ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi Review - Good Looks Meet The Intel Core M CPU

ASUS has recently launched three new devices that complete their Transformer series. The flagship of this product line is the T300 Chi: a 2-in-1 device with Windows 8.1 installed and the new Intel Core M processor. As soon as we heard about it, we wanted to test it. After using it for more than a week, we're ready to share our verdict. Read on to learn whether the ASUS T300 Chi is worth buying or not.

Unboxing The Asus Transformer Book T300

The device comes wrapped in a plastic protective cover, inside a black box. Along with the tablet and the keyboard you'll also find the charger, a USB to mini-USB dongle, a micro-USB cable, a velcro cable management strap and a cleaning cloth. Along with the accessories you'll also get the usual paperwork: the warranty and user guides for both the dock and the tablet. The T300 Chi that we've tested did not come in the traditional retail package, so unfortunately, we only had the device and the charger to play with.

Hardware Specifications

The hardware specifications of the model we reviewed are the following: a 12.5" WQHD screen with a 2560x1440 resolution and decent viewing angles, a dual core Intel M 5Y71 CPU clocked at 1.2 GHz with Intel HD Graphics, 4GB of RAM memory (LPDDR3), clocked at 1600 MHz and a 128 GB SanDisk SSD. You can expand the storage space via the integrated SD card reader. The tablet itself includes two side facing speakers and a microphone. Its size is 317.8 x 191.6 x 16.5 mm (Width x Depth x Height), including the keyboard. That's 12.5 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches. The weight of the entire device, including the keyboard, is 1.43 kg (3.45 pounds). The device is powered by a 32 Whrs battery and there's another battery in the keyboard, since we're talking about a bluetooth keyboard. In terms of connectivity, the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi includes two Micro USB ports located on the right side of the tablet, a 802.11ac compatible wireless network adapter and a Bluetooth 4.0 chip. For multimedia purposes, ASUS also included a micro-HDMI port located on the right side of the tablet near the 3.5mm combo audio jack. On the left side of the tablet you can find the Start button and the volume rocker, together with the power connector. On the top side of the slate you'll find the power switch, which doubles as a lock button. The operating system preinstalled on the device we tested is Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit. Other versions of this device come with Windows 8.1. ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi is available in two storage configurations, one with a 64GB SSD and one with a 128GB SSD. You cand find its official hardware specifications here: ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi Specifications.

Using the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi

We have been using the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi for a relatively wide array of tasks including reading and sending emails, connecting to social networks, browsing the web, streaming videos, watching HD videos, writing articles and even some light gaming sessions. The Transformer Book T300 Chi doesn't disappoint in terms of performance, but doesn't really impress either. The Core M CPU paired with the 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM didn't have any kind of problem when running any Windows apps, but more demanding desktop applications, such as photo or video editing software might be a bit too much for it. However, desktop versions of Skype, Office 2013, Steam, Winamp, multiple web browsers, IrfanView or SnagIt, all ran flawlessly. The first downside you'll encounter when using this device is that it's pretty much impossible to open it with one hand. The tablet is heavier than the dock and much thicker, which makes it mandatory to keep the dock in place while lifting the lid. The screen is crisp and bright, but it does look over-saturated, so depending on how much of a fan you are of this aspect, you'll either love it or hate it. The resolution is quite big for a 12.5 inch screen. Using 2560x1440 on a screen this small is both good and bad. While it does make details look a lot clearer and more natural, it also makes desktop applications look bad. This happens because of the scaling process that the operating system uses. Unfortunately, even if Windows 8.1 scales well, there are only a few desktop applications that can do this properly. This is why we recommend using the 1920x1080 resolution with a lower scaling level if you need to use software such as Adobe Photoshop, for example. ASUS chose to use the new Intel Core M processor for the T300 Chi. What you need to keep in mind is that Core M is designed for mobility at the expense of performance. It's a decent CPU for office work, but don't expect it to work wonders in every possible scenario. It also gets quite hot, since it doesn't use a cooling fan. This is also why we don't recommend using the T300 Chi in its tablet mode for long periods of time: it gets quite uncomfortable to hold. The bluetooth keyboard is a very nice addition, since you can use it for multiple devices if you want. It also has a micro-USB charging port that you'll use to charge it when it's out of juice. One thing that we would have appreciated was the use of a backlit keyboard. The keyboard docking system uses a pair of magnetic hinges which, on the model that we've tested, were a bit wobbly. This made the whole device look a little less sturdy than what we wished for. The touchpad works well, but given its size we recommend using a Bluetooth mouse. The ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi is quite an elegant hybrid device. As long as you don't expect high-end performance, it will surely get the job done.

