Surface Pro has risen the top of the fame now. Let me tell you what a Surface is in case you were living under a rock for the last few years. Surface Pro is one of the most well known and famed detachable laptops of the present time. But at the same time, it is pretty costly (almost as much as a high-end gaming laptop…;)). So, there are many Surface alternatives out in the market. And Asus Transformer Pro T304UA-XS74T is one of them (or should I say one of the good ones??). Let’s see then how it stacks up against the almighty Surface.
Check out the latest price for the Asus Transformer Pro T304UA-XS74T
Specs:
- CPU – Intel Core i7 Dual-Core (7th Gen), 2.7 GHz
- GPU – Intel HD Graphics 620
- Memory – 16 GB DDR3
- Screen – 12.6-inch Full HD IPS (2,160 x 1,440) with 10 point touch screen
- Storage – 512 GB SSD
- OS – Windows 10 Home edition
Benefits:
- Price – Well, if you are up against the almighty Surface Pro then one place where you can perform well is the price. Asus Transformer Pro T304UA-XS74T has been priced pretty affordably. Whereas Surface Pro can cost you more than 1500 bucks, Asus Transformer Pro T304UA-XS74T comes at around $1000. So it sure can save you several hundred of bucks over Surface.
- Performance – Transformer Pro T304UA-XS74T includes a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM and 512 gigs of SSD. It is capable of handling any everyday task that you may need. One important thing to note is that it lags in almost all the synthetic and real-life tests behind the Surface. But the good news is that it stays cool and calm even after heavy usage.
- Feel – The first thing that would come to your mind after looking it closely (or handling it) is that it feels pretty solid and robust. The keyboard included in it is quite good. The keys are backlit and they have a decent travel distance. The trackpad is very sensitive and actually is bigger than the Surface’s.
Downsides:
- Slow SSD – The SSD that comes with the Transformer Pro is of a SATA variety rather than a PCI. As a result, it is much slower at around 500 MBps for read speed and 300 MBps for write speed. Both the numbers are nearly the half of the ideal transfer rate.
- Screen – Now, if you’re supposed to be a Surface contender, then you’ve gotta come with a good display. And Transformer Pro 3 barely passes in that test. The first thing you would notice is that it is somewhat dim. With an average brightness of 245 nits, it is good for indoor works but inappropriate for the outdoors. The screen shows a delta E value around 5 which, to be honest, is way too high above the average to be colour accurate. Also, the contrast ratio in full brightness is around 625:1 which is not great at all knowing Surface Pro has an excellent contrast ratio of 1180:1. It supports the Asus Pen supporting 1024 different levels of pressures which is again only the 1/4 of what the Surface Pro supports. Nevertheless using the stylus is not a bad experience at all.
- Battery – The battery is quite average, if not bad. While doing lightweight stuff like watching offline videos or surfing internet the laptop stays alive for almost 6 to 7 hours. And doing intense tasks like playing games (as much as it supports with its integrated GPU anyway) or opening graphics-heavy websites makes the tiny battery run out of juice in just 2 hours. Both of the time frames are way behind the average (and the Surface in specific).
Verdict:
Truth be told, it is nowhere near as powerful as the Surface. It trims some of its hardware down in order to fit it into the budget. Honestly speaking, if you want a Surface, then you should go FOR A Surface. But if you are ready to sacrifice some of the powers of the Surface (or simply, you are on a tight budget), then Asus Transformer Pro T304UA-XS74T is worthy of checking out.
Check out the latest price for the Asus Transformer Pro T304UA-XS74T