So, I'm in the market for an Android tablet with great development support, and I've narrowed it down to the Prime and the TF300. I've been undecided for a while now.
I've never used an Android tablet before, so I have no idea what to expect. Price isn't an issue. It's specs + real-world experience that I'd love to hear.
As I understand it the quality of materials on the Prime are far, far better than the TF300. As I've also read, apparently wifi reception is a problem. (I frankly don't care about GPS, I have an Evo 4G LTE and that does my navigating for me). Especially after any sort of custom ROM/kernel process, do you guys notice any sort of wifi issues?
It's kind of coming to that. The Prime is thinner, lighter, has apparently a far brighter and better protected (Gorilla Glass) screen, and has a faster-clocked Tegra 3. Price wise, I'm looking at a difference of at worst, $60-$70 between the two (with the TF300 being cheaper). Is it worth the extra? I plan on keeping this tablet for at least 2-3 years.
It looks like it has fantastic developer support, and seeing as the Prime is already slated for official JB and we already have EOS JB nightlies, it looks to be the choice, but I'd love to hear from you guys.
Thanks!
I have both and would not spend the extra for the prime again. If metal versus plastic is important to you, then you must consider that, but I find the prime doesn't feel lighter or thinner (I know it is, but I can't tell) and I worry about where/how I set it down and scratches. I don't use the GPS on either, but have not had the reported wi-fi issues and I use the wi-fi all day long.
You have gorilla glass versus not...I haven't noticed an issue with the TF300, but that is also something to consider.
You have the brighter screen on the prime, so if you use it outside you might like that. Again for me, not an issue.
Honestly, between the two I'd get the TF300 and save the bucks. But if I were to buy one now, I'd get the 700
If you're between the prime and the TF300, then I think you should just get the TF700. Better screen, better wifi and GPS and better build then the TF300. It's the same prime as the prime, so get the TF700. It's a no brainer in my opinion.
Parastie said:
If you're between the prime and the TF300, then I think you should just get the TF700. Better screen, better wifi and GPS and better build then the TF300. It's the same prime as the prime, so get the TF700. It's a no brainer in my opinion.
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And the price is not much of a difference as well
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Parastie said:
If you're between the prime and the TF300, then I think you should just get the TF700. Better screen, better wifi and GPS and better build then the TF300. It's the same prime as the prime, so get the TF700. It's a no brainer in my opinion.
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Sorry, better screen? I'm slightly confused, all the reviews say that the screen is much brighter on the Prime?
LiquidSolstice said:
Sorry, better screen? I'm slightly confused, all the reviews say that the screen is much brighter on the Prime?
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The TF700 has a 1920x1200 screen. Same brightness as the tf201.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/25/asus-transformer-pad-infinity-tf700-review/
Parastie said:
The TF700 has a 1920x1200 screen. Same brightness as the tf201.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/25/asus-transformer-pad-infinity-tf700-review/
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yeah, infinity pad has super ips+ display also.
Well for starters the 700 isnt available everywhere yet. So that might be why hes considering the prime. Buddy, just wait for the 700, its beter than the prime, should have fewer problems (but lets face it, its Asus, their QA sucks), overall its a better tablet. If you dont want to wait, go for the 300, its a great tablet and you wont really miss the difference.
Nexus 7
I would just grab the nexus 7 unless for some reason you want a 10 in screen. I have big hands and typing onscreen in landscape would be a challenge for anyone of normal proportions. I have the gps dongle (two to be exact, thank you asus for great/lousy support) which i never use. Its a tegra 3 chip, not as beefy but close enough! Screen res is high enough. Storage should be fine unless your a nut like me and out internet at your house and are using the fat pipes at work and amo Navi-X app to download a bunch of shows, (yes bittorrent would be better and faster). Continual updates from google not waiting for asus to figure that one out. oh and best of all 200 bucks with 25 free bucks for the app store! this way with the money you can save you can jump on kickstarter and back ouya and have the first android gaming console in march!
The 700 is what the prime should have been. Asus try to play it off by saying that the 700 will be priced higher but it was all bull. Get u the 700 no doubt.
xxgmon3yxx said:
The 700 is what the prime should have been. Asus try to play it off by saying that the 700 will be priced higher but it was all bull. Get u the 700 no doubt.
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It's not prices lower because of the prime's failures. It's priced lower because the iPad 3 was released with its screen.
700 selling points: faster cpu and memory, higher resolution and same price as 201. add to that working gps and wifi, can't beat that kind of a deal. i've got a dual band vizio hd router and 4tb nas, dlna certified, ready to stream in 1080p to this tab when it arrives. sure learned a lot about networking and it was fun discovering things that make it work.
ASUS 2012 Compact class sedan (made available Spring 2011)
Transformer (TF101)
ASUS 2012 Midsize class sedan (made available Winter 2011)
Transformer Prime (TF201)
products above are now no longer being manufactured, 2013 editions are being rolled out at your local dealer (retailer)
ASUS 2013 Compact class sedan (made available Spring 2012)
Transformer Pad 300T
ASUS 2013 Midsize class sedan (made available Summer 2012)
Transformer Pad Infinity 700T
---------------------------------------------------
The Infinity certainly looks like a fantastic tablet, but when I said price wasn't an issue, I kind of meant wasn't an issue between the Prime and the 300. The 700 is roughly $500, and has no dev support yet, but I guess that will probably come.
dbtorreliob said:
I would just grab the nexus 7 unless for some reason you want a 10 in screen. I have big hands and typing onscreen in landscape would be a challenge for anyone of normal proportions. I have the gps dongle (two to be exact, thank you asus for great/lousy support) which i never use. Its a tegra 3 chip, not as beefy but close enough! Screen res is high enough. Storage should be fine unless your a nut like me and out internet at your house and are using the fat pipes at work and amo Navi-X app to download a bunch of shows, (yes bittorrent would be better and faster). Continual updates from google not waiting for asus to figure that one out. oh and best of all 200 bucks with 25 free bucks for the app store! this way with the money you can save you can jump on kickstarter and back ouya and have the first android gaming console in march!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should definitely look into thumb keyboard. It is essential for typing in landscape mode imo. You can use the settings to adjust the size to make it work best for you.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beansoft.keyboardplus&hl=en
I think there are also free versions you could try as well.
