14 DAY TRIAL // There are plenty of 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrids out on the market these days, but if you haven’t yet decided towards one particular model, maybe you’ll want to wait until ASUS’ latest offering comes out, which won't take long.
The company’s portfolio already includes Transformer Book tablets with 10- and 13-inches that can be used as laptops too, with the help of an optional keyboard dock. But a new listing spotted at the FCC (via Liliputing) shows us ASUS is looking to roll out hybrids with even larger screens.
As opposed to the previous models, the new 2-in-1 will arrive with the keyboard as part of the bundle and will act like a convertible, which means users will be able to push back the touchscreen with 360 degrees, positioning it back to back with the keyboard in order to use it in tablet mode.
So, after the 13-inch ASUS TP300L and 15-inch N542L hybrids have been spotted earlier this month, a new model emerges in the form of the ASUS TP500L.
The device offers a 15.6-inch form factor and apart from a few tiny details, it’s pretty similar to the ASUS N542L.
For example, the TP500L’s status indicators live on the keyboard instead of on the case. Furthermore, the device doesn't have the array microphones for noise cancellation we saw with the other item. And instead of 3 USB 3.0 ports, the new model has 1 USB 30 port and 2 USB 2.0 ports, so it seems this one will retail for a cheaper price.
Apart from that, we should point out the power/volume buttons are located on the side of the device, just like you’d expect to see on a tablet. There’s a Windows button on side too, HDMI port, Ethernet jack and a SD card reader. The laptop also arrives with a numeric keypad located on the right.
We can’t currently give you the full specifications of the hybrid, but it appears the ASUS TP500L will bundle an Intel Haswell processor fitted with 4GB of RAM, a hard drive plus solid state drive. The machine’s default operating system is Windows 8.1.
Earlier this month, we also saw two other convertible models with designs similar to the Lenovo Yoga make a stop at the FCC, and the ASUS TP500L seems to be pertaining to the same family.
Sadly, pricing and availability specifications aren't available just yet, but given the fact the new convertibles already showed up at the FCC, they should be appearing in the wild soon.
