part of the world, and while a Kaby Lake update might be launched sometime in the future (T303UAK), I can’t tell when or even if that’s going to happen.
The hardware is tucked behind the screen and can’t be easily accessed. I haven’t opened this up, but it looks like a Toshiba XG3 THNSN5512GPU7 drive is used for storage, which is an 80 mm M.2 NVMe drive, so that means storage is upgradeable on the Transformer 3 Pro, if you dare to venture into opening up such a device. There’s a guide here for the Surface 3 Pro that could help, in case you do.
Now, the performance of this pre-release sample wasn’t very consistent so I’m not going to get into details, that’s pretty common for such early prototypes and just wouldn’t be fair to the product. Still, given how similar designs have been available on the market for quite a while, I expect the retail Transformer 3 Pros to perform flawlessly, albeit I do expect throttling to occur under high loads, as it also does on the Surface Pros.
I consider that to be a critical aspect, since the Transformer 3 Pro is such an appealing option for professionals that might want to run software like Photoshop, Corel Draw, 3DSMax, Mathlab, CAD or maybe even Adobe Premiere on it, and these take a high toll on performance. So in other words, I feel that throttling issues, if present on the final units, could just kill this product for its targeted audience.
Unfortunately I can’t draw any conclusions on this aspect from the time I’ve spent with my sample, which like I said above, performed rather erratically. That’s why I’m also not going to post benchmark results or stress-test impressions, but I plan to update the article once the final retail versions are available and I hopefully get to spend time with one.
What concerns me is that the Surface Pro 3 did experience some serious throttling, especially on the Core i7 configurations. Derek owned one and even pointed me towards this video of what people had to do in order to squeeze the best out of it. The Surface Pro 4 throttles as well with demanding loads (here’s a similar workaround), so I expect the Transformer 3 Pro to throttle as well, just can’t yet tell to what extent and how’s that going to impact your experience in demanding chores.
I can however tell you that even our glitchy sample was able to deal smoothly with everyday activities like browsing, text editing, multimedia content and even games (to some extent), and the techies among you can find details about performance and temperatures in these scenarios in the pictures below.
However, keep in mind there’s a ton of bloatware preinstalled on this device and you should get rid of it, or better yet, do a clean Wincows install.
Noise, Heat, Connectivity, Speakers and others
I can also shed my impressions on thermals and acoustics.
First of all, there’s a fan inside this device and, unsurprisingly from an Asus device, it’s a fairly aggressive one, at least on our test unit. I haven’t used a Surface Pro 4, so can’t compare it directly to that one, but the fan on the Transformer 3 Pro is active most of the time, albeit it will turn off when using the tablet for very basic tasks like watching a 720p video or editing a text. Launching a browser or any other action that would spike a demand from the CPU would however cause the fan to activate. It doesn’t get very noisy, but you’ll surely hear it in a quiet room, especially if your usage causes it to kick on and off often.
I’ve been complaining about such behavior in most of my recent reviews, as I expect a premium Core U computer to be able to handle daily tasks passively these days, but the Transformer 3 Pro is thinner than the average ultraportable so I should probably cut it some slack, as it’s expected it would need more help with the cooling. Even so, daily use case temperatures are about average, with certain spots getting to 33-35 degrees Celsius.
They’re going to increase to around 45 though under demanding loads, and the fan is going to spin faster and louder. I measured 45 dB at head-level with my iPhone app in a perfectly quiet room where the same app pointed to an ambient noise of around 35 dB.
*Daily Use – 1080p Youtube clip in EDGE for 30 minutes
*Load – playing Need for Speed Most Wanted for 30 minutes
It’s also worth adding that due to the form-factor, you’re not going to feel all this heat while using the Surface in “laptop” mode, as the keyboard folio doesn’t include any of the components. You will however feel it when holding the Transformer in your hands or use it as a tablet.
And there’s something else you should know. The fan inside makes a loud grinding sound when moving the tablet, mostly when tilting it from perpendicular to the floor to parallel and back, kind of like the blades are touching something. I didn’t initially mentioned that in the post, as I was thinking that’s just a manufacturing defect with my pre-release unit, but someone reported the same issue on retail versions, so it’s definitely something to check out on your unit.
Also, given how this is a Core i7 configuration, I can say its fan is actually more tamed down than the fan on the Surface Pro 3, which spins at full blast on the i7 models. Again, can’t compare it to the Surface Pro 4. On the other hand, I expect the Core i5 versions of the T303UA to run a little cooler, and thus quieter as well.
Connectivity wise there’s Wireless AC, WiDi and Bluetooth 4.1 on the T303UA. Our sample came with an Intel Dual-band AC 7265 wireless adapter which performed well while around the router, but the signal strength and speeds dropped significantly at 30 feet with 2 walls in between, yet not to unusable levels. Keep in mind my apartment has very thick walls, so the performance in similar conditions should be better at your places.
Another aspect to talk about here are the speakers. There are twp of them and they are front-facing, with the sound coming through those small cuts flanking the screen, which are actually quite easy to muffle with your hands if not paying enough attention. They are decently loud, going up to around 87 dB at head-level in my tests, yet the sound coming out of them is rather skewed, with very little bass and poor mids, plus it kind of distorts when the volume is pumped past 70%.
One final thing to mention are the cameras, the 13 Mpx main shooter on the back, the 2 MPx webcam that takes decent pics, although rather washed for my taste, plus the IR camera on top of the screen used for Windows Hello, which works alright in decent lighting.
Battery life
There’s a 39 Wh battery on this tablet, which paired with the Core i7 configuration and the high-resolution wide color-gamut screen just can’t offer much in terms of battery life. Check out the numbers below (the screen’s brightness is set at 40%, around 120 nits, and the Keyboard Folio was hooked up in all tests).