Related
Don't get me wrong. I had TF one. I would like to have Prime. BUT.
Is that really worth buying especially now when the price is so high?
What is really better in Prime? Tegra 3? Do we really need tegra 3? As far as I remember there were so few games that used Tegra 2. I could count them on 2 hands fingers.
So I ask. What do you think guys? Is it worth to switch TF to Prime? Is it really worth it?
What if Tegra 3 will end like Tegra 2 with only few apps behind?
The answer is yes. Also this tablet is not priced too high considering the specs it brings to the table. The apps, whether tegra3 optimized or not, will benefit from the extra horsepower. How is this priced so high? You get the worlds first quad core Android tablet, the best display of any tablet, ports like hdmi and micro SD card, and 32gb of ram for only $499. Compare to an iPad 2 with less specs and festures and same 32gb starting at $599. Already been said n proven to be best Android tablet out there. If You want something cheap, get the kindle fire. No other tablet comes close yet to specs n features at that $499 price range. Stop feeding into the negativity of some people/trolls trying to downplay tegra2 or tegra3 chipset. Regardless of what people say, tegra2 was a success. Brought the worlds first dual core phones. Now will do the dame with worlds first quad core tablet. And their chipset will be first to run ICS onna tablet.
Plus this is answered within several other similar threads in general section.
Also, same could be said for other platforms like IOS. Even less number of games/apps are optimized for new chipset of ipad2. As with any new tech. It will take time for developers to make software that fit accordingly. Now once quad core is out, all apps will be made optimized to dual core or quad core. Since majority of devices now will have either one of these. Another benefit of the tegra3 is the power saving capabilities. It has already be shown/proven through several reviewers to have best battery life of any android tablet. It's right there with iPad/ipad2 battery life. And this was in balanced mode. Put prime on powers acing mode and it will surpass the IOS battery life easily.
what kind of response are you expecting to get on the prime section of XDA?
of course everyone reading this board wants a prime.
It depends, if you have the original Transformer then the upgrade might not be worth it unless you plan to play a lot of 3D games for some reason. If you already have an iPad 2, then upgrade seems not important, unless you really want a keyboard dock that is better than what iPad has.
If you don't have a tablet or have an old one, then YES. It is worth it.
Imo no it's not priced too high. I have a Nook Color now and while it's great, I would like something with a little more power. Considering I paid $200 9 months ago for my NC and have used it for a thousand things I didn't think I'd ever use it for, I can definitively justify $500 for device I will use everyday
Ok, let me see...
1. Thinner, lighter, and better looking than old TF.
2. Better battery life by most accounts.
3. Quad-core for when you need it, a single low power core when you don't.
4. Tegra 3 is a reference GPU for ICS, enough said. I don't care if there is ever a single game written specifically for Tegra 3 - all I want is effortless UI, with no hiccups, and perfect video. That is IMHO iPad 2's single advantage, and I hope that TF Prime + ICS finally comes close.
The question should be asked - why are others charging just as much for old hardware? Suddenly that GT 10.1 for $499 with 16Gb looks very expensive...
this is a nerd site. made up of lots of nerds.
short answer, hell yes. buy it. buy 2.
no its not, its not worth buying, you should not get this.
DON'T GET IT!
Orion66 said:
Is that really worth buying especially now when the price is so high?
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That is a very subjective question that only you can answer. What is "really worth buying" to me may not be to you and vice versa.
You guys don't even consider the whole situation... He is asking whether it is worth it to switch from the original to the Prime.
Well considering that you can probably sell the Original+Dock for around 350 and buy the new one for 700+, that is a $350 difference. Then that is really a money issue. The Prime is a nice upgrade from the original. It's faster, lighter, thinner, and looks nicer. But the original is definitely still usable. The original is not obsolete, the Prime is just a premium. Now the question is whether you are willing to pay for this premium.
If you aren't unhappy with your TF right now you could always wait till later when more quad-core tablets come out. There will always be something new and exciting on the line.
You definitely do not need it. Don't buy it, as its terrible, and can I have your pre-order?
For me, the answer is a bit mixed. While I am really excited about the release of the Prime, yesterday, I cancelled my pre-orders from BestBuy and GameStop. I too, have a TF101. My thinking was that right now, if you were to sell your TF101 on eBay within the next week or so, you could get a decent price for it, ~$350-400 (with the dock). This would go a long way to paying for the upgrade. However, my Amazon pre-order was cancelled and I ended up pre-ordering at two different places on Dec 1st or 2nd. My concern was that I was basically at the back of the line for both of these pre-orders and I am flying back home for a couple of weeks around x-mas. I wasn't sure that I would get the tablet before flying out, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't get the dock before I got back, and I didn't want to have either sitting on my doorstep for any amount of time (just in case I wasn't able to change the shipping in time). This was compounded by the fact that I would have needed to sell the TF101 before getting the TF201 in my hands, which made me nervous.
I was sitting at the coffee shop yesterday, doing actual work on my TF101, without any issues, wondering if the upgrade was worth it right now. I decided that at this point in time, it would just be too much of a hassle. The TF101 is a great performer for a lot of tasks, and for my typical use, I have not run into a situation where I feel like I am really limited by the hardware. I think that I will probably upgrade once I can buy both the dock and keyboard, and probably the transleeve, on Amazon and get one day shipping on everything and be done with it. The pre-order situation on this one turned out to be too much of a hassle and I was not sure that I trusted that Asus would be able to deliver enough units to secure my late pre-order before flying out.
As far as why I actually wanted to upgrade, it's more powerful, thinner, lighter and smaller with a better screen and better battery life. It also supposedly handles the dock/charging situation a bit better than the current device, which is actually important to me. I would love to be able to see the screen better in the sunlight, and have more apps running in the background without seeing much of a slowdown. I would also love to show this off to my Apple loving friends as a thinner, lighter and more powerful tablet than the iPad 2.
