ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi Preview

ASUS teased us with their awesome Transformer Book T300 Chi last year. A tablet at just 7.6 mm thick will seriously challenge the iPad Air. But it’s not just a tablet. The T300 Chi sports a 12.5-inch display, and runs Windows 8. It’s a full Windows notebook. At just 0.75 kg, tablet-only, or 1.43 kg with docking keyboard, this ultra-slim notebook is pretty lightweight too.

The Transformer Book T300 Chi is finally here. It was launched in March this year. I just got my hands on one, and I’m really excited to write about it. You should know that I’m not a regular PC user. My main computer is a Retina MacBook Pro. However, I’ve come to like the T300 Chi a lot. In fact, if I were to want to buy a Windows notebook right now, this could very well be the one.

Although I’m very tempted to want to compare the Transformer Book T300 Chi with an iPad Air, the two are too different for an apples-to-apples comparison, the operating system notwithstanding. While the iPad Air is simply a tablet, though a very good one at that, the T300 Chi has pretty much the power of a proper notebook computer.

Like the new 12-inch MacBook from Apple, the Transformer Book T300 Chi sports an Intel Core M processor. My review unit comes with the Intel Core M-5Y71 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD. The 12.5″ IPS display supports a resolution of 2560 x 1440. These are quite capable specs for an ultralight ultra-slim notebook.

Look out for my full review coming up soon.