- 8 W (~5 h of use) – very light browsing and text editing in Google Drive, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
- 8 W (~5 of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Internet Explorer, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
- 5.5 W (~7 h of use) – 1080p fullscreen .mkv video in the Movie app, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
- 7 W (~5 h 30 min of use) – 4K fullscreen .mkv video in the Movie app, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON;
- 16 W (~2 h 30 min of use) – heavy browsing in Edge, Balanced Mode, screen at 40%, Wi-Fi ON.
Pretty crappy, but again, not unexpected.
The Core i5 models will last a tad longer, and you’ll also be able to squeeze more if you’ll disconnect the Keyboard Folio.
The tablet is paired with a 45 Wh adapter with non-retractable prongs and charges via USB-C in about two hours, with the first 60% being charged in under an hour. Several readers mentioned the tablet cannot charge via USB-C with the power-banks they tried it with, thanks for your feedback guys.
Price and availability
The Transformer 3 Pro is not yet available in most regions at the time of this post, yet in the US is supposed to start at $999 and ship in October.
I can’t tell you much about the base configuration for now, but I’d expect a Core i5-6200U processor, hopefully 8 GB of RAM and probably a 128 GB M.2 SATA SSD. The pen and keyboard are included. Higher end options will include a Core i7-6500U processor, 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of NVMe SSD storage.
Follow this link for up-to-date configurations and prices, and stay tuned for updates.
Update: The T303UA is listed in Europe for 1200 EUR for the Core i5 / 8 GB/ 256 GB SSD config, while the Core i7 / 16 GB / 512 GB SSD version sells for 1600 EUR. That’s still 100 to 200 EUR cheaper than the Surface Pro 4 over here, without considering the Folio that costs around 120 EUR on top of that.
The Transformer 3 Pro starts at $999 in the US, but is more expensive in Europe
Competition
The obvious alternative is the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, which the Transformer tends to outmatch, at least on paper, with its slightly larger screen, yet similar weight, with its wide-gamut panel, the Thunderbolt 3 port and other tiny details like the multiple color options or the IR Hello camera. The Asus option is also more affordable, which is a pretty significant advantage on its side.
The Surface Pro on the other hand lasts longer on a charge and gets a much brighter screen, which means it can be used outdoors, where the T303UA will struggle. The Surface Pro 4 is also available in a fanless variant, in case you don’t need the power of the Core U platform and yet would still like all the goodies such a device delivers.
The HP Spectre X2 is another fanless option to consider, much more affordable than both the Surface and the Transformer. We reviewed it here and it tends to get very good reviews online from its buyers, so you should definitely check it out.
Other options are the Lenovo Miix 700 and 510, the Dell XPS 12 9250, the Toshiba Portege Z20t, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S or even the iPad Pro for that matter, but those either don’t come that close to the Transformer 3 Pro as these other two mentioned above, or don’t get the same solid overall feedback from buyers.
Wrap up
There are a lot of things Asus did well with the Transformer 3 Pro, and we talked about all of them, as well as the few flaws, above. Yet there are still two question that I can yet answer: how will it perform under load and how good is the pen and digitzer.
Like mentioned several times above, this tablet has what it takes to be an option for graphics professionals: the wide-gamut panel, the pen support, the hardware, the Thunderbolt 3, but it also needs to perform well in the demanding applications these buyers will want to run on it. If Asus manages to keep throttling in check, this is going to be a killer device. If not, professionals will have to accept the fact that there’s only that much such a computer can do in this day and age, or they could look elsewhere, hoping a similar slate that can run flawlessly under load will be available someday.
For the regular user though, a Core i5 configuration of the Transformer 3 Pro should offer the needed performance without taking such a big toll on battery life. Now, of course, this will never be a long distance runner in any scenario, but some might be alright with just 4-5 hours of daily use for the form factor, the features and the price.
The Asus Transformer 3 Pro is one of the better hybrids of its kind
Now, there are still areas where our test device fall short, like the screen’s brightness, the short battery life, the rather aggressive fan, the glitchy trackpad and the rather poor speakers. Some of these might be addressed on the final retail units, but not the screen, which I feel was deliberately chosen this way so it won’t completely kill the battery life, although I don’t agree with this decision.
At the end of the day, if you’re interested in the type of hybrid the Transformer 3 Pro T303UA represents, then you should definitely have it on your list. Just make sure to read more about its performance under load and about how the included pen fairs in daily use, before taking the plunge. And if you have any questions or anything to add to this post, get in touch in the comments section, I’m around to reply.
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Learn more. Andrei Girbea, Editor-in-Chief of Ultrabookreview.com. I've been covering mobile computers since the 2000s and you'll mostly find reviews and thorough guides written by me here on the site.
Ewan
September 21, 2016 at 10:20 pm
I was looking forward to Asus Transformer 3 Pro as an own of a owner of an Android, Tegra 4 powered Transformer 701. And also as a possible replacement for my Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 — Intel Core i5 4300Y, Intel HD Graphics 4200; which by the way, I temperature dethrottled (changed the grub line values in BIOS) and undervolted. Absolutely transforming (no pun intended) the performance to the point where I questioned why Dell crippled this model in the first place?
But in the end, your review of the Iris 540 Dell XPS 13 swung me in the direction of purchasing a 512GB SSD, 16GB memory Iris 540 XPS 13 instead — also the price was right.
But battery life may still be an issue, which is why I’ll still be holding holding on to my Venue 11. 😉
Andrei Girbea
September 22, 2016 at 4:24 am
Well, there’s a compromise to be made on ultraportables, either go with a powerful processor and high-res screen and sacrifice battery life, or the other way around. And keep in mind the battery on the XPS is much bigger than the one on the T303.
The truth is I was expecting battery life to be short, and I can’t see how anyone else would hope otherwise, given the specs.