Price does not seem high to me. $500 is the same price the original 32GB Transformer came out at. The difference is this time there is no 16GB $400 option. Sure there are other tablets that are deeply discounted, but they suck and nobody wants them.
Tegra 3 isn't just about video games. I don't really play that many games on my tablet to let them dictate my tablet or processor choice. But the Tegra 3 also has an improved GPU that will help me play back high def videos that the Tegra 2 was really bad at. If you are just streaming HD video, the Tegra 2 is still fine. But if you copy over your own AVI or MKV HD files, hopefully the Tegra 3 will be able to handle them better.
Another important aspect of the Transformer Prime is it's aluminum body. The original Transformer with it's plastic back gets warm in your hands. The palms start to sweat a little, then the tablet gets slippery to hold. The aluminum body of the Prime should stay cooler, prevent the palms from moistening and hold easier. Not to mention it's much thinner and lighter.
And the Transformer Prime is much better looking. I always found the brown Transformer kinda ugly.
I'm excited about getting the Prime for two primary reasons:
1. It's lighter and thinner, and so should be easier to manage for longer ebook reading sessions. I'm pretty sure of this because my wife's GT 10.1 is more comfortable to use than my OG Transformer, and the Prime is a touch thinner and lighter yet.
2. The extra brightness is going to be awesome. I can ALMOST use my Transformer on the back porch in the SoCal sun for ebook reading--but only almost. The extra brightness should take the Prime over the edge and make it usable.
Everything else--faster, more battery life, better touch responsiveness, etc.--is just gravy as far as I'm concerned. Given that I'll be able to sell my Transformer and dock, I'll only be spending a few hundred dollars for a significantly enhanced device. Can't beat that with a stick...
I would say it depends on your starting point. For me.. it was a Galaxy Tab 10.1 that I bought for $400 and sold for $400. The cost of stepping up to the Prime was $99 so yeah.. id say it will be worth it.
If you have equipment that you have to sell to buy it I would look at how high the replacement cost would be to get there. If you have an original with dock that you can sell, then just see if the amount of money you have to chip in is worth it to you.
If you are happy with what you have the chance is you will keep being happy with it.. if you like to have the latest/greatest then the chance is that the upgrade would be worth it.
TLDR: What I wrote didn't help at all.. only you could decide if it is worth it or not.
Ravynmagi said:
Price does not seem high to me. $500 is the same price the original 32GB Transformer came out at. The difference is this time there is no 16GB $400 option. Sure there are other tablets that are deeply discounted, but they suck and nobody wants them.
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Ah, but, there IS a $399 16GB option (that will likely be discounted): the original Transformer. ASUS isn't pulling it from the market, and so there's still a decent, lower-entry-price product on the market.
I just think ASUS needs to make more of an effort to make it clear that the $499 32GB Transformer Prime should be directly compared to the $599 32GB Apple iPad 2. If they can make people understand that simple fact, they'll do just fine.
Orion66 said:
Don't get me wrong. I had TF one. I would like to have Prime. BUT.
Is that really worth buying especially now when the price is so high?
What is really better in Prime? Tegra 3? Do we really need tegra 3? As far as I remember there were so few games that used Tegra 2. I could count them on 2 hands fingers.
So I ask. What do you think guys? Is it worth to switch TF to Prime? Is it really worth it?
What if Tegra 3 will end like Tegra 2 with only few apps behind?
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Click to collapse
ummmmmm yes
The OP answered his own question without even realizing it. Based on initial reviews and hands-on experience the Transformer Prime (TP) is a worthwhile upgrade from Transformer (T). Since you're a previous T owner you should confirm for yourself by getting hands-on with a demo unit and not making any sizable investment blindly. For the financial sensitive buyers it's not worth the premium to pay full retail to be first in line due to the fact that the price is relatively high as compared to competitive AMD E-450 APU based netbooks costing ~$400 with the added benefit of a broader range of software. Furthermore, there will be competing quad-core tablets in the pipeline that may offer better specs (eg. Lenovo LePad K2 1.6GHz Tegra3 and 2GB DRAM, Samsung quad-core Exynos) and is predicted, per Nvidia CEO, to be more affordable in the ~$300 range as the market matures in the next few quarters. If you have the disposable income and/or have an immediate need then get in line otherwise you'll benefit by holding off.
Personally, if money is no object I'd own both a Samsung Galaxy Note and TP. But, if I had to settle for just one I'd go with Samsung Galaxy Note since it can serve as a phone, tablet and displace x86 desktop as a very low power general purpose computer (what I had intend to use the TP for).
Orion66 said:
Don't get me wrong. I had TF one. I would like to have Prime. BUT.
Is that really worth buying especially now when the price is so high?
What is really better in Prime? Tegra 3? Do we really need tegra 3? As far as I remember there were so few games that used Tegra 2. I could count them on 2 hands fingers.
So I ask. What do you think guys? Is it worth to switch TF to Prime? Is it really worth it?
What if Tegra 3 will end like Tegra 2 with only few apps behind?
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Click to collapse
Don't get me wrong. I had a BMW 535i. I would like to have a BMW 550i. BUT.
Is that really worth buying especially now when the price of the BMW 550i is so high? What is really better in the BMW 550i? Bigger engine? Do we really need a bigger engine? As far as I remember there is still a speed limit on the road and the price of gas is still high.
So I ask. What do you think guys? Is it worth to switch to a 550i? Is it really worth it?
What if the BMW 550i will end like the BMW 535i when you still can get a speeding ticket if you speed and still have to pay high gas prices?
