Asus Transformer 3 Pro: like a Surface Pro ...

Construction

Chassis, keyboard, kickstand system ... Almost everything brings us back to the Surface Pro. From a purely qualitative point of view, this is not really a defect, the Microsoft models being very well designed. The chassis thus mixes aluminum and magnesium, for a result which is at once sober, harmonious and which brings an impression of solidity. Everything seems designed in one piece and no screws are visible; which should however be a problem in the event of repair. The air exhaust system, exclusively positioned on top, is efficient and manages heat generation well, while remaining quiet - we come back to this below.

At the rear, the stand takes up the entire length and opens very easily up to a very wide angle of inclination (155 °). We also appreciate the ignition and volume buttons, well located on the top and which fall impeccably under the fingers. The connection is relatively complete for this type of product, since we take advantage of a USB Type-C / Thunderbolt port, a USB 3 port, an HDMI port, an audio jack and a microSD card reader.

The Transformer 3 Pro is sold with a fairly heavy stylus at 1024 pressure levels. Its ergonomics are very good and the writing quite precise. We regret, however, the absence of a system to fix it on the chassis.

The keyboard is also inspired by the latest versions of Surface Pro and we will not complain as the typing is pleasant and precise. The keys are well spaced, the stroke is quite long (1.4 mm) and the whole benefits from 3 levels of backlighting. The slightly rough coating of the keys offers a rather peculiar feeling under the fingers, but which you will eventually get used to. No complaints about the touchpad, large for a two-in-one and that glides impeccably.

The Transformer 3 Pro heats very little and gives off a perfectly acceptable noise. After an hour of benchmarking with Unigine Heaver, there is a hot spot at 35.5 ° C at the front and 37.5 ° C at the rear, as well as a light breath, released from above, which rises to only 36 dB.

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Screen

The screen of the Asus Transformer 3 Pro can boast of being very slightly larger than that of the Surface Pro 4, but above all it offers a higher definition. This IPS panel offers a diagonal of 12.6 inches in WQHD + (2,880 x 1,920), all in 3: 2 format. Asus clearly seems to be aiming for excellence with this screen, and the manufacturer almost achieves it.

Readability is thus very good, thanks to a maximum brightness of 320 cd / m² and a contrast ratio of 850: 1. Figures above the average of laptops. But it is especially the colorimetry and the gamma curve that impress, since the Delta E (difference between the actual colors and the displayed colors, considered as excellent below 3) does not exceed 2, while the gamma curve is extremely stable. We therefore take advantage of very faithful colors and clearly discernible light and dark gradations.

delta color E = 2 gamma 2.2 temperature 7830 K

Unfortunately, the 5 stars are not reached because of a slightly disappointing color temperature which still rises to 7830 K, a figure quite far from the norm (6500 K). The rendering therefore tends to favor cold shades.

Still, the screen of this Transformer 3 Pro impresses overall by its readability and precision.

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Performances

This test version of the Transformer 3 Pro is equipped with a low-consumption Intel Core i7-6500U processor. It is a CPU engraved in 14 nm and equipped with two cores, for frequencies ranging from 2.5 GHz to 3.1 GHz. A processor found in many high-end ultraportables, such as the HP Specter 13 or the Dell XPS 13, but quite rare on a 2-in-1. The power index, based on a series of benchmarks, is therefore, not surprisingly, quite high.

In practice, the Transformer Pro 3 is comfortable with most office and productivity tasks, even the most advanced. For video editing or heavy photo editing, it will however be necessary to be patient.

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Games

The graphics part of the Asus Transformer 3 Pro is managed by an Intel Graphics 520 iGPU. As a result, it is difficult to expect high performance in 3D. Our power index under 3D Mark is thus far behind that of a GTX 960M and even more than a GTX 970M.

In practice, it is impossible to launch The Witcher 3 in Ultra mode. You have to settle for a few titles that are not very greedy (some MOBA, pixel-art games) or quite old.

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Mobility / Autonomy

Two-in-one requires, the Transformer 3 Pro is particularly easy and pleasant to transport (788 grams without the keyboard and 1.13 kg with). It fits easily in a medium size bag, charger included.

On the autonomy side, the results are quite average, since our streaming playback test (under Netflix and Chrome, brightness at 200 cd / m², headphones plugged in) only reached 4:06. A fairly low time which places the Transformer 3 Pro just behind an HP Elite x2 (4:37) and an Acer Switch Alpha 12 (4:26). By playing on energy saving and brightness, we can count on 5:30 am of versatile use.

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Audio

The headphone output of the Transformer 3 Pro is average for this type of product. It displays a low distortion rate (0.01%) and a particularly high output power (370 mVrms). The entire sound spectrum is well rendered.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the speakers. If the absence of bass and treble is noticeable, in favor of the midrange and high midrange (graphic above), we especially regret a very high saturation and easily perceptible to the ear. You should therefore avoid exceeding half the maximum volume to enjoy acceptable sound.

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Conclusion

It would be tempting to copy and paste the conclusion of the Surface Pro 4 test here, as the Transformer 3 Pro displays the same qualities and the same defects. We appreciate its design, certainly without originality, but very high-end, its very readable screen as well as its comfortable keyboard, but we deplore a lagging autonomy. This 2-in-1 is therefore one of the best on the market today, but it still does not achieve excellence.

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