Derick
September 21, 2016 at 11:08 pm
Hi Andrei,
thanks for taking the time to write this review. I received my unit two weeks ago, but I had to exchange it due to the fact that when the device was moved around (even just slightly), the fan produced a very loud buzzing/grinding sound. I received my second unit last week, and the same issue persists. I’d like to ask if you had the same problem with your review unit?
Andrei Girbea
September 22, 2016 at 4:26 am
Well, I actually did, but I didn’t mention it in the article because I thought it was a culprit with my pre-release sample and wouldn’t be relevant for final units. I’ll add the info now, that you’re mentioning the same happens on retail versions.
Derick
September 26, 2016 at 1:28 am
I see, good to know that I wasn’t the only one. Anyway, I just received another unit and this one doesn’t exhibit any of the strange noises found in the previous units. The keyboard cover included is also much better than my previous units. According to the label at the back, all of the units I’ve had( including the latest one) were produced in August, but my latest unit has a slightly different Serial #. It’s running fine at the moment and I hope it stays this way. Cheers.
Silvan
January 2, 2017 at 1:31 pm
Hi Derick, Nice to know there's a fix for this issue. I received my unit a few days ago with this annoying noise when moving the tablet around (I'm deeply disappointed, after 3 month of waiting for the device). It seems to be a manufacturing issue – in this case, I'm going to send my unit back hoping the replacement doesn't come with this annoying fan issue.
Derick
February 10, 2017 at 8:38 am
Hi Silvan,
unfortunately my unit started having the same problem AGAIN. Took it back to ASUS who fixed it within a week. It's fine now, but I don't really have any faith in the device anymore. Pen also goes berserk while the device is charging, I've tried it in many different places so I don't think it's a problem with my electricity.
vicko
January 26, 2017 at 2:04 am
I brought a unit and found the cooling fan is really noisy. Replacement of another unit got the same problem. It appears ASUS is still having some deficiency in the design to avoid the noise.
Ewan
September 22, 2016 at 5:22 am
The Asus Transformer Tf701 has poor speakers too by the way — meagre ones mounted at the back. On the other hand, the speakers on the Dell Venue 11 Pro are excellent mounted, as they are, high up. Also, the top mounted fan vents, as a happy coincidence, sort of act like bass ports.
The XPS 13 speakers seem to of a good quality as well, in not as good as the the Venue 11’s.
It might sound like a dumb question, but what ever happened to idea of the second, keyboard mounted battery as in my Venue 11? I often go a whole night with the keyboard battery completely drained and main battery in the tablet still at over three quarters remaining.
Andrei Girbea
September 22, 2016 at 8:10 am
well, I think it ads up weight and people go with such a device for portability. You Venue Pro 11 is singnificantly bulkier and heavier than something like this one or the Surface, with the Folio, right?
Personally, I wouldn’t go for one of those if interested in this kind of form factor. I like the idea of having a kickstand on the tablet, so I can use the slate on its own for watching videos, as well as having a keyboard folio to attach when required. A keyboard dock + battery could be a good addition as well, for those interested, as Dell offers for instance for the XPS 12.,
Ewan
September 22, 2016 at 9:47 am
Okay that sort clarifies things, but it would still be nice to have the option of an extended battery life. I forgot to mention there was a Dell ‘Slim’ keyboard option available too, without the extra battery, but to be honest it didn’t look like it would be very nice to type on — it was cheaper though.
Ha, so Dell did make a successor to the Venue 11 in the XPS 12?
Looks great, I love the back-lit keyboard and the speakers are great too apparently. Not so keen on the ‘laughable lapability’ according to Tech Radar’s review though.
It’s funny I always thought Venue 11’s 10.8″ screen was great, but of course the XPS 13’s QHD+ screen is a mind blowing experience in comparison.
Thanks again for the great review.
Andrei Girbea
September 22, 2016 at 10:51 am
Worth adding that the XPS 12 scores poor reviews with buyers though. I never tested it and didn’t look much into it either, but it’s something to keep in mind.
TamaskanLEM
September 24, 2016 at 8:03 pm
Great review. Sucks that everything wasn’t as they had promoted. What really annoys me is that they didn’t even send you their pen to review along with it. They should know that the SP make for a good alternative to wacom and that people would want to know how Asus stack up. Given everything in this review, no pen, and the stupid barrage of advertisements yet no release date is making me extremely wary of the product which sucks cause I was all for it not that long ago.
Andrei Girbea
September 25, 2016 at 7:40 am
I don’t see why how you got to this conclusion. For me, this sample was mostly what I expected and I think it has was it needs to be at least an alternative for the SP4, if not a better option.
Chris
September 25, 2016 at 5:55 pm
Any idea on the US release for this?
Andrei Girbea
September 26, 2016 at 3:43 am
No official details, but I’ hoping for early to Mid October.
Ewan
September 26, 2016 at 12:36 am
I got the Dell Active Stylus for my Venue 11 Pro. I really should learn to make more use of it.
The SP4 is available with Iris graphics too, although I don’t no whether or not it runs into temperature throttling issues like my XPS 13 does?
Another thing to note is that the SP4 and Transformer 3 have squarer screens, which definitely have their advantages. However, for movies and YouTube content my Venue 11 and XPS 13’s 16×9 screens are better IMO.
Jon
September 27, 2016 at 2:06 am
N-Trig… Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
I can’t stand the SP4 because of NTRIG!!
Johann
September 27, 2016 at 8:59 am
I have 2 Questions:
1.- Is it possible to tear it open and change the SSD?
2.- Can Ubuntu (or another Live Linux Distribution) run on the Transformer 3?
Thanks in advance
Johann
Andrei Girbea
September 27, 2016 at 9:23 am
I talked about that in the article… It is possible to pry open, albeit it’s not a simple task and I haven’t done it. The SSD should be upgradeable from what I can tell, but again, didn’t get inside so I’m not 100% positive on that.