With the Kindle Fire and Nook Color at $199 you're going to see Android tablets morph in to categories much like Intel's done with processors (i3, i5, i7). There will be value, mid-range, and high-end. Value will be the marketshare leader, followed by mid-range, and then high-end. High-end will be the smallest but most profitible segment margin wise. The Prime is a high-end tablet. Asus even said they'd continue the original Transformer as their mid-range offering. If you want a high-end tablet the question is which one because they'll all be priced similarly. They'll all be quad-core but Acer, Lenovo, and HTC's offerings will have 2GB of RAM, 1920x1152 displays, and ICS pre-installed. The Prime's the first next-gen tablet but the high-end market will look much different in Q1 2012. If you have a decent first-gen tablet, other than a resale drop on eBay/CL, you might be better off waiting to see what your options are. I like the idea of a higher res display, especially with ICS. We're all geeks and addicted to shiny and new but we don't represent the overall market. There's a reason VW outsells M-B, BMW, and Audi combined.
hiya all
got a tf101 and its a great tablet but i was thinking about going for a prime and selling the 101. Honest opinions about this please. Is it worth it or am i better waiting.
thanks
ian
Unless you are planning on using it as your primary navigation device, I would skip it.
Otherwise, it is totally worth it.
The Prime is an excellent upgrade from the TF101. It is faster, has a better screen and a more "quality" feel despite some of the issues people have reported on these forums. The only negative to the Prime is that the GPS is useless for navigation. However you can use aGPS to get rough position for location based services like Search.
Just like the others said. I'm sure you've read the issue threads. Not get a flipside view. Check out the Positive transformer thread in my signature. IMO, prime is totally worth it
Well...
Since you already have a tablet and are looking to upgrade, I would actually wait for the TF700. HD screen, tegra 3, and new back design (which supposedly is going to fix GPS, Wifi+bluetooth issues). If you don't want to wait, get the Prime. It's a beautiful beast!
I upgraded from the TF101...no regrets at all. My TF101 gathered dust until i swapped it for a Microwave/combi oven
The only reason that I sold my TF101 and got the TP was to get decent HW video decoding. With Tegra3 NVidia finally did that.
Additionally you get a lighter and thinner design, brighter screen, better battery life at the cost of weaker GPS reception and almost unusable compass. Oh, and the USB cable is longer :]
You guys need to learn how to sell........
IT WILL GET YOU MORE SEX.....
enough said.
Jonphinguyen7 said:
Since you already have a tablet and are looking to upgrade, I would actually wait for the TF700. HD screen, tegra 3, and new back design (which supposedly is going to fix GPS, Wifi+bluetooth issues). If you don't want to wait, get the Prime. It's a beautiful beast!
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Just one caveat here: the TF700 will have 2.25X the pixels with its 1920X1200 screen, but its Tegra 3 processor will only be about 10% faster. So, it's inevitable that the TF700 will have lower performance for anything involving writing to the screen. It'll probably perform just fine, but there will have to be a penalty. I think this is why ASUS is marketing it as a "home theater" kind of device--good for watching 1080P video right on the device--and not as the hottest gaming device.
So, if you're primarily concerned about performance, then the TF201 is a great choice. It has a great screen that, to my eyes, is definitely good enough. If you want the highest res screen available, then I'd consider waiting for the TF700.
wynand32 said:
Just one caveat here: the TF700 will have 2.25X the pixels with its 1920X1200 screen, but its Tegra 3 processor will only be about 10% faster. So, it's inevitable that the TF700 will have lower performance for anything involving writing to the screen. It'll probably perform just fine, but there will have to be a penalty. I think this is why ASUS is marketing it as a "home theater" kind of device--good for watching 1080P video right on the device--and not as the hottest gaming device.
So, if you're primarily concerned about performance, then the TF201 is a great choice. It has a great screen that, to my eyes, is definitely good enough. If you want the highest res screen available, then I'd consider waiting for the TF700.
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Click to collapse
And don't forget to mention the hit to the battery life due to the higher resolution.
micaman said:
And don't forget to mention the hit to the battery life due to the higher resolution.
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Good point. Apple had to almost double the size of the iPad's battery to accomodate the high-res screen and faster GPU. With even a 10% increase in the Tegra 2's speed and the screen, the TF700 will definitely have weaker battery life. ASUS has said it'll be, what, an hour less? In real life, this is probably conservative.
If they put a significantly bigger battery in the dock that would probably help. On the Prime the dock's battery is quite a bit lower-capacity than the tablet's. It'd probably help the dock be a bit heavier too so the thing wouldn't "fall over" quite so often.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Get the prime. Be sure you purchase at a place where you can exchange in case WIFI / Lightbleed is not up to your satisfaction. Its the luck of the draw.
Prime is well worth it. UNLESS you want to wait a few months for TF700.
Of course about all you are going to get different is a higher resolution display.
Plus better odds on getting a good working WIFI & Light bleed free tab.
Waiting for prime to hit my local BB here for I can get another. BECAUSE I want to be able to exchange it *IF it has WIFI/ Lightbleed issues.
thanks all. i've just ordered one
thanks
ian
Congrats. I'm sure you wont have any regrets. Well maybe once the t700 comes along. But when that will be....who knows.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
I am trying to decide if I want to wait for the 300 or go ahead with the 201. So it seems the main differences is the Screen (IPS vs IPS+), the clock (1.5? vs 1.3), and the case (metal vs plastic). I do care about wifi performance and I know that forums are terrible for being mostly negative (in that more people come to complain about something not working, than people come to praise something that it working just fine) so I am not sure the the 300 wifi will be that much better than the 201 wifi. So is it worth the price ($50-$100) for the 201 with the higher clock and better screen (how much better)? I know that no one has really seen the 300 but we do have some specs and just wanted to get an opinion.
I don't get you mate, you just highlighted the main differences between both models and still need to ask others? Make yourself the logical question, are the features between models important enough to justify the extra price tag?
In that answer you have your decision, good luck!
You are right, I need to make the decision. I guess since the 300 is like a Transformer/Transformer Prime hybrid (screen, case, possible wifi) is from someone that maybe has owned both the Prime and the OG, would you pay more for the Prime if the OG had a Tegra 3 in it. And really thats what it comes down to even looking at the current OG vs the Prime. Is the Tegra 3 that much better than the Tegra 2.
