Design:Hardly able to contain our adulation towards these two tablets by simply looking at them from afar, our hands absolutely fall in love with the two as they exhibit the qualities of a premium device with their minimalistic designs. Honestly, it’s hard to say which one is the better looking, for the simple reasoning that they’re similar with their premium choice materials, skinny streamlined construction (the Prime is a hairline thinner), lightweight feel, and sturdiness to instill us with confidence that they’ll last a lifetime. However, we do notice that the metallic spun finish of the Transformer Prime appears to retain dirt and debris a little more than the iPad 2 – though, a quick rub down with a piece of cloth reverts it to its usual shiny appearance.
There’s no arguing with this one, but the iPad 2’s volume rocker and dedicated power button are light years better in feel and response over the Transformer Prime. Meanwhile, even though we despise proprietary ports with any device, we’ve come to live with the fact that they’re abundant on tablets – with these two showing us the transparent realization. However, the iPad 2 can output video with the aid of an optional digital AV adapter – whereas the Transformer Prime has a separate microHDMI port.
Display:
Visually, we’re absolutely stunned by the amazing displays found on both tablets, seeing that they’re able to reel in our eyes with their good detail and balanced color reproduction. With the 9.7” XGA (1023 x 768) IPS LCD display of the iPad 2, it’s still a sight for sore eyes as it maintains all of the elements that make a great display usable – such as its spot-on colors, wide viewing angles, and high-contrast. However, the Transformer Prime is able to inch its way past it thanks to the 10.1” WXGA (1280 x 800) Super IPS+ display it’s packing for the ride. Specifically, it offers superior viewing angles and brightness output, while maintaining the same natural colors found on the iPad 2 – though, it’s a tiny bit warmer. On top of that, setting the Transformer Prime to “Super IPS+” mode kicks up its brightness even further to make it more visible outdoors versus the iPad 2 under the gaze of the sun. In all seriousness, the Transformer Prime merely comes to the table showcasing the better display.
Interface and Functionality:
Yet again, we’re faced with the age old question of which is better, iOS or Android? Knowing that the iPad 2’s experience has barely changed since our last comparison, it’s safe to say it’s ultimately going to come down which one you feel more comfortable using. On one side of the ring, you have the simplistic and straightforward approach of iOS 5.0.1 on the iPad 2, which has been further refined from previous versions with its multi-touch gestures, revamped notifications system, and multi-tasking aspects. Still, if there’s one thing that’s lacking on the iPad 2, it has to undeniably be its lack of personalization. Well folks, that’s not much of a problem with the Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich experience on the Transformer Prime. Not only does it sport a clean interface, but it also boasts all of the quality elements that we find with Android as a whole – such as deep personalization. To reiterate things, it’s difficult to say which offers the better experience, seeing they come at it with different approaches.With the slight size advantage going to the Asus Transformer Prime, we actually didn’t find it any better for inputting text, as the two provide a good amount of responsiveness and accuracy when speed typing away.
At their core, the interface of their respective email applications may look different, but they’re very similar as they utilize a familiar 2-panel layout that’s practical to work with. However, if you’re into the whole Gmail thing, there’s no question that the Transformer Prime is the hands-down choice as it features all of the wonderful aspects of Google’s email service on a desktop, but in tablet form obviously.
Processor and Memory:
Crazy to believe it, but the Asus Transformer Prime is probably the only Android tablet we’ve seen in recent memory to match the performance of the iPad 2 with various operations. Of course, it helps more than ever when it’s packing an earth shattering quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, versus the iPad 2’s year old dual-core Apple A5 CPU. Naturally, it’s pretty cool seeing both tablets running equally to one another with tasks like pinch zooming, navigating across the homescreen, or kinetic scrolling, but it’s transparently obvious that the Asus Prime Transformer is dealing with more processor intensive things due to its higher resolution display, dynamic looking widgets, and live wallpapers. So yeah, these two are undoubtedly swift with their performance!Here’s the thing with storage. The sole model of the Transformer Prime is equipped with only 32GB of memory for $500, while the iPad 2 comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities. Though, it’s the 16GB model that’s priced at $500, whereas the 32GB sells for $600.