Ewan
September 27, 2016 at 7:31 pm
Interesting, I won’t mention which windows two in one tablet I own for fear of sounding like a stuck record, but it features a pop off back with easy access to the SSD, battery and WiFi module.
I’m betting we will never see that feature again!
A warning to potential SP4 buyers: while better than its predecessor, which could not be opened without cracking the screen, opening up the SP4 does require a heat gun, opening tools, and a lot of patience. There are plenty of ways things could go wrong.
Andrei Girbea
September 28, 2016 at 3:59 am
Not in commercial units, which tend to be thinner and thinner.
Ewan
September 30, 2016 at 4:41 am
Well my tablet is not quit ‘rugged’, however Dell did sell a protective shell cover that works once only, from personal experience — it saved my tablet after falling out of my locker, but broke apart (on one of the corners) on impact.
dellstore.cz/upload/prod/70000/460-bbfd_4.jpg
Nepenthes
September 28, 2016 at 5:26 am
Thanks for the very detailed review! I pre-ordered it at a trade show 3 weeks back without a demo unit to try out. I was kinda desperate as my Dell XPS 13 hails from 2009, and has been acting up for more than a year now.
Hopefully the delay in delivery goes into tackling some of the issues mentioned in your review, as there’s no consumer protection to speak of whatsoever here in Singapore, and refunds or exchange is neigh impossible.
I’ve 2 questions:
1) One of the main reasons I’ve waited so long before replacing my workhorse was to wait for the USB-C. I’ve heard heating issues related to this. Did you find any issues during charging or when using it to power another device, especially when connecting multiple devices through an adapter/dock?
2) I seem to see a dark bluish hue to the Titanium grey units in some youtube videos, and in your pictures. Would you say that’s an accurate rendition or a trick of the light? It looks much nicer than plain grey.
Andrei Girbea
September 28, 2016 at 9:08 am
1. I didn’t look specifically into this, but I didn’t notice the cable getting hotter than normal.
2. I’d say it’s some sort of dark gray to me eyes, but I’m not the most color savvy person out there :P
Nepenthes
October 19, 2016 at 11:45 am
My unit finally arrived! It’s gorgeous! Feels really premium. The grey is actually lighter than what I expected, but I dig it!
I haven’t heard the fan so far, but I’ve yet to use it in a really quiet place, or push it much.
The volume is loud enough for me. I’m finding it bright at half brightness, but I’ll test this under the sun later.
Once I get more heavy duty programs installed, I’ll find out if there’s any throttling.
My office iMac is only a year old, but my last laptop was a Dell XPS from 2009, so maybe my expectations aren’t quite up to date, haha.
Touchpad is nice, but I haven’t typed on a keyboard with such a large touchpad before, and there’s been quite a few accidental cursor flying off incidents even as I typed this.
So far, I’m happy :-)
Andrei Girbea
October 20, 2016 at 5:18 am
Glad you like it and thanks for the feedback. Please let us know if you have any more to add once you use it for a bit, that’s going to help others for sure.
Nepenthes
October 28, 2016 at 6:49 am
Here's after a week of use:
1) Touchpad. Multitouch gestures are wonderful – when they work. Over the last two days – was it something I installed? Or a Windows update? – very often, multi-touch would just completely fail. The touchpad still works, as I can move the cursor around, but no 2-finger scroll and all that. Bummer. Can't live without the scroll. Detaching and reattaching the keyboard works, but this shouldn't be happening. Thought it might be a power saving issue, but happens even when I'm connected to the power socket.
2) Keyboard. Generally lovely. But typing on a table when it's tilted up, you feel the whole keyboard is bouncing ever so slightly. Super easy to attach and detach. When using in tablet mode, I like to attach the keyboard the other way so that the keys are facing the back of the tablet, and my hand is holding the felt bottom of the keyboard. More comfortable grip.
3) The fan. Oh yeah, it's making itself heard. Top left corner. Haven't screeched yet, but oh mine. And I was just web browsing. Too many pages in Chrome maybe?
4) The pen. Really not fantastic. Was trying to figure out how to configure the buttons, as they didn't seem to be doing anything. Asus chatline had no idea. Finally they emailed me this: asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1016345/
Why this setting is only found under Tablet PC but not under Pen settings is beyond me. Windows 10 just has too many layers of the old and the new that's not integrating well. Can't quite tell whether it's schizophrenic or split personality disorder, but they definitely need to get it treated soon.
Totally not feeling the 1024 levels of pressure. Not sure if there's some other hidden setting or special drivers needed.
asus.com/Notebooks-Accessory/Asus-Pen/
Says it's a rechargeable battery. It isn't.
Back to the buttons – no real options of reconfiguring – only work when the pen tip is touching the screen.
So, yes, there are issues. But I still love it. Hope the dock comes on the market soon, and works.
Andrei Girbea
October 30, 2016 at 2:06 pm
Thanks for taking the time to post this, much appreciated.
TamaskanLEM
September 28, 2016 at 11:24 pm
Just out of curiosity, does it seem like this tablet could connect to the surface pro keyboard?
Andrei Girbea
September 29, 2016 at 5:36 am
The surface pro keyboard has different alignment pins from what I can tell, so I’m pretty sure the answer is no
Devin
September 29, 2016 at 8:00 am
There seems to be a Kabylake version, T303UAK.
It seems much better than UX390UA
However, I don’t think it would be released recently.
Andrei Girbea
September 29, 2016 at 8:12 am
Much better? Why?
Kaby Lake is not a major update over Skylake, So the T303UAK is probably going to run a little cooler and perhaps more efficient in daily use, but I don’t see how it would address the potential issues the tablet faces under load, given it runs at higher frequencies, especially on the Cere i7 options.