Also, keep in mind that the form factors are going to be different as the 300 is supposed to be thicker than the 201.
http://www.asuseeepad.net/blog/2012/02/updated-asus-transformer-tf300-rumors-facts-fiction/
Looks like it is rumored to be released this month. That is news to me. But after re-watching the teaser video it definitely looks thicker than the 201. With the plastic shell, thicker profile and the Red, White, and Blue color options it looks more like a toy and not a high tech gadget.
Character Zero said:
You are right, I need to make the decision. I guess since the 300 is like a Transformer/Transformer Prime hybrid (screen, case, possible wifi) is from someone that maybe has owned both the Prime and the OG, would you pay more for the Prime if the OG had a Tegra 3 in it. And really thats what it comes down to even looking at the current OG vs the Prime. Is the Tegra 3 that much better than the Tegra 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You seem to be a very rational and knowledgeable individual, therefore, easy decision for you.
Speaking for myself, I can't even take the 300 series seriously after owning the Prime, that looks like something my 3 year old could carry around the house.
The 700 is the one I want to consider after the Tegra 4 is out and running, for the time being, my Prime is the one.
i'm in the same boat that you are in. but i think i'm going to go with the TF300. I do believe that Asus will fix the wifi and gps issue with this. (actually i don't know if there is gps in tf300..but i would imagine so). I'm not sure about the screen quality but the original transformer screen quality was fine with me so i would imagine that the tf300 would also be okay. Wifi is a big deal for me but i'm sure it will work. the thickness to me is irrelavent since i'm more focused on the functionality.
for $399 vs $499..i can't really complain. the only concern i really have with the tf300 is the battery life. 22WH. Acer's Iconia A510 had a significantly higher battery life for $450 but its also 1.3 gz on tegra 3.
as for the clock speed...i'm sure xda will have roms for the tf300 and you can get higher clock speeds on demand after a few months so that part to me also becomes irrelevant.
---------- Post added at 04:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:46 PM ----------
jordache16 said:
Also, keep in mind that the form factors are going to be different as the 300 is supposed to be thicker than the 201.
http://www.asuseeepad.net/blog/2012/02/updated-asus-transformer-tf300-rumors-facts-fiction/
Looks like it is rumored to be released this month. That is news to me. But after re-watching the teaser video it definitely looks thicker than the 201. With the plastic shell, thicker profile and the Red, White, and Blue color options it looks more like a toy and not a high tech gadget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where did you see the rumor to be released this month? Also the website you gave has conflicting specs for it. one says 16gb another says 8gb. one had 1.2 GHz Tegra 3.
the second page: http://www.asuseeepad.net/blog/2012...er-pad-tf300t-details-pre-order-release-date/ from update 3.
jblah said:
...
where did you see the rumor to be released this month? Also the website you gave has conflicting specs for it. one says 16gb another says 8gb. one had 1.2 GHz Tegra 3.
the second page: http://www.asuseeepad.net/blog/2012...er-pad-tf300t-details-pre-order-release-date/ from update 3.
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Ahh, you are right, my link doesn't cite the rumored release date. I think I first saw the date mentioned here. And it was also under the heading "Official Specifications of the Transformer TF300T:" on the second page from update 3 like you mentioned.
This site seems to be less and less credible the more I search around on it though. Under the "Official Specifications of the Transformer TF300T" it says the thing has a 8GB solid state drive... They also state on another page: "Expect the Transformer Pad TF300 pre orders to start in mid March". That was almost a month ago and still no official word on pre-orders.
you already pointed out most main differences. I see some that might not be correct though.
last time I checked official spec of 300 on Asus page, it has a top speed of only 1.2Ghz. prime top speed is 1.4Ghz. both in stock configuration. 300 will eventually get developer support and roms and be clocked higher. bit never will be as powerful as the prime. they probably using a cheaper tegra3 or one not able to withstand the stresses prime tegra3 can handle. lower power silicon process probably. anyways, 1.2Ghz is still good.
300 is a lower end model. so you should expect it to be lower spec and not as powerful or as many features. for ex. prime Super IPS+ display vs. regular ips. that is a huge difference as far as brightness and clarity of tablet goes. with that said, 300 display should still look good being ips.
300 model won't have as good battery life as prime but will still be good enough for most.
300 is priced tl be more affordable. its mainly for those not able to afford a prime or have that much extra money to spare. which nothing is wrong with thst. its Asus version of economy tablet at the moment.
300 will be alot thicker and heavier than the prime. but its still thinner and lighter than the OG transformer its replacing. plus it'll come in cool assortment of different colors. that white looks so sexy and professional looking. its something about white colored electronics. cars, etc...that give it a more distinguished look to it.
300 does have a good thing going for it. its said to include ddr3 ram. so that will help alot with multitasking although less powerful than prime.
300 will be made out of plastic. This "SHOULD" help out with its wireless capabilities. BUT and I mean BUT we have already seen the FCC report on this device. its already stated wifi/BT on the same chip. the report also "SPECIFICALLY" notes that the wifi/BT working at the same time is really not possible or will interfere with each other. So simultaneous mode is not needed. we have a thread with links to FCC report on the 300 If you want confirmation. it also shows wifi antennae gain is lower than prime. this usually means its wifi is not as powerful and show worse performance. MAIN THING IS DONT EXPECT WIFI/BT PERFORMANCE TO BE BETTER THAN PRIMES. maybe the 300 model doesn't need wifi signal as strong as prime since it has plastic back. who knows. but I'm pretty sure it will still perform just fine on wireless capabilities. Any device with wifi/BT on same chip sharing same antennae is prone to issues when used simultaneously. As we have people who own other devices and experience the same thing on it. the only difference is manufacturers do the best they can to minimize the impact. but the impact is always there. whether large or minute. Manufacturers have been using this single chip design because it cuts down on costs. So Asus not really to blame on that. they can only do the best they can to minimize the interference with each other. they use this to save space also in the device. devices that have separate wifi and BT chips doesn't suffer as much or at all vs. angle chip design. so wifi/BT dropout issues is not a prime exclusive problem or issue. this goes for most electronics now that use single chip design.
also forgot to add the 300 has lesser quality/less MP having cans. I think its rear is only 5mp vs. prime 8mp. plus 300 doesn't have a flash at all. so no nighttime pics or video recording. or low light ones.
