Transformer Prime is the Best Tablet. Is It the Best Value Versus iPad and Kindle Fire?

By Don Murphy for Best Android Gadgets

February 9, 2012 – iPad 2 is the best selling computer tablet in the world.  By a long shot.  But is iPad the best tablet?  The evidence says no.  Two competitors have begun to chip away at iPad’s market share – the Kindle Fire and Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime.  They’re both taking a different route and finding success with different consumers.

Apple’s huge head-start, an established core brand eco-system, tremendous brand loyalty and yes, a great product all combine to make iPad the biggest elephant in the room, for now, even outselling iPhone and iPod at comparable stages in their history.   

Kindle Fire’s lightning-fast start last fall suggests a similar sales trajectory, even as Apple seeks to expand their consumer base into corporate America and school systems.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Taiwan-based Asus continues to grow in visibility and reputation on several tech fronts, most recently with the Android-based Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet. Most of the computer industry is already aware of Asus since it produces motherboards for a good chunk of them. (29% as of 2009).

With very little hype and an arguably terrible product launch, Transformer Prime has quietly made a strong case as the best tablet computer ever made.  The successor to Transformer, which was released to generally strong reviews, the Transformer Prime boasts some very impressive specs but how does it stack up against iPad 2 and Kindle Fire?

Price:

$499.00 - Transformer Prime

$499.00 -  iPad 2

$199.00 -  Kindle Fire

Winner: Kindle Fire

 

Processor:

1.66GHZ quad-core/1G RAM - Transformer Prime

1GHZ dual-core/512RAM - iPad 2

1 GHZ dual-core/512 RAM - Kindle Fire

Winner: Transformer Prime

 

Operating System:

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) - Transformer Prime

iOS5 - iPad 2

Modified Android 2.3 - Kindle Fire

Winner: 3-way tie. Each does particularly well for target audience.

 

Apps:

500K, GPS yes - Transformer Prime

per Apple, 140K - iPad 2

>10K, all major apps work, no GPS, Amazon app store - Kindle Fire

Winner: Transformer Prime

 

Music/Movies:

@vibe, 7 million free, DRM locked but rootable - Transformer Prime

iTunes – not DRM-free - iPad 2

Amazon Music store, DRM-free allowed - Kindle Fire

Winner: Kindle Fire

 

Memory:

32-64GB w/ microSD slot for add. 32GB, +8GB free Asus WebStorage  - Transformer Prime

16-64GB - iPad 2

8GB + cloud storage options - Kindle Fire

Winner: Transformer Prime

 

Display:

10.1” LCD 1280x800 at 149ppi (pixels per inch)  - Transformer Prime

9.7” LCD 1024x768 at 132ppi - iPad 2

7” 1024x600 at 169ppi - Kindle Fire

Winner: Transformer Prime

 

Cameras:

2, 8MP rear camera, 1080p HD video, 1.2MP front camera - Transformer Prime

2, 7MP rear camera, VGA resolution on front cam, 720p HD on rear - iPad 2

None - Kindle Fire

Winner: Transformer Prime

 

Battery:

12 hours - Transformer Prime

10 hours - iPad 2

8 hours  - Kindle Fire

Winner: Transformer Prime

 

Size/Weight:

1.29lbs - Transformer Prime

1.35lbs - iPad 2

.91lbs - Kindle Fire

Winner: Kindle Fire

 

Conclusions

Overall, the Transformer Prime is the best tablet computer made today.  Add in the optional keyboard dock and you have a truly multi-functional powerhouse tool, capable of providing entertainment and productivity at levels its competitors cannot match.

Regardless, I suspect if you’re an Apple user, you’ll likely remain an Apple user and continue on with the highly-capable iPad. 

However, if you’re new to tablet computing and are geared towards high-performance, productivity and viewing screen size, you’ll likely fork out the $500+ for the 10.1” Transformer Prime. 

If you’re highly price conscious and want a technically solid product with loads of content options, you’ll well-advised to go with the Amazon’s Kindle Fire. 

Either way, all three products are solid and offer a good computing experience. 

Whether Asus will gain the market share it needs to survive given its high-end price tag remains to be seen.  The iPad has proven it can sustain market share at its price and the Kindle Fire will appeal to the ever-growing cost-conscious consumer.  Asus may be well-served to aggressively price the Transformer Prime somewhere in between the iPad and the Kindle Fire.