Internet and Connectivity:
As we’ve pointed out blatantly already, both tablets are absolutely lightning fast with their operations, thanks to their processors of course. Meaning, the web browsing performance of the two tablets are unsurprisingly similar – filled with buttery smooth pinch zooming and scrolling. However, when you take into account that the Transformer Prime offers that desktop-like experience thanks to its support for Adobe Flash, it’s seemingly the device to go with if you’re into web browsing a lot. Otherwise, the experience is one hundred percent the same when you factor that out.Right now, the Transformer Prime is only available in Wi-Fi form, and as we know, the iPad 2 is available in a variety of flavors ranging from Wi-Fi and cellular enabled ones (AT&T & Verizon). Aside from that, they share other connectivity items like aGPS, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, and Wi-Fi.Camera:
Who knows how often people shoot photos with tablets, but in any case, the Transformer Prime delivers the more substantial one with its 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, which so happens to feature an F2.4 lens and backside illumination. Oppositely, the iPad 2 has one on its back just to be there, seeing that it’s nothing more than a less than 1-megapixel count camera.
Upon snapping the first shots of the same scenery with each tablet, it’s brazenly clear that the Asus Transformer Prime has the upper hand when it comes to raw detail – simply, it’s that much superior! Despite its lack of detail, the iPad 2 actually develops the better looking colors with its very natural looking color reproduction. Well, it’s not bad on the Transformer Prime, but it’s noticeably cooler with its tones – thus, appearing more bluish in both indoor and outdoor shots. Still, we can’t overlook the extreme grainy appearance of the iPad 2’s results.
Not surprising at the very least, the Transformer Prime once again is the clear-cut choice when it comes to shooting high-definition videos – even more when it’s in 1080p as opposed to 720p for the iPad 2. Quite telling right off the bat is the superior detail of the 1080p video from the Transformer Prime, which is the sole differentiator with the two tablets, as the iPad 2’s results appear too soft in detail to wholeheartedly accept. Therefore, if you want something to remember, then by all means stick with the Transformer Prime.
Asus Transformer Prime Sample Video:
Apple iPad 2 Sample Video:
Despite seeing a larger count 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera on the Transformer Prime, its quality isn’t any better looking than the 0.3-megapixel front-facing shooter on the iPad 2. Still, they’re best reserved for the usual video chatting session and occasional self-portrait snapshots.
Multimedia:
Visually, the look of their respective music players in portrait are nothing to write home about, seeing we’re presented with the usual assortments – like the albums cover and on-screen controls. However, we take more of a liking to the 3D-carousel interface of the stock Ice Cream Sandwich music player since it offers some visual flare to its presentation. As for the audio quality with their single speakers, they actually emit the same strong tones that are extremely pleasant to the ear – albeit, the Transformer Prime offers a myriad of equalizer settings to refine its quality.
The Asus Transformer Prime is the obvious candidate for watching videos, supporting various codecs out of the box, including DivX and Xvid. Plus, its 16:9 aspect ratio is more adept to the requirements of most movies. Adding to that, it sports the higher brightness to put the iPad 2 into its place.
Performance:
In our reviews of both tablets, we’ve raved about their above average battery performance, however, we have to give the slight advantage to the iPad 2 with this one. Easily getting us a solid one day of normal usage, there’s still plenty of ample juice left with them – and on most occasions, getting us close to two whole days.
Conclusion:
Arguably the best two tablets on the market right now, it’s ultimately pricing that showcases the kind of value that can be found with these memorable beauties. For their starting prices of $500, their designs are remarkably justified as they radiate from head to toe with all of the lovable qualities of a premium tablet and honestly, they set the benchmark for all other tablets. Still, the $500 you’re dishing out for the Transformer Prime buys you something that’s newer, stronger, and the better performer as it outclasses the iPad 2 in plenty of categories. Indeed, Asus has the advantage of being a newer tablet, rather than being a year old model like the iPad 2, but when you take everything that it offers into consideration, it’s astoundingly evident that it’s the superior one.
Asus Transformer Prime vs Apple iPad 2 Video
Comparison:
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