The Apps Bundled With The ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi

Unfortunately, ASUS simply doesn't keep their devices crapware clean. The T300 Chi comes with the following software preinstalled:

• ASUS LiveUpdate - an application that you can use to manage operating system updates. We already have Windows Update so we don't really need it.

  

• ASUS Splendid Utility - an application that you can use to switch between color presets for the display.
• ASUS WebStorage - ASUS' cloud storage solution that gives you 16 GB of free cloud storage space.
• ASUS PhotoDirector - a photo editing application. You can try it and keep it only if you get any value out of it.
• ASUS PowerDirector - a video editing application. Just as the previous app, only keep it if you find it useful.
• Twitter - the official Windows 8.1 app for this social network.
• Fresh Paint - a painting app for Windows 8.1.
• Music Maker Jam - a music app for Windows 8.1 that allows you to mix different loops and sound effects.
• Tripadvisor - the famous travel app. You can use it to find hotel reviews and plan your vacations. Useful if you travel a lot.
• Line - a chat application that you may want to experiment with before deciding on whether to keep it or not.
• Flipboard - the Windows 8.1 app for the social network aggregation service.
• iHeartRadio - a radio streaming app that suggests radio stations based on your favorite music genres.
• Netflix - depending on where you live, you'll either love this app or dislike ASUS for bundling it. In the US and a couple of other countries where Netflix is available, you will want to use this app to stream movies and TV shows to your device. In countries where this service is unavailable, this app will not provide any value to you.
• Zinio - a magazine reader app for Windows 8.1.
• WildTangent Games - a portal where you can purchase and download various PC games.
• McAfee LiveSafe - Internet Security - a full security suite from McAfee. Unfortunately, our last experience with their products was quite the disaster, so we advise you to get a better security solution.

  

As always, we advise testing the apps that are bundled by ASUS and see if you like them. If they bring no value to you, just remove them.

Performance in Benchmarks

Let's leave aside the subjective experience we had and talk numbers: We used Bootracer to measure how fast Windows 8.1 starts on this device. The ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi booted, on average in about 40 seconds. A bit faster than the T100 and the T200, which booted in average in 43 seconds and 45, respectively. Then used the 3DMark app to see how well this device performs when running casual games aimed at tablet users. The Ice Storm Unlimited score reached 15178 points. This places the T300 Chi right below the T100, which reached 15499 points, while the T200 reached 16095. To simulate a home usage scenario, we ran the PCMark 8 benchmark. The T300 Chi got 1935 points and exhausted the battery after 3 hours and 22 minutes. The SSD is not blazing fast, but it's fast enough to help you copy things at a decent speed. Here are the results that we measured using CrystalDiskMark: The Core M CPU idled between 50 and 60 degrees Celsius. This is to be expected, since we're talking about a fanless processor. However, when we used the tablet in some light games, it got quite hot and uncomfortable to hold. The PowerMark battery benchmark exhausted the battery after 3 hours and a half. This is a very low autonomy for this type of device. We were quite disappointed by the low battery power offered by the T300 Chi. Since this is a device made for mobility, we expected at least 5-6 hours of battery time.

Verdict

The ASUS Transformer T300 Chi is a beautiful mobile device that's great for light office work. However, its shortcomings, such as the poor battery life, make it ideal only for less advanced users who have a power outlet at hand, since the less than 4 hour battery power is not impressive at all. On the positive side, you get a rather elegant device with a Bluetooth keyboard that you can use with other Bluetooth devices, not just the tablet it comes with. The performance is very reasonable for a fanless dual-core processor, but don't expect to run very demanding software on it. If you're on the lookout for a Windows 8.1 tablet that you can use as a laptop, too, then the T300 Chi is a good candidate to consider.