Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime review

… AND ROLL OUT

When we first saw the prime we presumed it was a tablet for home use, that became a laptop for work on the go; but having talked to some owners, many use it as a tablet for carrying about, and then a laptop at home. Either way, with the Prime currently only on sale with the keyboard dock, we reckon you’d have to want that aspect of it to be willing to part with £500 for the tablet.

The tablet itself is excellent, and if sold alone for £400, it would certainly be our top choice for an Android model. The dock still has some issues, and is only worth the extra £100 or so that you’ll be paying if you either type a lot of emails or really need the additional battery life.

For its excellent screen and impressive Tegra 3 chipset we’re giving the Transformer Prime an Ultimate award. However, those with no interest in the dock should hold off. Asus has refused to confirm that there will be a tablet-only offering, but we’d bet it will happen, and when it does the Prime should be the Android tablet to buy for everyone.

By then competing Nvidia Tegra 3 tablets may have emerged, and some of those could conceivably get Android 4.0 before the Prime does. Our advice to Asus is to get the Prime on sale without the dock as soon as possible, to keep us happy and before its technological advantage disappears.