Also, do you have a source on the T303UAK model? I’m seeing a drivers page on Asuss’s website, but that’s about it.
Devin
September 29, 2016 at 11:03 am
Oh, I mean T303UA(K), with a Thunderbolt III, supports 4K@60Hz output, but which makes the tablet a better choice, at least for me. (ASUS customer service told me UX390UA doesn’t support DisplayPort over USB-C; so I think it only support 4K@30Hz.),
Kabylake supports hardware-decoding HEVC 10bits, and HEVC Main10 is supposed to be the default encoding format for high-end 4K video. Therefore, I want a Kabylake ultrabook with 4K@60Hz output but without a discrete GPU.
By the way, would you make a review of ASUS T305CA later?
Andrei Girbea
September 29, 2016 at 12:50 pm
Working on it right now. Haven’t tried 4K 60 Hz output on that one either though
Gabriel Nava
September 29, 2016 at 10:54 pm
good evening sir. where can I buy it in the US?
Johnny
September 30, 2016 at 2:28 pm
When do you expect a US release? I am looking to replace my Surface Pro 3 with this unit. Also planning to use the DP port with ASUS’s ROG XG Station 2 as my “portable” VR rig.
Andrei Girbea
September 30, 2016 at 2:34 pm
Should be available soon, it’s going to be released in my country in the next week so I’d expect it should reach the States in the first part of October as well. I don’t have any inside info though, so that’s just my estimation.
DavidG
October 3, 2016 at 7:35 am
Thanks for the review, however are you sure about that in the specs “1 x USB 3.1 Thunderbolt 3 gen1” ?
Asus official website mentions “any-way-up USB-C connector also supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 devices at speeds up to 10Gbps, 20 times faster than USB 2.0!”
Andrei Girbea
October 3, 2016 at 7:51 am
” Its Thunderbolt™ 3 interface offers unbelievably fast 40Gbps data transfers via the USB-C port” . From here: asus.com/2-in-1-PCs/ASUS-Transformer-3-T305CA/Features/ . Besides that, the slate comes with a Thunderbolt 3 management app :) I don’t have any Thunderbolt 3 peripherals though, so I couldn’t actually test the speeds per se.
Maks
October 4, 2016 at 4:27 am
“The USB-C plug also means you can hook it to a power bank if you need to re-juice it while on the road.”
Are you sure about this? I don’t think you will be able to charge this device with an usual power bank. Have you tried it?
Andrei Girbea
October 4, 2016 at 5:44 am
I haven’t, because I actually don’t have a powerful enough power bank. But I don’t see why this wouldn’t charge from something that can deliver 2 Amps. It’s not going to charge as fast as when plugged in, but it should charge. The question is whether a power bank can provide enough juice to charge it while in use or just when shut off.
I’m going to get a proper power bank for my future tests, so I can better look into this.
DavidG
October 4, 2016 at 5:46 am
Thanks a lot for your answer on my previous comment, I am also extremely interested in knowing if it can be charged via a PowerBank while on/off :)
Andrei Girbea
October 4, 2016 at 5:57 am
Yeah, well, that’s not something I actually tested since I don’t have a 2 Amps power bank and didn’t thought about trying with a 1 amp one. I’m just assuming it should charge, since many other devices that charge via USB-C can juice up from power banks.
Daniel
December 8, 2016 at 10:11 am
I tried this option using an Anker PowerCore+20100mAh with USB-C..It doesn't work..When I asked Anker support line, they confirmed that they product is not compatible with the T303UA for charging.. Somehow the tablet is not recognizing the 5V/2Amps output of the power bank..
Andrei Girbea
December 8, 2016 at 10:31 am
Thanks, I'll add this to the right section and sry for the confusion created.
Maks
October 4, 2016 at 10:43 am
There are quite some reasons why it would not work :) Most of these devices charge with like 19 volts. Almost all powerbanks can only deliver 5v with 2amps.
You don’t need to have a powerbank to try charging it with 5v/2amp. You could also use an normal usb charger like you probably have for your phones. Would be really nice if you could try charging it with an usual phone charger. If this works it also should work with most powerbanks :)
Andrei Girbea
October 4, 2016 at 11:20 am
Right, you’re probably right, some sort of converter might be needed, I didn’t actually think of that. I don’t have the sample anymore, but I’ll look into it and get back in a few days.
Still, I’m reading about the Anker PowerCore+ 20100 for example being able to charge a Macbook through a 5V/3 amps port, and the Macbook normally gets a 2A @ 14.5V charger. It does so slower, up to 15W according to this post that seems legit: jeffri.me/2016/07/power-bank-for-12-macbook-anker-powercore-20100-casual-review/, so it takes longer and it might not even charge it under load. Hence my assumption other USB-C devices could charge through a 5V port, just slowly.
There’s also this clip: youtube.com/watch?v=z12UC_bdZ6Y , on the Macbook.
Ewan
October 4, 2016 at 9:57 pm
Yes, disappointingly my XPS 13 (Iris 540 model) appears not to charge through Thunderbolt 3 either. The provided charger is a DELL 45W 19.5V 2.31A AC Adapter Charger.
However my powerbank CAN charge my Dell Venue 11 Pro (Intel Core i5 i5-4300Y) which uses a DELL 24W AC Power Adaptor Battery Charger – Output 19.5V 1.2A / 5V 2.0A.
It is in my locker at work so I cannot try it out on my new purchase XPS 13.
I believe it is this model though: kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-universal-20000mah-power-bank-laptops-tablets-phones/
Andrei Girbea
October 5, 2016 at 11:01 am
But the XPS 13 is not supposed to charge via Thunderbolt 3 as far as I know, it charges through the dedicated DC-IN port. The Transformer, Macbook and others on the other hand are designed to charge via this port.
