Introduction to the Asus Transformer 3 Pro

Hey, how's it going, guys? This is Dave and this is the Asus Transformer 3 Pro. As you can see, it looks very similar to the Surface lineup, particularly the Surface Pro 4. However, one big difference stands out - this device has a Thunderbolt 3 port, allowing external GPU connections. It's worth noting that as of now, this is the only tablet that allows this feature. Future Surface products and future tablets might allow it, but for now, this is the only one.

Build Quality of the Asus Transformer 3 Pro

The build quality of the Asus Transformer 3 Pro feels quite similar to the Surface Pro 4. The device features a glass upfront, a magnesium shell, and an adjustable kickstand on the back that can be positioned in any way. However, I'm not entirely sure about its long-term durability due to the mechanism relying on friction between two metal parts. Fortunately, it has been working great for me so far, and I believe it should be okay.

Using the Asus Transformer 3 Pro as a Tablet

Using the Asus Transformer 3 Pro as a tablet feels quite comfortable. It's a different shape from the Surface products - those have a bevel on the edge, whereas this one doesn't. However, it still offers a very comfortable user experience. I prefer using these 2-in-1 devices with detachable keyboards, as I find that being able to use my tablet without feeling the bottom of the keyboard underneath is essential for me.

Port Selection on the Asus Transformer 3 Pro

The port selection on the Asus Transformer 3 Pro is quite standard, to be honest. On one side, you have a Micro-SD slot and a volume rocker, while on the other side, there's USB 3, HDMI, and that Thunderbolt 3 port I mentioned earlier. This model comes with a price tag of $1,600 USD, which includes a stylus and an attachable keyboard.

Comparison to the Surface Pro 4

The Asus Transformer 3 Pro has some similarities to the Surface Pro 4, but one noticeable difference is the connection between the keyboard and the device. I think the magnets are stronger on the Surface Pro 4, but this is still quite secure. The keyboard on the Asus Transformer 3 Pro is backlit and offers a great layout. It can be folded or tilted to an angle, which is comfortable to use. However, the typing experience could be improved, with slightly softer keys that I find are more spongey than ideal.

The Trackpad

One area where the Asus Transformer 3 Pro falls short is its trackpad. Despite using Windows precision drivers, I've encountered some issues with the cursor jumping around occasionally. This is not a hardware issue, but rather something that might be fixed through an software update. The stylus on this device feels quite similar to the one on Surface products and doesn't attach magnetically, so you'll need to carry it around like a regular pen.

