Fremont, Calif. — Asus began accepting preorders of its Transformer Book T300 and T100 Chi series of thin two-in-one Windows 8.1 detachables through the Asus Store, Newegg.com, Amazon.com and other retailers.
They will be in stores May 6, a spokesperson told TWICE.
Two T100 Chi models and two T300 Chi models, ranging in price from $399 to $899, feature magnetic hinge that lets users keep the screen and keyboard attached for use as a laptop. Users can also detach the screen for use as a touchscreen tablet, flip the screen so it can be used as a tablet with the keyboard still attached but in back, and place the attached components in a “tent” position for use on a table or bed to watch videos and other content.
The new T100 Chi and T300 Chi sport a completely new design that’s slimmer, lighter and made completely of aluminum for the first time, the spokesperson said. The hinge mechanism was also changed from a traditional connector/locking mechanism to an easier to dock and undock magnetic hinge, which incorporates strong neodymium magnets, the spokesperson said.
Also new is the T300 Chi’s energy-efficient Intel Core M processor to deliver excellent performance and “great battery life,” he added.
The selection starts with a $399 T100CHI-B1-BK with FullHD 1,920 by 1,200 10.1-inch touchscreen with Intel Atom Z3775 2.39GHz quad-core processor. The top of the four-SKU selection consists of the $899 T300CHI-FH011H with 12.5-inch WQHD 2,560 by 1,440 touchscreen with Intel Core 64-bit 2.9GHGz dual-core processor.
All feature all-day battery life, IPS display, fanless design, all-aluminum unibody, diamond-cut chamfering on the edges, and free one-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal Edition and 1TB of Microsoft OneDrive.
The 10.1-inch T100 Chi is promoted as the world’s thinnest Windows tablet at 0.28 inches when the display is detached. The T300 Chi measures just 0.65 inch when the display and keyboard are docked, making it thinner than the Apple MacBook Air, the company said.
All models combine three display layers into a single piece of glass, eliminating air gaps to deliver more vibrant images, improved sharpness and a wider color gamut, the company added.
Here’s what the products offer:
The $399 T100CHI-B1-BK and $449 T100CHI-C1-BK are alike in all respects, but the former features 32GB eMMC storage, and the latter features 64GB eMMC storage. Both feature 2GB RAM, Intel Atom Z3775 quad-core CPU up to 2.39 GHz, 10.1-inch LED Backlit FullHD 1,920 by 1,200 IPS multitouch display, 2-megapixel HD front camera, 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, Micro SDXC slot up to 128GB, one Micro USB 3.0 input, one MicroHDMI input, 802.11a/b/g/n (dual-band) and Bluetooth 4.0.
The T100 display measures 10.1 by 6.9 by 0.3 inches, and the display and keyboard together measure 10.1 by 6.9 by 0.5 inches and weigh 2.4 pounds.
The $699 T300CHI-F1-DB and $899 T300CHI-FH011H feature 64-bit Windows 8.1 but feature different displays, processor power and RAM.
The T300CHI-F1-DB features Intel Core M 5Y10 dual-core CPU running up to 2.0GHz, 12.5-inch LED-backlit FullHD 1,920 by 1,080 IPS multitouch display, 2-megapixel HD camera, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD storage, Micro SDXC slot up to 128GB, MicroHDMI input and one MicroUSB 3.0 input.
The $899 T300CHI-FH011H steps up to Intel Core M 5Y71 dual-core processor running up to 2.9GHz, 12.5-inch LED-backlit WQHD 2,560 by 1,440 IPS multitouch display, 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage.
Both models’ displays measure 12.5 by 7.5 by 0.3 inches and weigh 1.6 pounds. The display with attached keyboard weighs 3.2 pounds.