Edit: Scrap this, I was wrong, the XPS can charge via TB3 with the right charger. See this: reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/3rrs8x/usb_typec_charging_xps_13_9350/
Raul
December 30, 2016 at 12:52 pm
The dell xps 13 (9350) does charge via usb c! I use a ravpower 26800 with PD.
ravpower.com/26800mah-Type-C-external-battery-charger-black.html
Ewan
October 5, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Yes, but it seems like an odd omission. Oh well, I could invest in a Dell docking station (D3100), which is probably Dell’s intention for customers to do in the first place, or just another power cable.
Their OE docking station solution is on the pricey side though.
Ewan
October 6, 2016 at 2:19 am
Huh, or can it?
According to laptopmag.com:
‘Innergie Universal Laptop Adapter
Though the XPS 13 comes with a proprietary Dell power adapter that plugs into a special port on the left side, it can also charge over its USB Type-C port. That means you can use any USB Type-C charger that’s capable of delivering at least 45 watts of power, and you can share that charger with other laptops, tablets and phones that support Type-C charging. This is one of the first laptop-capable USB Type-C chargers on the market, making it invaluable for people who want to carry many devices but only one power brick.’
laptopmag.com/articles/dell-xps-13-best-accessories
Andrei Girbea
October 6, 2016 at 4:16 am
Hah, yeah, I was wrong, sorry. Looks like the XPS actually supports charging via USB-C with the right charger.
This should be helpful reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/3rrs8x/usb_typec_charging_xps_13_9350/ and the official specs also mention:
1 Thunderbolt™ 3 Supports:
Power In / Charging
PowerShare
Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps
Bi-Directional)
My bad.
Ewan
October 6, 2016 at 6:49 am
Thank you for clarifying this. Sorry to say, but it seems Dell is being deliberately evasive, imo, probably to increase sales of their own brand docking station (D3100) which has the proprietary Dell power adaptor output.
Andrei Girbea
October 6, 2016 at 10:34 am
Maybe. My question is, why would you want an USB-C charger when you already have a charger that is included? Just to have something universal for multiple devices? And even that might not be the cause since some devices would require ~20ish V and other 5V.
Ewan
October 6, 2016 at 7:09 pm
I would like to be able to use one of these new USB Type-C to USB 3.0 Gigabit HDMI Type-C Chargers, i.e.
8Ware USB-C to USB 3.0 with Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C and HDMI port hub. The USB3.0 port allows you to connect a USB device or another hub to the host computer, the USB-C female port can charge for the host computer and supply power for the hub simultaneously, the Gigabit Ethernet port allows the host computer to get access to the network and the HDMI port (DP Altmode) allows you to connect an HDMI monitor so that you can watch videos or slideshows together on a big screen. It can work on Macbook or Google new Chromebook Pixel and other USB-C supported devices.
http://www.anyware.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/s/dsc_4021_2.jpg
Zephyr lyh
October 9, 2016 at 9:27 am
I just got my T303ua, Core i7 and have a bad day.
I drop my tab accidentally and broke the usbc connecter of the psu.
Then I find a Xpower 30w wall plug with USBC PD3.1 support 20v 1a output, but It doesn’t charge my t303ua.
If ther are no PSU available to buy, I wasted my very expensive tab with a stupid mistake.
Ewan
October 9, 2016 at 10:37 am
ebay.com.au/itm/272141469834?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Al_Fonce
October 10, 2016 at 11:26 am
With USB-C, the way we are choosing our power bricks and power bank as to change. In a nutshell, wattage is not relevant anymore, we need to pay attention to the voltage and current.
As said above, the power brick of the TP3 is ratted for 20V and 2.25A so the tablet requires at least 45W.
For more details, you can read this article that resume very well all the challenges. pcworld.com/article/3017182/hardware/usb-c-charging-universal-or-bust-we-plug-in-every-device-we-have-to-chase-the-dream.html
I am not an Asus expert and I am waiting to read more reviews on the TP3 before ordering it but some OEM like HP like to add an other trick into the mix. As described on the link above, they do not allow the device to be charged by a thrid party charger.
Back to the power bank, we need a power bank able to deviler 45W on 20V. As of today, the only one I have found it the asus zenpower max.
Hope it helps
Andrei Girbea
October 10, 2016 at 11:43 am
Hi, thanks for this, I’ll look into that Zenpower max
Adel
October 30, 2016 at 1:07 am
Hi Andrei and all,
What's the final word on charging with a battery bank on TB3? This is crucial for me, portability is what will make me buy this 2-in-1 and charging on the go while driving between two meetings will make this happen.
Thanks
Andrei Girbea
October 30, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to further look into this and I just can't tell if it will work or not without actually trying. Perhaps some of the other owners can pitch in on this matter?
Nepenthes
November 1, 2016 at 3:22 am
I can confirm that this doesn't work. xiaomi-mi.com/powerbanks/xiaomi-mi-power-bank-pro-10000mah-black/
It goes up to 12V. I don't have anything at a higher voltage on hand.
avijit jha
October 12, 2016 at 6:39 am
The asus transformer pro 3 was advertised as having a brighter screen than surface pro and 4 times louder speakers.
Andrei Girbea
October 12, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Do you have a link on the “brighter screen than the surface pro” part?
Michael Flatman
March 1, 2017 at 9:28 am
the Transformer 3 and Transformer 3 pro were supposed to have the same screen, at 450nits, but the 3 pro has only got 280nits (300 advertised), the 450nits is on the Transformer 3's product page
m3tpe
October 19, 2016 at 4:15 pm
costco sells this in the USA. please avoid at all cost…
the one sold at costco comes with a shitty generic ssd.