What this all boils down to is how much do you want to spend? how much can you afford to use on a ttablet? there is no real comparing to the prime because prime is superior across the board. which is why it commands the higher price tag. So if you trying to decide based on specs comparison of which is better, it'll always be the prime, as its superior. Prime is the premium model. 300 is the lowend/economy one. 300 is a great value in its own. it should still perform great. of you have an extra $100 to spend and want the best, Prime is it.
Don't let anyone influence WHAT YOU WANT. DECIDE FOR YOURSELF BASED ON THE BEST RESEARCH YOU HAVE ON BOTH. ASK YOURSELF DO I WANT THE MOST POWERFUL DEVICE AND BELLS N WHISTLES, OR CAN I BE SATISFIED WITH A LESS SPEC DEVICE WHICH IS GOOD IN ITS OWN RIGHT AND I SAVE $100? EITHER WAY YOU GO, IT'LL BE A GOOD CHOICE.
GOOD LUCK DECIDING.
Thanks for the replies, I am still on the fence and even looking at a cheap TF101 if I happen across one. Just wanted to get some thoughts since the displays were similar (101 vs 201) and just some opinions. Thanks!
Character Zero said:
Thanks for the replies, I am still on the fence and even looking at a cheap TF101 if I happen across one. Just wanted to get some thoughts since the displays were similar (101 vs 201) and just some opinions. Thanks!
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the price point for 101 and the 300 when that comes out will be a difference of $50 unless you are planning on getting one refurbished. if you have the money th3 201 is the way to go if you don't..i would wait for the tf300. nothing wrong with the 101 but why get that one when the new one is coming out with tegra 3 at about the same price point?
Yeah someone listed on on CL for $300 for the Tf101 and dock. So I thought that was a good deal. If I can't get a deal like that, then I think I am going to wait unless I just can't stand it and the impulse buyer in me takes over and I jump from store to store to find a Prime.
Character Zero said:
Yeah someone listed on on CL for $300 for the Tf101 and dock. So I thought that was a good deal. If I can't get a deal like that, then I think I am going to wait unless I just can't stand it and the impulse buyer in me takes over and I jump from store to store to find a Prime.
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that is a good deal for tablet and dock. but it is really outdated. in mobile tech world. its display is not ips and it uses an older tegra2 chip. I'd say at least wait and get the 300 or the prime. that guy selling his to get money for new 300 tablet probably. I think 300 worth the wait if you only trying to spend so much.
good luck fighting off the impulse buying. I did before I got my prime. I wanted the td-101 during blackfriday sale but they were sold out. I got so impatient on wanting a new tablet and Android one that I almost got a Toshiba thrive, Acer-A100, or Kindle fire..lmfao. I'm so glad I didn't and just held out till I found out about the prime.
prime has been a great device for me ever since 12/22/2011.
I thought the 101 had an ips display. I had an iPad then went to a7 inch Android tab now I want to go back to 10 inches.
Character Zero said:
I thought the 101 had an ips display. I had an iPad then went to a7 inch Android tab now I want to go back to 10 inches.
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I forgot what kind it is but do not think its an ips display(I could be wrong). The 300 has an ips. Prime has Super ips +.
Google search the tf-101 display spec. I forgot exactly what kind of display of was but know it wasn't an ips one. It was a lesser quality.
Edit: I tried to find out for you but conflicting specs all over the web. It does have same resolution though.
demandarin said:
I forgot what kind it is but do not think its an ips display(I could be wrong). The 300 has an ips. Prime has Super ips +.
Google search the tf-101 display spec. I forgot exactly what kind of display of was but know it wasn't an ips one. It was a lesser quality.
Edit: I tried to find out for you but conflicting specs all over the web. It does have same resolution though.
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From the Asus Site :
10.1" LED Backlight WXGA (1280x800) Screen*1
*1 : IPS Panel, 178° wide view angle.
http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/#specifications
The TF101 has an IPS display panel (- same resolution as the Prime but isn't able to go as bright due to the lack of the 'plus' mode). I gave my wife my old transformer and it's a pretty decent performer apart from video playback of some high bandwidth formats and as long as you get one without quality control issues. I see the Pad 300 model is being a) The eventual replacement for the TF101 as it's pretty similar apart from the use of Tegra 3 and likely priced similarly. b) For those considering a Prime but wanted something with less flash storage (and for that reason not as expensive) or c) alternatively need something other than wi-fi only models (which has been the norm apart from the TF101G which was released in some regions). However, until there's a release date and actual physical availability the Pad 300 model remains unproven. Will it have any issues of its own, for example and what quality control problems if any will there be.
Robert
So I decided to straddle the fence a bit. I put in my order to Amazon for the 201 which ships in 3-4 weeks and that gives me time to see what happens with the 300. Hopefully I can make it that long.
according to this site there should be some announcement for the tf300 on monday the 9th.
http://news.portableone.com/asus-for-business/asus-to-release-transformer-tablet/
says monday march 9th...lol. probably doesn't know what they are talking about.
wifi
I haven't had any problems with my tf201 - you shouldn't be disappointed.
The wifi range isn't as good as my Galaxy S but still always picks up the routers fine.
Enjoy
Well I first had ordered the Grey since it was 3-4 weeks for delivery and that gave me time to think about my options (and probably regret it). But then the Champagne just showed up in stock and I jumped on it and canceled the grey.
Hey guys I am wondering if there is a legit place to pre order the TF300T, I saw that you could at PortableOne Inc.
Or should I find a used TF201?
