Google Nexus 7 vs Asus Transformer Prime

Not so long ago Asus’ Transformer Prime was the de facto tablet for consumers that wanted all the portability of a tablet with the added bonus of a laptop-style keyboard complete with multi-touch functionality. It’s a great slate, both for work and play, featuring high-end hardware, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and masses of connectivity.

Google’s Nexus 7, however, is an equally compelling proposition, featuring the same quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, NFC connectivity, Android Jelly Bean, and a highly detailed 7-inch 1280×800 pixel IPS Display. It’s also significantly cheaper at around half the price of the Transformer Prime, making it one of the most desirable tablets on the market.

Aesthetics

Form
Nexus 7:
Asus Transformer Prime: 263 x180.8x8.3mm and 586g (without keyboard)

The Asus Transformer Prime was the first truly post-PC device in the opinion of Know Your Mobile, bringing together ultrabook-style good looks, PC-like utility, and all the mobile goodness of Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Featuring an ultra-thin 8.3mm profile and machine-spun brushed aluminium bodywork the device looks more like a top-flight ultrabook than an Android-powered tablet.

The Nexus 7 – also built by Asus – is not designed to complete with this level of finesse. Its strengths lie in bringing high-end hardware and the latest build of Android to consumers at a cutthroat price-point. It’s designed to disrupt the market, much like Amazon’s Kindle Fire did in the US, not make people go ‘o0o0o0o0.’

Winner: Transformer Prime

Display

Asus Transformer Prime: 10.1-inch 1280x800 pixel resolution display (149ppi)
Nexus 7: 7-inch 1280x800 pixel resolution display (around 146 ppi)

Both the Transformer Prime and Nexus 7 use 1280x800 pixel resolution IPS displays with very similar ppi stats (149ppi vs. 146ppi, respectively). In this sense the two panels are practically identical, save for a few ppi points, and, of course, their size.

The question here, then, is what size tablet do you want?

Winner: Draw

Processor

Asus Transformer Prime: 1.3GHz Quad-Core Tegra 3 CPU
Nexus 7: 1.3GHz Quad-Core Tegra 3 CPU

With the Nexus 7 you a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 running on Android Jelly Bean, backed up by 1GB of RAM and a 12-core ULP Nvidia GPU. That makes it great for gaming, multi-tasking and on the move computing. All in, it’s a beast of a proposition for Google, and it positively destroys the Amazon Kindle Fire – it’s nearest rival in terms of price.

With the Transformer Prime you get the same 1.3GHz Quad-Core Tegra 3 processor and a ULP GeForce GPU, which, like the display technology, is again almost identical. Performance on either tablet should, theoretically, be indistinguishable, as both use the same processor and support 1GB of RAM.  

Nvidia’s Tegra 3 on Android has been shown time-and-time again to deliver blistering performance and unparalleled gaming capabilities. We’ve tested both the Asus PadFone and HTC One X since MWC 2012 and have been bawled over by what this quad-core setup can do. It might lack the efficiency of Qualcomm’s S4 Snapdragon but it’s still one hell of a processer. 

Seeing that both devices use predominantly the same chipset and amount of RAM we have to call this one a draw. However, when you consider the difference in price – £500 vs sub-£200 – it’s difficult not to side with the Nexus 7 just purely for value of money.

Winner: Draw

Storage

Asus Transformer Prime: 32GB or 64GB
Nexus 7: 8GB or 16GB

Storage is expensive, particularly the type used inside mobile devices, so if you’re looking to shave a few pounds of the price tag of a product and don’t want to inhibit the performance of the device, then safest place to start is usually its storage.

This is clearly what happened with the Nexus 7 – but we forgive Google. The reason? Simple: forgo a few GBs of storage and you get tons more value elsewhere whilst still managing to keep the price tag under the £200 mark.

Winner: Asus Transformer Prime