The iPad 3 has quite a few Android competitors to face because the Android tablet market has been pretty productive lately. Its most impressive product is the Asus Transformer Prime that comes with an exciting design and hardware combination that can actually challenge the iPad 3. So, if you are just as interested as I am to discover which one of these tablets is worth the investment you should stick around and have fun.
Asus Transformer Prime Vs iPad 3
I will start by comparing the design made available. From this point of view you will notice that both tablets are gifted with good looking industrial designs that share quite a few characteristics. That’s because you will enjoy the same streamlined construction, a metallic casing and a reduced weight. However, the Asus Transformer Prime manages to actually steal the iPad’s spotlight by making available a skinnier and lighter body than the Apple tablet. The difference is not easily noticeable but it’s there. In the same time I must mention that the new iPad’s aluminum casing does a better job when it comes to keeping away dirt and debris. That’s why it’s virtually impossible to decide which tablet makes available the better design. What’s also common is the availability of proprietary docking ports. At least the Transformer Prime also makes available a separate microHDMI port for video-out.
Not that we took a look at the overall design we can start being more specific by taking into account the display. On the iPad 3 you will find a 9.7-inch IPS LCD panel that’s hard to beat because it uses the Retina Display technology of the iPhone 4 and 4S in order to deliver a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. Against such an impressive display the Asus Transformer Prime stands no chance because it makes available a 10.1-inch display that supports a resolution of only 1,280 x 800 pixels. That means its pixel density of only 149ppi is no where near the 264ppi pixel density of the iPad 3. This difference is not obvious only on paper, but also when you simply take a look at each tablet’s image display. It’s obvious from the first look that the iPad 3 can render all details and keep even the tiniest text visible. However, the variety of viewing angles provided and the vibrancy of the color scheme are impressive on both tablets. In addition, the use in outdoor conditions is ensured by both tablets, so even if the iPad 3 has the upper advantage it doesn’t mean that the Transformer Prime is a disappointing device.
I also think we should take into consideration the processor and memory delivered. From this point of view you should expect to be impressed by top performance processors. On the iPad 3 you will find the Apple A5x SoC which is actually a dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHz and paired with a quad-core GPU. That means smooth browsing and responsiveness will never be issues. On the other hand, the Asus tablet is at least as impressive because it delivers a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor that can ensure lightning fast speeds. What I also need to mention is that the iPad 3 can be bought in one of three storage capacities, 16, 32 or 64GB, while the Transformer Prime come in models with either 32GB or 64GB. What’s unique to the Asus tablet is the possibility to expand the storage area by using microSD cards.
Asus Transformer Prime Vs iPad 3
About the interface and functionality ensured I can tell you that it depends entirely on the operating system because the iPad 3 runs on iOS 5 while the Transformer Prime comes along with the benefits of Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. That results in a fight between the simplicity and intuitiveness of iOS and the high level of customization ensured by Android. However, there is one hardware component that benefits the OS in both cases: the large and responsive touchscreen. Because of that touchscreen you will enjoy large on-screen keyboards and apps that can properly display their options and advanced capabilities.
A more significant difference between these two tablets is related to the web browsing experience and the connectivity options ensured. When it comes to web browsing the navigational controls are fast on both tablets but Adobe Flash is available only on the Asus tablet. However, when it comes to connectivity, the Transformer Prime is available only in Wi-Fi versions while the Apple tablet also comes in version with 4G LTE capabilities. For some interested customers that don’t need to use data connections on their tablets this difference may not be that important but for those of you that consider them a backup plan, this may count more as well as the availability of only Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR on the Asus tablet and of Bluetooth 4.0 on the iPad 3.
At least the multimedia and camera sections are sources of similar results, meaning that both tablets can ensure 1080p video recordings with acceptable quality and detail level. The same can be said about the multimedia department although the stock Android music player does a slightly better job.
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