The Stylus

Speaking of the stylus, I must say that it's very similar to the stylus for Surface products. It doesn't have any notable differences, which is a good thing. The screen size of the Asus Transformer 3 Pro is quite large at 12.6 inches.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey, how's it going, guys?This is Dave 2Dand this is the Asus Transformer 3 Pro.Now, it looks very similar to the Surfacelineup and particularly the Surface Pro 4It's obviously beeninspired by that lineup,but this is one big difference.This device has a Thunderbolt 3 portso it allows external GPU connections.Now, as of right now, this isthe only tablet that allows that.Future Surface products andfuture tablets might allow it,but right now, this is the only one.In terms of its build, it feels prettysimilar to the Surface Pro 4.Glass upfront, magnesium shell,The kickstand on the back canbe adjusted to any position.It's stiff. It will hold its position, but I'mnot sure about long-term durability.The mechanism looks like it worksthrough friction between two metal partsand I don't know if it willwear down over time,but it's been working great forthe past couple of monthsso, yeah, I think it should be okay.Using it as a tablet, it feelspretty comfortable to use.It's a different shape from the Surfaceproducts - those kind of have a bevelon the edge. This doesn't have that.It's a different feel, but it'sstill very comfortable to use.Now, I prefer to using these 2-in-1devices with the detachable keyboards,I find that... I mean there are devicesthat have the flip-around keyboards,like the Yoga productsand the new XPS 13.I mean this is just personal preference,but I like being able to use my tabletone hand without feeling thebottom of the keyboard underneath.I like that. Some people aregoing to be different.It's just a matter of personal perference.Port selection on tabletsis never amazing.On one side you have yourstandard Micro-SD slotand a volume rockerAnd on the other side, we have USB 3,HDMI port and that Thunderbolt 3 port.This model here is $1,600 USDand includes a stylusand the attachable keyboard.The Surface Pro 4 has aslightly stronger connection -I think with the magnets are stronger,but this is still pretty secure.The keyboard is backlit.It has a great layout,like, I wouldn't change a thing on itconsidering the smaller real-estate it has to work with.You can have it go flator you can have it tiltedon an angle. Both arecomfortable to use.It's actually really confortable to useon your lap as well.Everything feels solid.The typing experienceis good - not amazing.Decent key-travel, but the keys are a littlesofter or just spongier that I'd like it to be.And when you close it, there'sno magnets on the other endto keep it closed like on Surface products.The track-pad can be better. It usesWindows precision driversso I had high hopes.It's glass and the texture is good, but thecursor jumps around sometimes.Not often, but enough for itto be a little bit annoying.I don't think it's hardware - I think asoftware update would fix itbut as of right now, in earlyJanuary 2017, it's still an issue.The stylus feels really similar, if notidentical to the stylus for Surface products.It doesn't attach magnetically, though, soyou've got to bring it around with youlike a regular pen.The screen is 12.6\", 2880X1920 -pretty high res.There's letter boxing in most videos,because of the aspect ratio.That's just the nature of tablet screens.It has very good color gamut andcolor accuracy out of the box.It's not as bright as I feel likeit could be or should be.I mean, it's bright for a laptop, butbecause it's a tablet as well,I kind of feel that in someenvironments, like if you're outdoors,it can feel a little dim.It's running a Skylake CPU.You can get it in either an i5 or an i7,both with Intel HD 520 graphics16GB of RAM and solid-state drives.The 512GB drive in my unitisn't particularly fast.I think it's a SATA drive, but I have seenunits with newer manufacturing datesthat had NVMe drives in them.You can't upgrade the RAM or the drive.I mean, you can configure it at purchasebut you can't open itup and upgrade it yourself.Performance for regular use is good.It feels pretty snappy,particularly with the i7.Now, if you stress this thing hard, like onbenchmarks, or if you want to edit videos,there is noticeable CPU throttling,and gaming performance onthe integrated HD 520 isn't that good.But when you connect it toan external GPUusing the Thunderbolt 3 port,that is where this thing shines.So, if you're not familiar withan external GPU, it's a box,and you basically stick adesktop-grade GPU in thereso anything from NVIDIA and AMD, andthen you get desktop GPU capabilitiesin your device.So, the Asus Transformer 3 Pro wasoriginally designed to workwith the ASUS XG Station 2.That's not out, yet. It will be soon,but in the meantime, it actually worksquite well with the Razer core.You've got to install some Thunderbolt 3drivers and you need to get some softwareto run the whole Razer Synapse thing,but, it works.Depending on the card you put in here,you can get some amazing performance.It's a pretty standard performance drop -around 10% to 15% less than a desktopbecause of the Thunderbolt 3bandwith limitations,but it's still good.Remember, though - that performancedrop - that 10% to 15% numberis only if you're using an external monitor.If you don't want to use a monitor and youwant to pipe it back to the displayon the Transformer 3 Pro,you'll lose even more performance.We're looking at 20% to 25%.And, if you're curious, that Thunderbolt 3cable will power and charge the tablet,so it's a pretty sweet setup.Something like Overwatchdoesn't have great performanceon the integrated HD 520,but I connected a GTX 1080 and you canget some ridiculously good frame rates.One thing to keep in mind:this is a 2-core CPU.There's plenty of games thatwill run great on a 2-core CPU,but there are games thatare more CPU-dependentthat would do better on a quad-core.So you've got to research your gameif you want specific benchmarks.Now, in terms of a GPU recommendation,because this is a 2-core CPU andbecause it doesn't get to clock full speedbecause of the CPU throttling, I'drecommend maybe a GTX 1060or even a GTX 980 if, you know,your budget is a little bit lower.But you don't want to just spend moneyon a card that you can't really makeproper use of.VR also had problems working.I tried connecting an HTC Vive -had issues. I'm not sure if it'slike because like a port limitations -there is only one USB port on the tablet.The keyboard is actuallynot bad for gaming.It's kind of strange because it'snot even a real keyboard.It's a keyboard cover. I mean it's not goingto cut it for a 400 APM Starcraft player,but it's a very usable keyboard for games.There's an exhaust up top. It doesn'tinterfere when you're playing games,but if you're using some moredemanding applications,while you're holding it in Portrait as atablet, it gets pretty warm up there.The fans don't spin when it's idle,but when it kicks in,it's audible. It's not super annoyingor super loud or anything,but you'll know when it's on.Speakers are up front -Harman Kardon-branded,but they're very average-sounding.They don't get too loud andthe bass is pretty weak.The front webcam is 1080p and it hasinfrared, so it supports Windows Hellofor login, which is pretty cool.The back camera is 13MP.It doesn't look great,but I doubt many people aregoing to use this anywaysso, whatever.Battery life on this thing is relatively short.It's a 39WA battery.Normal use - like, doing work - we'regetting around 5 hours of lifewith the screen at 250 nits.Watching movies, you'll get around 3.5hours, which is enough to finishmost movies, but for a tablet,the battery life is definitely onthe lower end of the spectrum.Now, overall, I really like this setup.I don't think that this particular model,like the Transformer 3 Pro,is the perfect version of this,particularly the battery life,but this is the only one youcould do it on right now.I love the fact that it's a tabletwhen you want it to be.You can connect a keyboardwhen you want to typeor just go ham on a keyboard.You have an external GPUif you want to play games.It's a super modular system.I think this is a really gooddirection for mobile computing.I think if I wasn't making YouTube videos,I would definitely try to makethis thing my daily driver.Hope you guys enjoyed this video.Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved itIt's been nice - and I'llsee you guys next time.\n"