Asus Transformer Book T300 Intel Haswell Utrabook and Tablet in One

Asus has upgraded its Transformer Book (an Ultrabook that turns into a tablet by detaching the display from its keyboard dock) with the latest 4th generation processors. The Asus Transformer Book T300 is powered with the latest Intel Haswell processors. Although this news might not be new for some of you, because this has been going around the web since June, Asus has made the news official along with other mobile devices. Asus made some improvements with the T300, like the magnetized docking system. Check out more details below.

The Intel Haswell-powered Asus Transformer Book T300, in a sense, is just like its predecessor, the Transformer Book TX300. It’s also detachable, features a premium solid look and feel, and it’s an Ultrabook and Tablet in one device. It also features a nice 13-inch Full HD IPS touch display at 1920×1080 resolution.

The Asus Transformer Book T300 is powered by the latest 4th gen Intel Haswell processor, either Intel Core i3-4010U, Core i5-4200U, or Core i7-4500. Since these are Haswell, it comes with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 series graphics processor. You can check out my list of Haswell CPUs to determine what type of integrated GPU does each processor has.

The Transformer Book T300 tablet alone is 11.5mm thick and weighs 1.1 kg. Meanwhile the keyboard dock is 11mm thick and weighs 0.8 kg. Combine the two and it would be 22.5mm at its thickest point and weighs a total of almost 2kg. The Transformer Book T300 now comes with a larger battery capacity of 6,710mAh, combine it with a low power consumption Haswell processor, you get a longer battery life compared to its predecessor the TX300.

Surprisingly, the storage is somewhat downgraded with the T300. Its predecessor, the TX300, has a Hard Drive + SSD storage configuration, for example 500GB HDD + 128GB SSD. The Transformer Book T300 only comes in 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB SSD storage capacity in NGFF/M.2 standard. Check out more details from the specs table, and watch the video below courtesy of TabTech.

Asus Transformer Book T300 Preview

Asus Transformer Book T300 Specifications

Operating System: Windows 8 / 8 Pro
Processor: Intel Core i3-4010U, Core i5-4200U, Core i7-4500
Memory: up to 8GB DDR3 RAM
Storage: 64GB / 128GB / 256GB SSD – NGFF/M.2 standard
Graphics Processor: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 series
Display: 13-inch Full HD IPS 10-point touch display at 1,920×1,080
Camera Rear: 1,080p Full HD
Camera Front: 720p HD
Networking: WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports on Tablet: USB 3.0, Micro-HDMI, 3.5mm audio, MicroSD slot
Ports on Dock: micro USB 3.0
Audio: Asus SonicMaster Sterep speakers
Battery: Lithium-Polymer 6,710 mAh
Dimensions (Tablet): 342mm x 216mm x 11.5mm
Weight (Tablet): 1.1 kg
Dimensions (Tablet): 340mm x 216mm x 11mm
Weight (Tablet): 0.8 kg

Price and Availability

Asus has yet to announce the suggested retail price of the Transformer Book T300, as well as its availability. But we expect that the T300 will be priced somewhere around the previous generation’s price, or possibly higher. It is also expected that the T300 will hit shelves anytime soon, sometime in the fourth quarter of 2013.

UPDATE: The Asus Transformer Book T300 series are now available. Check out the various model/configs available, and their latest best prices here.

Note: According to benchmarks, the difference between Intel Haswell vs Ivy Bridge processor is not an ocean apart. The Haswell is faster, but not significantly faster. The advantage of Haswell is that it offers a better integrated graphics processor and consumes lesser power, thus providing longer battery life.