ASUS Announces Eee Pad Transformer Prime with Tegra 3 Quad-Core Processor

The title of king amongst all tablets, at least in terms of the number of cores packed into a single piece of silicone, now belongs to ASUS, who officially announced the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The Transformer Prime is the world’s first tablet to feature NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra 3 processor and a 12-core GeForce GPU and vSMP technology. This is expected to deliver the best and fastest experience for tablet based multitasking, web browsing, full HD video playback and games. ASUS collaborated with NVIDIA to bring the Tegra 3 to the Transformer Prime, signaling the coming of a new breed of ultra powerful tablet devices. The Transformer Prime will feature Google Android‘s latest Ice Cream Sandwich release.

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The Transformer Prime is only 8.3mm thin and weighs in at a scant 586g. The skinny tablet features a metallic swirl finish design, which is a trademark of ASUS, and made of aluminum. It comes in two colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold.

The Transformer Prime uses a brighter Super IPS+ display (1280 x 800 resolution) which is an improvement over its predecessor, that boasts a wide 178° viewing angle. The brilliant display is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass. A 1.2MP front camera allows for video conferencing complements the 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash. The camera is backed by a large F2.4 aperture, back illuminated CMOS sensor, touch-to-focus depth of field and low light noise reduction – impressive. And first for any tablet, the 8MP camera on the Transformer Prime also has the ability to take full 1080p HD video. Nice.

The Transformer Prime comes in both 32GB and 64GB variants, along with a micro SD card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jack and micro HDMI port. The uniqueness of the Transformer Prime is of course the mobile dock, which provides the user with a keyboard and touchpad, along with limitless expandability options via the USB port and SD card slot. With the dock, Alone, battery life is an incredible 18 hours*, the longest battery life of any tablet.

*Battery life may vary based on usage.

Some specs at a glance:

Full gallery below:
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No word on availability nor pricing for the Malaysian market as yet.

[spoiler title=”Show Official Press Release”]
ASUS Announces the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, the World’s First Tablet Featuring the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Quad-Core Processor

Designed to enhance the mobile computing experience
Taipei, Taiwan (November 9, 2011) — ASUS has officially announced the world’s first tablet featuring the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor – the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Cooperatively working with NVIDIA® to launch the first quad-core tablet in the world, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime features the innovative ASUS exclusive mobile dock, presenting a harmony of beauty and strength. ASUS CEO Jerry Shen says, “The combination between the Eee Pad Transformer Prime and Tegra 3 is the perfect fusion to deliver an uncompromising tablet experience. Together, we bring a whole new mobile computing experience to consumers around the world”. Echoing that sentiment, NVIDIA’s President and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang states, “The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a category-defining product. Powered by Tegra 3, it brings us into a new era of mobile computing, in which quad-core performance and super energy-efficiency provide capabilities never available before. With Transformer Prime, ASUS has once again led the industry into the next generation.”

In addition to having superior multimedia performance, the Transformer Prime also boasts an 8.3mm ultra slim metallic spun finish with enhanced features including audio powered by ASUS SonicMaster technology, an 8MP rear auto-focus camera with LED flash and battery life rated for up to 18 hours* when combined with the mobile dock. An official launch event with live demonstration will be scheduled soon. ASUS will unveil what happens when the Eee Pad Transformer Prime meets Ice Cream Sandwich.

Incredibly slim
Featuring an incredibly slim form factor, the Transformer Prime is a svelte 8.3mm thin and the only metallic tablet that weighs in at a mere 586g. It brandishes a metallic spun finish design made of aluminum for a secure yet extremely comfortable grip that comes in two gorgeous colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold

Unrivaled visual acuity
The Eee Pad Transformer already boasts a wide 178° viewing angle IPS display, protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass, but the Transformer Prime goes further, upgraded with a brighter Super IPS+ screen that enhances the brightness of the screen for a better outdoor reading experience. A 1.2MP front camera allows for video conferencing while an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash takes brilliant photos thanks to a large F2.4 aperture, back illuminated CMOS sensor, touch-to-focus depth of field and low light noise reduction to provide the clearest and sharpest photos. A first for any tablet, the 8MP camera on the Transformer Prime also has the ability to take full 1080p HD video.

Supreme sound
The Transformer Prime houses impressive audio, powered by ASUS exclusive SonicMaster technology, renowned for crisp and acoustically accurate audio. It produces crystal clear sound with a wide sound range, increased sound fidelity, and distinct vocal enhancements not found on any other tablet in the market.

Unlimited productivity
The Transformer Prime is offered in both a 32GB and 64B model along with a micro SD card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jack and micro HDMI port so sharing both what’s inside and on screen is quick and easy. However, the function that gives the Transformer Prime its namesake is the mobile dock, which gives new meaning to the term versatility. The innovative and convenient design seamlessly provides the user with a keyboard and touchpad, along with limitless expandability options via the USB port and SD card slot. Alone, the Transformer Prime has a battery life of up to 12 hours*, but when combined with the mobile dock, it lasts up to an incredible 18 hours*, the longest battery life of any tablet. Preinstalled application SuperNote is fantastic for its ability to take, draw or record notes, while Polaris® Office is great for staying productive with the ability to read and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-2007 version compatible) files.

*Battery life may vary based on usage.

Specs:

(1) Battery life may vary based on usage scenario

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