Asus Transformer Book T100TA-H2-GR (64GB+500GB, Grey) Windows Hybrid

The 10.1-inch T100TA-H2-GR is one of the new models from the Asus Transformer Book T100 2-in-1 laptop/tablet hybrid series with Windows 8 OS and Intel Atom processor. The Transformer Book was one of the best selling Windows-based computers during the last year. It was not only because of its convenient design with detachable keyboard, but also due to affordability. The Transformer Book models have internal data storage as the main differentiation. The T100TA-H2-GR comes with 64GB of solid-state drive based storage located in the slate portion of the device plus an old-school mechanical 500GB hard drive in the keyboard deck. There are also SSD-only models with either 32GB or 64GB capacity, as well as a 32GB SSD + 500GB HDD variant.

The display resolution on this plastic-cladded 10.1-incher is 1366×768 pixels. It is not a great resolution like Full HD, but is acceptable considering the fact that the majority of full-size 15.6-inch laptops have the same pixel count. As the heart of the system, the T100TA-H2-GR has the Intel Atom Z3775 quad-core processor, which is slightly faster than the Z3740 used in older Transformer Book T100 models. Both chips are good only for the basic computing tasks, like text editing in Word, Excel spreadsheet calculations, web browsing, and movie watching. Any heavier duties like video editing or gaming will feel choppy. Also included RAM amount of 2GB could have been larger, but if you don’t multitask with too many programs and don’t run tens of web browser tabs at the same time, you’ll be fine even with 2GB. Although Asus’ T100TA-H2-GR offers more in terms of storage than the average tablet with Windows and Atom, there are a few caveats. The 500GB hard drive which is in the dock won’t be accessible when you use your laptop as a classic slate, without the keyboard attached to it. In addition, 64GB SSD, which is the main storage in this system, is quite limited for Windows 8 and apps although much better than 32GB.

The tablet portion of the device includes a 720p-quality front camera, stereo speakers, micro HDMI video connector for external displays, a micro USB port, and microSD card reader for storage expansion. For internet connectivity, you have only Wi-Fi option built-in. Bluetooth is included. Besides the keyboard and trackpad with integrated click buttons, the dock part additionally provides a full-size USB 3.0 port.

On the software side, a nice perk is a free copy Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 suite. That’s however a standard on tablets with Windows 8 and Intel Atom.

According to Asus, the battery life on the T100TA-H2-GR Transformer Book is “up to eleven hours”. That’s probably with all power saving options turned on and under light work.

This model weighs 2.5 pounds in total, with weight split almost equally between the tablet and keyboard dock. Thickness of them combined is 1″.

The T100TA-H2-GR comes in gray color. The same configuration is available in red and white, too.