SK Hynix SC300 (OEM) 512GB M.2-2280 SATA III SSD
HFS512G39MND-3510A
they included the sata3 technology vs the higher end mvne pcie ssd. these two versions have 3x difference in read and write speed. pick your poison, i bought one and may be returning it very soon. it’s discounted for a reason.
TamaskanLEM
October 23, 2016 at 5:15 pm
How do you check for that? I got mine from costco as well and I want to make sure everything checks out.
m3tpe
October 26, 2016 at 4:59 pm
You can check the drive by right clicking on C drive and go to properties. Go to hardware and you can see it. You can run crystaldisk program to check the read and write speeds. All costco version uses generic ssd with slow read and write speeds.
dmash
November 10, 2016 at 6:21 am
what do you consider "slow" on the read/write speeds? Looking to purchase one of these from Costco tomorrow and want to be sure I am getting the right product. It is on sale for $1299, regularly $1499, looks to be the same unit as on ASUS's website, but I'm just not sure. I just want to know it is going to be the same unit as on the website, it DOES have the same model number after all???
Stoffel
October 23, 2016 at 9:55 am
Hello,
thanks for the good Preview :)
The description from Asus says, that a fingerprint reader is installed too, is that right?
Andrei Girbea
October 23, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Not on the T303UA as far as I know. The T305CA gets a fingerprint reader integrated in the power buton.
Stoffel
October 23, 2016 at 5:47 pm
ah damn, thx for the info. i through it was a fingerprintreader on t303ua too
Mike
November 19, 2016 at 11:08 pm
Awful awful machine! It has to be the buggiest, most frustrating piece of technology I've ever bought. The screen freezes, apps continually crash, the programs take up a full screen so you cannot access the buttons to close or minimize the program. I spent hours trying to a relatively simple job and finally gave up and went to my desktop computer to do the job in a few simple minutes.
I bought this machine to replace my old Ipad 2 in order to do work in the field rather than coming home to an evening of work. The sales person convinced me that the Transformer would leave the Ipad Pro for dead. I now realise that I appear to have totally wasted my money as the machine fails to perform at home under basic conditions let alone in the field where it will be required most.
Bottom line, I will be going out today to by the replacement Ipad Pro and asking if I can return the Asus Transformer and receive a refund. Not holding my breath there though.
Recommendation; Do not buy this piece of equipment. If you need a tablet stay with the tried and tested ones i.e IPad, Samsung etc. If you need a device to provide windows capability in the field then use a laptop. Comes down to the right tool for the job and quite simply the Asus Transformer 3 Pro running Windows 10 is not a good option.
Andrei Girbea
November 21, 2016 at 11:13 am
Mike, this thing can do what a regular laptop does, just different. You might have run into a faulty unit, but just to make sure, did you didn't get rid of the bloatware or wait for Windows to perform all its updates? Also, I don't exactly understand what you mean by this: "the programs take up a full screen so you cannot access the buttons to close or minimize the program", but I'd reckon you're allowing it to switch to Tablet mode automatically when disconnecting the keyboard? You can opt to remain in desktop mode all the time.
I agree the Windows experience on a tablet isn't as smooth as on an iPad or an Android device. Yet imo multitasking is superior on such a device and you're also able to run the specialized software that can't run on those platforms.
Jeff Burkland
November 21, 2016 at 1:00 am
My T303UA's keyboard isn't great. Every once in a while (frequent enough) a letter keeps typing. I don't think it's a stuck key — just keeps that letter going for some other reason. And, more problematic, the trackpad skips a lot, especially when I'm trying to hold onto something with the left-click.
I got mine at Costco and am willing to trade to the other version if it makes a difference.
But, does it get better or is there always something with this thing? I don't have the fan problem, but have read about that in other reviews. And, I'm concerned about trying again and just getting another bum keyboard or something else. Maybe I should just move on? Any insight?
Andrei Girbea
November 21, 2016 at 11:16 am
Quality control seems to be an issue with this product, as with many other Asus devices. I didn't run into such issues with the keyboard, but of course there's no guarantee you're not going to get another faulty unit if you exchange yours. Or there might be something else not working properly. If it's easy and doesn't cost you anything, you could ask for exchanges until you get something that works right. That if you really want this form factor, since there are little to no alternatives, except for the Surface Pro 4.
Jeff Burkland
November 21, 2016 at 12:05 pm
Thank you, Andrei. The thing has such promise. With the Thunderbolt 3 interface, the GPU dock could be so incredible, leaving this the king of portability. Personally, I really like the feel of the keyboard (when it works – I've now read other reviews that also call the trackpad into question). And, the ability to easily pull the keyboard off for tablet mode is so simple and enjoyable. But, alas, I think v1 isn't right for me. I'm probably going to go for an ultrabook 2-in-1 with Thunderbolt 3, like the Spectre 360. Maybe in a few years, they will have figured this out…
Keegan
December 1, 2016 at 7:24 am
Yeah, speaking as someone who's had two in 3 weeks that have had the same keyboard fault Jeff is talking about, I'm seriously considering returning mine tomorrow, and paying the difference on a Surface Pro 4 with the same specs…
The fault may be a little worse than Jeff has realised as well. I have mine set to turn the touchpad off if I hook a mouse up, and even if I don't have a mouse, I manually disable it if I'm going to be typing for a long period of time. Here's the problem… Every time the a key gets stuck, it actually looks like the keyboard is rebooting (backlights go out for a few seconds, then it comes back on and I can type something to stop the stuck key from spamming whatever I was typing). What I found is that it also a) turns my touchpad back on, no matter if I've manually disabled it using fn + f9, or if I've got a mouse attached, AND it disables the f9 hotkey to turn the touchpad off. All the other hotkeys work, just that one in particular that stops. Undocking the tablet then docking again fixes it… right up until the next time it happens.
