Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

The basics

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is the follow up to the popular Eee Pad Transformer. The Transformer was one of the most impressive tablets of the past 12 months, taking on the iPad and bettering it in many ways. With just a few tweaks, the Eee Pad Transformer has the potential to be the best tablet on the market.

The good

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime keeps the same form factor as the original Transformer. You'll still be able to use it as a lightweight tablet when you're travelling, or add a proper keypad when you want to work or add extra battery power.

The styling on the Transformer Prime has moved on slightly, with thinner dimensions and a more curved design. It looks great, and the metal finish adds a touch of class. It's one of the few tablets to get close to the iPad when it comes to quality.

The screen is a particular highlight on the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. It features a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, which is more than sharp enough for any occasion. It's also a gorgeous panel, offering particularly vibrant colours, and proving easy to read even in bright conditions.

The Prime is the first Android tablet to take advantage of a quad-core processor, and we found it to be blisteringly quick during daily use. It's also more than capable of playing back HD videos without lag.

As before, you'll be able to add the keyboard when you need to write longer emails or documents, and it turns the Prime into a much more usable proposition than its rivals.

The bad

It's not all good news, however. The more rounded design makes the Transformer Prime slightly more unstable than the original Transformer, although we never found this to be a big issue.

The keyboard dock has also slimmed down over the original. Although this makes it more portable, it also reduces the overall battery life (there are still no issues in using the Transformer Prime for an entire day, however). The keyboard stroke has been reduced as a result of the slimmer dock too, resulting in a slightly more uncomfortable typing experience.

The bottom line

Overall though, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is our favourite tablet. The Android OS isn't quite as fluid as the iPad's iOS, but the keyboard makes it a much more usable proposition, while still offering a slim and stylish platform when you just want to relax and read or browse the internet. Add in a blisteringly fast quad-core processor, and that gorgeous screen, and it's a fantastic all-round package.