Review: Asus Transformer Infinity (TF700T)

The next model in the Asus Transformer series features modest updates to what was one of the best Android tablets when it was released, bringing a better screen and faster chip to an already excellent design.

Features

What is essentially the fourth Asus Android tablet to feature the screen latch-and-detach Transformer design, the EeePad Transformer Infinity is an update to the Prime tablet that brought – and delivered – so much promise.

Specs and build are, as a result, very similar between these two machines, with the main differences stemming from the screen, the processor inside, and the price tag when you find it on store shelves.

Like most Android tablets, and certainly every Transformer released by Asus thus far, the Infinity features a 10.1 inch screen protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass, now in its second generation of the strengthened coating.

The new panel housed in that 10.1 inch display is one of the bigger deals in this machine, with Asus grabbing a 1920×1200 resolution, slightly higher than that of Full HD and running on the 16:10 aspect ratio (compared with Full HD’s 16:9).

Technology-wise, you’ll see Super IPS+ used in this screen, which should offer near perfect viewing angles from every direction, with solid colour and contrast from roughly 178 degrees on either side, at least until you can’t see the screen.

As it has been with the other Transformer models, all of the technology is found in the display section, with the keyboard dock housing an extra battery, expansion ports, a small touchpad mouse, and physical keyboard.

Inside, it’s pretty standard fare for 2012, with the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor now clocked at a slightly higher 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”.

The Infinity is considered a premium tablet, so the Australian model arrives with 64GB of storage standard, though you’ll find a little over 55GB for you to actually use and consume.

Little has changed on the camera front, with an 8 megapixel rear camera with F/2.2 aperture and 1080p Full HD video capture, as well as a two megapixel camera on the front which should cater for 720p video conferencing.

Expansion ports are pretty much the same as they were on the Prime, with a microSD card slot on the screen section, and one USB port and full-sized SD card slot on the docking section.

Plug ports exist with a microHDMI and 3.5mm headset jack on the screen section, with the proprietary Asus charge and data port on the bottom that connects to the keyboard dock. This can be charged directly from the wallplug too, mind you, as the keyboard dock features the same proprietary plug port for charging the dock and tablet at the same time.

The Asus proprietary port