Asus Transformer Pad TF701T crushes it on specs, delivers in performance (hands-on)

Asus is aiming high with its release of the new Transformer Pad TF701T. The high-end tablet will sport an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor and boast an impressively high-resolution screen that will likely cause Android aficionados to uncontrollably froth at the mouth in anticipation -- and maybe catch the wandering eye of a few Apple iPad loyalists.

The 10-inch tablet dons a 2,560x1,600-pixel resolution and houses Nvidia's latest 1.9GHz Tegra 4 processor with a 72-core GeForce GPU. Other specs include 4K output via HDMI, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, Bluetooth 3.0, and a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front camera. The tablet has an optional accompanying keyboard dock that accommodates a touch pad, a USB 3.0 port, and an SDXC card slot.

The TF701's design and shiny metallic finish is similar to that of its predecessor, the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700. The TF700 is a solid tablet with a beautiful screen but a now outdated CPU. The upgrades to the new TF701T are excitingly relevant. Its high-resolution screen is matched by only a few other tablets, and its zippy new CPU addresses some of the TF700's flaws.

The keyboard feels a bit too plastic-like for my tastes.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Hands-on
OK, let me get the bad news out of the way first: the new TF701 is both fatter, heavier, and feels much more plasticy than its predecessor. The good news is that this does nothing to diminish the impact of its super-bright, super-sharp screen, or its whip-fast performance.

Thankfully, Asus didn't cheap out when its comes to ports.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Apps opened quickly, widgets whipped by in a flash of 60 frames-per-second (fps) smoothness, and gaming was even more impressive than what I've seen from Nvidia's Shield. Dead Trigger on the TF701 ran at a full 60fps with tons of particle effects and characters on screen.

The intensely brilliant screen and high contrast -- marked by deep rich colors and low black levels -- only further convinced me that this is one of the finest gaming experiences I've yet had on a mobile tablet. If developers are up to the challenge, I feel the TF701 is poised to deliver on the gaming front. The iPad 5 is probably coming soon and will likely use an ungraded version of the A7 chip. While the TF701 obviously impressed me today, by the time it's released the tablet performance landscape could look very different. Things move way to fast in the mobile space to take anything for granted.

The volume button has been raised and flattened, making it easier to find and much more difficult to accidentally press. Asus has redesigned some of the icons to exude a softer, more pastel-like look that I'm not sure I can fully appreciate.

Asus claims the back of the tablet is made from aluminum, but it really doesn't feel like it.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Asus Splendid, which allows you to calibrate the display's color options, is one the best apps inclusion decisions the company has made with its recent tablets, so I was happy to see its icon on the TF701T.

Unfortunately Asus removed the interface shortcuts for throttling the CPU speed between normal, battery, and maximum from the drop-down settings menu; however, the options can now be found their own app.

I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to play around with the 5-megapixel camera.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Despite my issues with the its build changes, I was pretty taken with the performance and software options of the TF701. Asus says it's shooting for somewhere between $400 and $500 for 32GB. That's a pretty wide range, but somewhere near the lower end of that scale would be pretty impressive and the move to a more plastic build should help facilitate this.

Look for the TF701T around November. My benchmarking trigger fingers will be counting the days.