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[Rafy]

EDIT: Can a mod please fix the typo in the title?

ASUS has just unveiled a line of new Transformer 2-in-1 PCs that look suspiciously like a certain product from Microsoft. With their touchscreens, kickstands and portable keyboards, they do remind us a lot of, you guessed it, the Surface. And, of course, they all run Windows 10, which makes the Surface connection even more undeniable. Of the new announcements, the Transformer 3 Pro is the most advanced of the lot, the Transformer 3 sits somewhere in the middle, while the Mini is the lightest.

Devices:

• Transformer Pro 3 & Transformer 3
  

  

  

  Both the Transformer 3 Pro and the Transformer 3 have a 12.6-inch display with a 2880 x 1920 resolution and 275 ppi pixel density. There are other similarities as well: Both feature USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 connections, Harmon Kardon speakers, and USB 3.0 and HDMI ports. They both also have built-in fingerprint readers. As you might expect, both 2-in-1s are also compatible with ASUS accessories such as the Pen, a Universal Dock, an AudioPod (a quad speaker with surround sound) and the ROG XG Station 2, a graphics dock that gives the humble tablet PC the power of a desktop computer (and it's VR-ready to boot!). Both tablets are available in Icicle Gold as well as Glacier Gray.
  
  Of the two, the Transformer 3 Pro is the heftier one at 8.35mm thick. Its kickstand has a "stepless hinge" that lets you set the device at any viewing angle up to 170-degrees. The 3 Pro also comes with a Cover Keyboard that's backlit and offers "laptop-grade 1.4mm key travel" which ASUS says will provide a typing experience similar to that of a normal-sized notebook. It also boasts an Intel Core i7 processor and up to 1TB PCIe x4 SSD and 16GB of 2133MHz RAM. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera plus a front-facing one as well.
  
  While the Transformer 3 has the same display size as the Transformer 3 Pro, the 3 is thinner and lighter with a thickness and weight of 6.9mm and 695 grams respectively. The Transformer 3 features a 7th generation Intel Core processor plus up to 512GB SSD and up to 8GB of RAM. Its display stand is not quite as flexible, with only two positions. It ships with a Transformer Sleeve Keyboard, also with 1.4mm of key travel and is available in the same four colors as the Cover Keyboard (Stone, Charcoal, Taupe, and Amber).

  
  
• Transformer 3 Mini
  

  

  ASUS also offers the Transformer Mini. It has a 10.1-inch display, is 8.2mm thin and weighs 790 grams with the keyboard attached and 530 grams without. Like the Transformer Pro 3, it also has an integrated kickstand with that stepless smart hinge design that lets you view it at any angle you like. It too has a built-in fingerprint reader.
  
  The keyboard is a little smaller with 1.5mm key travel but it does have an integrated palm rest. Other features include a ZenSync smartphone integration that lets you sync up your text messages much in the same way you can with iOS and OS X El Capitan. The Transformer Mini and keyboard will ship in a variety of different colors such as Quartz Gray, Pearl White, Amber, Mint Green and Icicle Gold.

Accessories:

• ROG XG Station 2
  

  Gamers get a nod as well, with an external GPU option from Asus' gaming arm ROG. The ROG XG Station 2 has the brand new GTX 1080 graphics card that's currently wowing the gamer world. Asus even says that the 3 Pro will be ready to deliver high-end VR experiences, which until now has been the domain of the big and bulky desktop PCs.

  ROG XG Station 2 is an external graphics-card dock that turns a laptop into VR-gaming powerhouse. A 680W power supply is designed inside and supports the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX and AMD Radeon™ graphics cards. ROG XG Station 2 is equipped with Thunderbolt 3 and an exclusive proprietary connector that improves performance up to a further 15%. It’s easy to connect and can be unplugged without restarting the laptop — and includes four USB 3.0 ports and a gigabit LAN socket for extended connectivity and convenience.

• ASUS Universal Dock
  

  A universal dock with an array of ports, including USB-C 3.1, USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA, RJ45 LAN, and a 3-in-1 SD card reader

• ASUS AudioPod
  

  ASUS Audio Pod is an entertainment accessory that includes four powerful speakers to deliver amazing 360° virtual 5.1-channel surround sound and with rich, defined bass.

• ASUS Pen
  

  ASUS Pen is a beautifully crafted writing and drawing utensil that offers 1024 levels of precision for completely natural note taking and sketching experiences with a high degree of control. Users can also capture photos with ASUS Transformer 3 Pro’s high-resolution camera and annotate them directly with ASUS Pen.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing for the ASUS Transformer 3 Pro starts at $999 while the Transformer 3 will start at $799. No word on availability just yet

There was no pricing immediately available on the Mini.

Sources:

• Engadget
• Asus Press Release

 

[Lazaro]

They look pretty nice. Didn't know ASUS made external GPUs.

 

[Bad_Boy]

I still have my old transformer prime laying around somewhere. Thing is built like a tank but definitely showing its age.

Anyways, Looks like they are going after the surface crowd with those specs and prices.

 

[andythinkpad]

I honestly thought these are new Michael Bay spinoffs for a second.

i am iinterested in the mini, but they don't eve tell you the spec? that sounds like a lame ass 2gb/64gb/z8300 combo to me.

edit: there should be a thread for todays Asus announcements. 6.8 inch phone, robot, what!

 

[TI82]

The mini looks pretty sharp, if it's 300 or less and has good battery life I'll be interested

 

[Harry Stewart]

Don't look too bad, but I will never forgive them for what a POS my Transformer Prime TF700 is, so avoiding Asus on general principle. Oh and no LTE, which I want in my next tablet.

 

[Lazaro]

Don't look too bad, but I will never forgive them for what a POS my Transformer Prime TF700 is, so avoiding Asus on general principle. Oh and no LTE, which I want in my next tablet.

Those were terrible. The one my sisters boyfriend had had a unresponsive touchscreen unless you pressed the back of the tablet hard.