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Asus Transformer Pad Infinity 700
(Image Credit: http://gforgamescom)
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It appears
that the new iPad of Apple may see some serious competition in terms of
features with the upcoming Asus Transformer Infinity.
Although a
good number of apps are still designed for use on the high-resolution display
of the new iPad, the Asus Transformer Infinity will give it a run for its money
when it comes to the features offered into the market. Despite the upcoming
release of the Google Nexus 7 tablet with the latest version of the Android OS,
the Asus Transformer Infinity is still considered as the best when it comes to
competing with the Apple tablet.
Although the
Retina Display of the new iPad has a higher resolution of 2048 by 1536 compared
to the Asus Transformer Infinity, which features a 1920 by 1200 resolution, the
high brightness value of the Asus tablet is more suited for outdoor use. Its
quality is also close to that of the new iPad including the contrast and color
reproduction. The viewing angles of the new iPad and the Asus Transformer
Infinity are also similar to each other.
The details
shown on the displays of the two devices are similar to each other. As more
manufacturers offer devices with high resolution displays, better display optimization
for the apps will soon dictate which tablet is better than the rest. In this
regard Apple is still dominating the market since it has numerous apps that are
optimized for the new iPad.
The most
significant visual distinction between the new iPad and the Asus Transformer
Infinity is the aspect ratio. The Apple device has an aspect ratio of 4:3, in
comparison the Asus Transformer Infinity comes with an aspect ratio of 16:10.
The ratio for the iPad is suitable when the device is used in portrait mode
while the aspect ratio of the Asus tablet is more appropriate for use in
landscape mode.
Both the new
iPad and the Asus Transformer Infinity come with an aluminum chassis although
the Asus tablet features a plastic panel at the back that covers the GPS and
Wi-Fi antennas of the device. This was done to minimize the interference that
was noted in the Asus Transformer Prime.
The front
glass panel of the Asus Transformer Infinity will feature Gorilla Glass
protective and has a black bezel. In comparison the iPad does not feature the
Gorilla Glass protection although it has a hardened glass for the display. The Asus
Transformer Infinity is also slightly slimmer compared to the new iPad although
it may not be easily noted by the users.
In terms of
ports and connection, the new iPad features a proprietary connector where a
number of accessories can be accommodated including an SD memory card reader,
USB, and HDMI port. In comparison the Asus Transformer Infinity comes with a
micro-HDMI and microSD memory card slot. In addition to this, the keyboard dock
is also available as an option to users of the Asus Transformer Infinity. The
keyboard dock does not only offer a QWERTY keyboard, it also offers a trackpad,
an extra battery and a number of additional ports. Both devices also feature a
3.5mm audio jack.
Both the Asus
Transformer Infinity as well as the new iPad feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
options. In addition to these connectivity options, the new iPad also offers 4G
LTE connectivity as an option for users although this option will reportedly
become available for the Asus Transformer Infinity. The Wi-Fi reception of the
Asus tablet is also reportedly better due to the presence of two antennas. The
latest tablet offering of Asus will also come with GPS even as the iPad will
depend on the cellular network positioning.
The Asus
Transformer Infinity will have a 1.6GHz Tegra 3 quad-core processor as compared
to the 1GHz A5X dual-core processor of the iPad.
The battery
life of the new iPad and the Asus Transformer Infinity appear to be similar at
around ten hours for video playback as well as around eight hours of browsing. However
the keyboard dock of the Asus Transformer Infinity gives it an additional five
hours of battery life although it gives additional bulk to the device.
In terms of
the operating system used by the two devices, the iOS has more applications
that are optimally-designed for use on tablets with bigger screens and the iOS
is considered smoother compared to the Android that is used on the Asus
Transformer Infinity.
The price of
the Asus Transformer Infinity is quite competitive at $499 and $599 for the
32GB and 64GB models respectively. In comparison, the new iPad has a pricing of
$499, $599, and $699 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi only models. An
additional $130 will be added for each of the models to get the 4G LTE models
of the new iPad.
The better
software ecosystem for the new iPad gives it an edge over the Asus Transformer
Infinity which is one of the reasons why the Apple tablet has dominated the
tablet market. However the Asus Transformer Infinity offers a number of
hardware features that makes it a good choice for users who may want to
purchase their first tablet but with the fact that the performance of the
Android OS remains unpolished might give consumers something to think about.
In the end
if the Android ecosystem will become at par with the iOS ecosystem, the AsusTransformer Infinity will likely offer the iPad of Apple will be facing its
best competition so far in the tablet market.
