Asus Transformer 3 Pro review: Just misses Surface Pro 4 perfection

There seems to be no end of Surface Pro 4-alikes this year, and Asus’ Transformer 3 Pro is the latest one to land in the Expert Reviews office. With its adjustable kickstand, folio keyboard and super-slim chassis, it looks unashamedly like Microsoft’s top-end tablet hybrid, but the Transformer 3 Pro brings a few new additions to the table to help it stay ahead of its main rival.

The most obvious one is the inclusion of a USB Type-C port. This allows for superfast data-transfer speeds and can also be used to output video, but the good news is that you still get a full-sized USB 3 port for any older peripherals you might have, meaning you don’t need to shell out for an adapter.

Asus has also squeezed a full-sized HDMI output and microSD slot on here, too, giving you almost as much flexibility as a standard desktop replacement laptop. That’s pretty impressive as far as 2-in-1 hybrids go, since most force you to make do with just a single USB Type-C port.

It certainly makes the Transformer 3 Pro’s full metal chassis all the more appealing, and Asus’ superb build quality certainly looks like it will stand the test of time. It’s a wonderfully sleek device to hold, and while its weight of 800g means it’s not exactly the lightest tablet around, it’s more than acceptable given the size of its 12.6in screen.

What’s more, the Transformer 3 Pro’s integrated kickstand can be set at any angle up to 170 degrees, giving it plenty of flexibility. It’s superbly designed too – strong enough to hold the weight, but easy enough to adjust with only one hand.

Asus Transformer 3 Pro review: Keyboard and touchpad

Another advantage the Transformer 3 Pro has over the Surface Pro 4 is that its folio keyboard comes bundled in the box. With backlit, island-style keys, it’s a significant improvement over Microsoft’s TypeCover keyboards, and each key gives plenty of tactile feedback when typing.

The touchpad is a little hit and miss from time to time, though, sometimes failing to pick up the odd swipe, but on the whole, it was reasonably painless to use. More troublesome was trying to keep the keyboard connected to the bottom of the tablet, as even the slightest nudge would occasionally dislodge its snap-on magnets. Most of the time it was absolutely fine, but a little extra security wouldn’t hurt.

Asus Transformer 3 Pro review: Display

The Transformer 3 Pro’s 12.6in display has a resolution of 2,880 x 1,920, equating to 275 pixels per inch. This is a minor bump over the Surface Pro 4’s 2,736 x 1,824 resolution, which gives it a pixel density of 267ppi, but in practice you’d be hard-pressed to see the difference.

Needless to say, it’s a fantastic-looking screen, and its splendid wide colour gamut display has an impressive sRGB coverage of 99%. This makes it incredibly well suited for even the more demanding of users, including graphic designers and digital artists alike, and it’s easily one of the better 2-in-1 displays I’ve had the pleasure of using. It’s wonderfully pin-sharp, with not a single jagged edge in sight.

The screen’s only flaw is that it’s just not that bright. It’s a tricky device to use outside in the sun thanks to its maximum screen brightness of 292cd/m2 – significantly duller than the Surface Pro 4’s peak brightness of 400cd/m2. Combine that with its glossy finish and reflective display, and you’ll find yourself squinting far too often when using it outdoors.

The dual front-facing speakers aren’t anything to write home about. They’ll do the job for your typical Netflix streaming or the occasional tune, but I noticed a lot of distortion at high volume levels, so you’ll want to plug in a pair of headphones when listening to music.

ASUS 12.6" T303UA-GN040T Transformer 3 Pro Touchscreen (Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz, 4GB, 256GB, Windows 10)

£999.99Buy now

Asus Transformer 3 Pro review: Performance and battery life

As with many modern ultraportables, the Transformer 3 Pro comes in multiple specifications. The unit I was sent for review was powered by a dual-core 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6200U processor and 8GB of RAM, but models go all the way up to a Core i7 with 16GB of RAM.

Even so, my review unit more than held its own against other ultraportables, and was perfectly capable of handling everyday tasks. That said, this particular version of the Transformer 3 Pro has a slightly slower chipset than the Surface Pro 4, and it showed in our 4K multimedia benchmarks. While the Transformer 3 Pro managed a respectable score of 31 overall, the Surface Pro 4’s dual-core 2.4GHz Core i5-6300U chip managed a much more impressive score of 44, putting it quite some way ahead of its Asus rival.

Looking at the results in more detail, not to mention listening to the racket made by the internal fans, it was the Transformer 3 Pro’s multitasking performance that took the greatest hit, so I wouldn’t recommend overloading it with lots of demanding applications simultaneously. For basic web browsing and word processing, however, you should be fine.

You might even be able to squeeze in a little bit of light gaming on the Transformer 3 Pro, as it ran simple games such as Minecraft without kicking up too much fuss. However, 3D games are out of the question, as even the likes of Dirt: Showdown slowed to a crawl on anything more than Low quality settings at a resolution of 1,280 x 720.

The most disappointing part of the Transformer 3 Pro, though, is its battery life. Lasting just 4hrs 20mins in our continuous video-playback test, where the screen brightness is set to our predefined measurement of 170cd/m2, this isn’t a device that’s built for long periods away from the mains. It’s definitely not the worst battery score I’ve seen, but compared to the Surface Pro 4, which lasted 5hrs 56mins under the same conditions, it’s not exactly great.

Asus Transformer 3 Pro review: Verdict

It’s unfortunate the Transformer 3 Pro can’t match the Surface Pro 4’s battery life. If it had just a bit more stamina, Asus would have given Microsoft real cause for concern. However, as much as the Transformer 3 Pro looks the part of a high-end hybrid, I’d still choose the Surface Pro 4 even though I’d have to spend more getting a keyboard in the process.

This is a real shame, as Asus’ stunning display and flexible range of ports really should put the Transformer 3 Pro at the top of its class. I really want to love Asus’ lovely little 2-in-1, but unless you’re prepared to carry around its charger all day, the Surface Pro 4 remains a much better buy.

ASUS 12.6" T303UA-GN040T Transformer 3 Pro Touchscreen (Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz, 4GB, 256GB, Windows 10)

£999.99Buy now