14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will soon introduce Windows 10, but as we have seen a few days ago, device makers aren’t shying away from actually announcing products running the upcoming OS, even though Redmond hasn’t officially launched its new software product yet.
Lenovo, for its part, has recently showed the ThinkPad 10 tablet, which is a 10.1-inch Surface 3 competitor with FHD display (1920 x 1200 pixels) and either a quad-core Intel Atom Z8500 chipset or a quad-core Intel Z8700 one. And now, it’s ASUS’ turn to reveal a Windows 10 device of its own.
It is called Transformer Book 10 and is a bit more interesting than Lenovo’s product for one reason: it is a 2-in-1 hybrid which allows owners to use it in either tablet or laptop mode.
ASUS has pulled the veil off the revamped Transformer Book model (aka T100HA) at Computex 2015.
ASUS and Microsoft have partnered up for this hybrid
In the official press release, ASUS claims that the new Transformer Book can offer a life span of up to 14 hours, which is pretty convenient.
Compared to the older model, the new T100HA comes with an aluminum-clad design that’s lighter and thinner. The device is just 8.45mm / 0.33 inches in profile and tips the scales at 580 g / 1.2 lbs, making it 20% thinner than the previous T100.
We’re not given any details about resolution and such, but we have to assume that the Transformer Book 10 offers at least a FHD panel (1920 x 1080 pixel res). Under the hood, the 2-in-1 will take advantage of Intel’s new Atom x5 (codenamed “Cherry Trail”), plus a hefty 4GB of RAM.
Apart from being among the first devices to be announced with Windows 10, the new ASUS Transformer Book T100HA has another ace up its sleeve. Just like Apple’s 12-inch new Retina MacBook, ASUS’ device takes advantage of a reversible USB Type-C port.
So, slowly but surely, we’re seeing more and more products bundling this new USB standard.
Anyway, ASUS hasn’t mentioned how much it will ask for the T100HA model, but hopefully the hybrid will sell for a price similar to that of its predecessor, meaning $349 / €319.