It's a massive pain in the rear, and like I said, I've gone two for two of them having the issue so far. First one did it occasionally from the start, two weeks later started doing it every 10 minutes. Replacement one didn't do it for nearly a week, then started last night doing it every half hour or so. So there's no guarantee that you've got a working model, even if it doesn't do it at first.
Nepenthes
February 15, 2017 at 4:54 am
My touchpad has gone royally erratic to the point of being unuseable. Each time, I have to disconnect and reconnect the keyboard – used to work every time, but no longer. Less success with disabling and enabling the touchpad using Fn f9. Wonder if this has anything to do with the thermal throttling, seems worse when the fan's up…
Nepenthes
November 29, 2016 at 1:52 am
Another terrible irksome thing I've noticed is that very often, my T303UA gets really hot while in the bag, losing half the battery or more. What exactly triggers this I'm not sure. I suspect that the keyboard contacts are unstable, triggering the device to try to wake up. I've got face recognition log in enabled. Will disable that for a while, and see whether that helps.
Stoffel
December 1, 2016 at 9:59 am
Hello,
i tested the Transformer 3 pro too (about a week- i7-6500U,16GB Ram, 512GB SSD)
First, i have to say, this is a beautiful convertible. But there are many little points to get little negative.
for Example:
:the battery life- in balanced mode (40% brightness, wifi on) about 4,5 -5 hours :(
:top – right corner on display- when it is black (in a movie)there is a little bit couding
:the fan is loud when use some programs ( massive surfing / video ) and some the fan gets loud for 1 sec, then 1 sec off, 1sec on…
…Asus whats wrong?! …(in battery mode, i drop the cpu max to 2GHz, than it would be better)
:sometimes the T3P get hot on backside
:the big point for me…i missed the 512GB NVMe SSD….my T3P had only a normal Sata3 :(
I brought it in Germany for 1600€, and that is not what Asus said in there advertising ! :(
I tested the Thunderbolt 3 port with my Acer graphics dock-
that worked great and played with these config Battlefield 4 on full hd on 24" with about 60fps.
On internal display Battlefield there are only 20-28fps (i think because the 3:2 display (no native BF4 3:2)
Does someone had the same points and the bad SSD?
Nepenthes
December 6, 2016 at 6:08 am
It's sitting on my desk, screen off, connected to power, all programs closed. And the fan starts blasting ever so often. Not at its loudest, just louder than everyone else.
SquaDrive
January 4, 2017 at 11:35 pm
First of all, this is an amazing 2 in 1 and has a LOT of potential. yet I've encountered many issue with this T3P like CPU throttling like hell. IDK what process windows 10 use the CPU until the fan start to blast like crazy in idle (I've clean install the Windows). and yeah it's pretty hot at the back side of this T3P.
The keyboard folio is good tho. Haven't experience a key stuck, but the trackpad is buggy (cursor can go randomly anywhere). I got a mouse so I disable the trackpad from F9. It's a bit of waste since the trackpad itself has a glass coating? idk but it feels nice.
BTW this is a temporary solution that I found for this T3P regarding thermal throttling in CPU.
Apparently it's not just our T3P that have this unreasonable thermal throttling (since I monitor it, CPU temp is at 30-40% yet it throttle to 400Mhz), the S4Pro (and maybe other Skylake Proc?) have this issue too. The temporary fix is to use ThrottleStop (a program yes) and uncheck the BD_PROCHOT (every single time you startup Windows, I use Task Scheduler for it).
Shortstory BD_PROCHOT (Bi-Directional Processor Hot) is monitoring all temp in your machine (not just CPU) and this makes problem because it'll trigger the throttling even though the CPU is chill, and guess what you get the 400Mhz speed. Anyway this solve my throttling problem since throttling was my T3P biggest issue. Hope it can help you guys who have this problem too.
Odonto
January 12, 2017 at 3:33 pm
Hi
I had the I7 + 16gb + 512ssd from amazon but returned it, because there was a problem with speaker (sometimes the sound output was out one right or left channel). I dont know if this was a driver or hardware problem. The problem disappeared when rebooting the tablet/ or switching it off. Moreover, the touchpad behaved sometimes strangely : if i kept a finger on the touchpad, the mouse cursor was very unstable and jumped somewhere on the screen from initial position. I had to disconnect keyboard and reconnect it to tablet, so the mouse was back to normal. I had the latest drivers from asus website… Now there is a sale on amazon for 1399 €, it's a pretty big deal but I hesitate to buy a surface pro 4 instead. The battery life is much better on surface too. What would you chose between both, or wait for lenovo miix 720 maybe?
Scott
May 16, 2017 at 11:37 am
Has anyone managed to find the actual keyboards and colour variants to purchase?
I'm having a real hard time trying to find the taupe/gold coloured keyboard to match the gold back on my new unit! It shipped automatically with a black keyboard, and I wanted to have the option of changing the colour.
Asus told me that I would have to go through an independent parts retailer, as they do not supply the open market. Would be easier if they just sold the keyboards and other devices (such as dock and speaker) they display on their website, Instead of this silly treasure hunt I'm on, for a keyboard I'm not even sure exists anymore.
Maybe the Surface Pro 4 wins this round, for customisability.
Nepenthes
May 17, 2017 at 5:29 am
I just saw some at an ASUS store in Singapore a few days ago, SGD169 if I remember correctly (~USD120). Can't remember which colours were available though.
My current keyboard has started behaving somewhat after I threw it on the floor and a corner broke. But the touchpad is still shit erratic. It's got touchscreen, touchpad and a pen, but I ended up using a logitech mouse most of the time – just to keep my blood pressure manageable.
JB
May 24, 2017 at 8:47 pm
If you get an external GPU and enclosure like the core could you please test what the Transformer does in benchmark CUDA tests against a score of a desktop pc with an equalisation GPU card and CPU please…