If I can get a Prime for a little over $400 used, should I jump on it or wait for the TF300T?
http://www.amazon.com/Transformer-T...ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334655831&sr=1-1
Shakenbake158 said:
Hey guys I am wondering if there is a legit place to pre order the TF300T, I saw that you could at PortableOne Inc.
Or should I find a used TF201?
If I can get a Prime for a little over $400 used, should I jump on it or wait for the TF300T?
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If you can find a prime for that price, I'd wonder what's wrong with it. I've watched ebay for a couple weeks and they are all pretty much selling at or above retail. You can almost bet a good number of them are users who aren't satisfied with the wifi or whatever.
The prime went in stock the other day at amazon so I went that route and am waiting for it now. If it hadn't come instock, I probably would have ordered the 300 (but it's got a 10-13 day ship from Amazon - unless you pay over retail).
There are so many users that are thrilled with their prime, I'm hoping to be one of them! If I hadn't read on here, it never would have occurred to me to try the GPS on it -- I'm not mounting a 10" screen in my mini-van - I have a TomTom GPS. Thank goodness they don't make an armband for it because I'd look ridiculous jogging down the street with it. That's pretty much all I use GPS for and I have devices to dot hose things - I never had an expectation that I'd use it for GPS.
The 300 looks to be good on paper, but it also may have issues that are unknown. With a prime, you know what to look for. You can argue the spec differences, but that's been done all over. Go for whichever and test it out. If it's not functioning correctly, you can exchange it for a different one.
I would (and probably will) get the 300.
1. Plastic back so no wifi attenuation problems like the Prime
2. GPS without a dongle
3. Faster ram
4. Same chipset but clocked a little lower
5. $100 less
6. Though not IPS+, still IPS.
7. Due to how bad the Prime launched, we can safely assume the 300 will go more smooth. One would hope, unless Asus is nuts.
Gizmo is a user in the forums and actually had one, so not just a bunch of assumptions. Most people raved about the first Transformer and this seems a great step up.
Personally, one of my favorite things about the Prime is the IPS+ screen. Living in SoCal, I simply MUST be able to use my Prime in sunlight when I need to. That alone is reason enough for me to have no interest in the TF300.
rushless said:
I would (and probably will) get the 300.
1. Plastic back so no wifi attenuation problems like the Prime
2. GPS without a dongle
3. Faster ram
4. Same chipset but clocked a little lower
5. $100 less
6. Though not IPS+, still IPS.
7. Due to how bad the Prime launched, we can safely assume the 300 will go more smooth. One would hope, unless Asus is nuts.
Gizmo is a user in the forums and actually had one, so not just a bunch of assumptions. Most people raved about the first Transformer and this seems a great step up.
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its not the same chip type. its still tegra 3 but a different type of tegra 3. the prime's tegra 3 is better and can always be clocked higher.
---------- Post added at 06:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:29 PM ----------
wynand32 said:
Personally, one of my favorite things about the Prime is the IPS+ screen. Living in SoCal, I simply MUST be able to use my Prime in sunlight when I need to. That alone is reason enough for me to have no interest in the TF300.
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did you have the original transformer? how does that look under the sun? i would imagine it would be the same thing.
I already have a Prime but I was also in that stage previously. Everyone has gripes regarding a lower Tegra 3 but I wish for more information regarding the S4 version of the 300. If it's anything like the ones HTC have or better, I would have gone with the 300.
I'm very happy with my Prime though =D. I just put up an access point @ the house to battle the areas that are less than stellar. I have my Verizon GNEX to tether to when away from home that that can last for about 4-5hrs tethering with screen off. Love that I have spare bats for just that reason lol.
jblah said:
did you have the original transformer? how does that look under the sun? i would imagine it would be the same thing.
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The IPS+ specifically has dramatically increased brightness that makes it more visible in direct sunlight. I did have an original Transformer, and compared them side by side in this video (which doesn't actually demonstrate how significant the difference is). Note that the original Transformer does not have an IPS+ screen (only IPS).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm8UP4P_7Ms
Suffice it to say, the difference is VERY significant, to wit: the Prime can be comfortably used in direct sunlight, while the original Transformer (and pretty much every other tablet on the market) cannot. IPS+ mode does burn additional battery life, but it's worth it for those times when I want to read ebooks on my back porch (or on the beach, or beside the pool, or whatever).
rushless said:
I would (and probably will) get the 300.
1. Plastic back so no wifi attenuation problems like the Prime
2. GPS without a dongle
3. Faster ram
4. Same chipset but clocked a little lower
5. $100 less
6. Though not IPS+, still IPS.
7. Due to how bad the Prime launched, we can safely assume the 300 will go more smooth. One would hope, unless Asus is nuts.
Gizmo is a user in the forums and actually had one, so not just a bunch of assumptions. Most people raved about the first Transformer and this seems a great step up.
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About how much faster is this RAM? I remember on a prime stress test the RAM failed before the processor when playing multiple HD Videos.
The slower Tegra 3 would worry me. I know they had to cut corners to get down $100 and I don't see the extra brightness of the IPS+ or the cost of using a plastic backing instead of aluminum being all that different to warrant the price differential.
wynand32 said:
The IPS+ specifically has dramatically increased brightness that makes it more visible in direct sunlight. I did have an original Transformer, and compared them side by side in this video (which doesn't actually demonstrate how significant the difference is). Note that the original Transformer does not have an IPS+ screen (only IPS).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm8UP4P_7Ms
Suffice it to say, the difference is VERY significant, to wit: the Prime can be comfortably used in direct sunlight, while the original Transformer (and pretty much every other tablet on the market) cannot. IPS+ mode does burn additional battery life, but it's worth it for those times when I want to read ebooks on my back porch (or on the beach, or beside the pool, or whatever).
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there's another difference between a regular ips and superips+ screen. the only difference is not just the display being brighter. Ive seen the extensive detailed specs of the prime display vs. a regular ips display. People forgetting prime has the highest contrast ratio of any tablet out now(not sure if new Ipad beat it in that category). The contrast ratio is higher and the blacks and other colors are better in superips+ display. So the images on a regular ips display won't look as sharp on prime or the blacks won't be as dark or the whites as white. ill try to find that display spec sheet I saw. the detailed findings was done by a display website and others. but when prime came out, it was always toted as having the brightest display along with highest contrast ratio and other display important details that a regular ips display doesn't have. ill post it up as soon as I find it again.
---------- Post added at 06:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:18 PM ----------
Ziocomposite said:
I already have a Prime but I was also in that stage previously. Everyone has gripes regarding a lower Tegra 3 but I wish for more information regarding the S4 version of the 300. If it's anything like the ones HTC have or better, I would have gone with the 300.
I'm very happy with my Prime though =D. I just put up an access point @ the house to battle the areas that are less than stellar. I have my Verizon GNEX to tether to when away from home that that can last for about 4-5hrs tethering with screen off. Love that I have spare bats for just that reason lol.
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more info is that the S4 data version of 300 will be delayed. seems like the infinity pad 4g version and 300 data version that will have S4 chip will be delayed. for whatever reason. one possible reason is to manufacturing problems with the 28nm chip process. which is what the S4 chip is. Qualcomm could be giving phones priority over tablets on the chips since phones ship out in larger volume and more money to be made. no one exactly sure. but S4 chips being delayed in tablets is obvious sign there is a problem or issue somewhere with them.
wynand32 said:
Personally, one of my favorite things about the Prime is the IPS+ screen. Living in SoCal, I simply MUST be able to use my Prime in sunlight when I need to. That alone is reason enough for me to have no interest in the TF300.
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I saw this earlier but have to say I didn't get the big deal until I got mine and turned it on... you need sunglasses if you activate super ips + in the house!!! Seriously, blinding! It's a big difference.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
If I learned anything from the TFP it is that you should wait to see whether there are any problems before giving them your money.
xGary said:
If I learned anything from the TFP it is that you should wait to see whether there are any problems before giving them your money.
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SAME here and that is EXACTLY what I am going to do....if Infinity has problems then I will wait for a Tegra 4 tablet.....waited long enough so far.....
Cheers,
M
Actually, the place that I found it so cheap is the Best Buy Outlet on eBay.
I'm thinking about getting a tablet for about 300 bucks, I dont want to really spend much more than that. Do you guys suggest the Prime or the TF300? Is there any other I should look at for this price range that have a quad core w/ microsd and hdmi? I was looking at maybe the refurbs on newegg, does anyone have experience with their refurbs? Thanks for any suggestions.
Don't buy another Asus
Sent from my ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 using xda app-developers app
I honestly wouldn't recommend it, I'd say the least to go for a Nexus 7. This thread doesn't necessarily need to be a other long winded rant about the dreadful i/o speeds that creates lag coupled with the horrible wifi problems that come along with the aluminium back cover which can be solved using a stretch of aluminium foil pasted on your prime. Buttttttt! If typing is your kind of thing the Transformer series as a whole does seem to be the best package although there are other alternatives like a N7 or your phone coupled with a blue tooth keyboard
Honestly the Transformer Prime is a damn good tablet....if you get one of the later versions where Asus 'fixed' a few things. My WiFi isn't terrible. I can get nearly full bars all around my house which is decently sized with an excessive amount of walls. I even get service through the wet-wall (the one with all the pipes for the toilets and such) and 2 other normal walls. I/O isn't truly terrible if you don't use stock kernels. Asus fudged an amazingly powerful tablet. People that use my Prime always say "I can see why you paid $500 for that thing. It's AWESOME!". But it's up to you man. The N7 is great but has it's issues too (maybe Asus fudged another tab? who knows).
Well.. Not to say that everyone is having a bad experience with the Prime but if you're going to make a purchase, no one can say for sure what you're in stall for
McJesus15 said:
Honestly the Transformer Prime is a damn good tablet....if you get one of the later versions where Asus 'fixed' a few things. My WiFi isn't terrible. I can get nearly full bars all around my house which is decently sized with an excessive amount of walls. I even get service through the wet-wall (the one with all the pipes for the toilets and such) and 2 other normal walls. I/O isn't truly terrible if you don't use stock kernels. Asus fudged an amazingly powerful tablet. People that use my Prime always say "I can see why you paid $500 for that thing. It's AWESOME!". But it's up to you man. The N7 is great but has it's issues too (maybe Asus fudged another tab? who knows).
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Good assessment. I have an early S/N Prime (STOCK - NOT ROOTED or UNLOCKED) and it still WOW's people who play with it. Mine has decent WiFi, I can stream music from my house to my detached garage (about 40 feet from the house) with no problems. Every device will have problems; it's just the nature of the technology right now. My wife's iPad has had some issues connecting and staying connected to our network at home (old Linksys router) so maybe a lot of WiFi problems people reported right after the Primes launch was due to older wireless routers being used. Is the Prime perfect? No but it is still one of the fastest tablets so far. I received the dock this Christmas and it truly "TRANSFORMS" the whole user experience. I'm not a big fan of touchscreen keyboards so the dock was a must when I was considering a device like this. Plus the extra battery, full size USB port and full size SD card port on the keyboard set the Asus Transformer line apart from the competition IMHO. I recommend the Prime all the time.
I have to ask, aren't the nexus 7s made by Asus? I don't quite understand why you'd tell someone not to buy a prime because Asus sucks and then suggest to buy a nexus 7 if they are both manufactured by Asus.
I have had my prime since Christmas. I bought it used on swappa and at first was not impressed as it came with CM10 and on ics firmware. I did the nvflash and updated it to jellybean and loaded hairybean. I absolutely love this thing. It's fast, responsive, and all around not what people complain about on here. Did I just get a good one? Am I not as picky as other people? I don't understand what the problem is. I guess it could be worse, you could have bought a Samsung galaxy tab and not had a sd slot or jellybean. The prime blows it out of the water. I have also done side by side with ipad2 and the prime out performs it as well.
End rant. Just my 2 cents.