The Chi Makes a Grand Entry

Asus today announced the launch of the 2 in 1 detachable that changes from a full functioning laptop to a more than impressive tablet which is one of the thinnest in the market. As Aadil Shaikh, Head of Product Marketing Department for Middle East Region describes it that

“the idea behind Chi was the inspirational art of Tai Chi which means inner peace and helps in attaining perfect balance. It is the device that gives the best of both worlds. It is also a recipient of the CES 2015 Innovation award for the good mix of performance and power efficiency for a laptop-tablet hybrid. The Chi is a very flexible and quite power packed which means no hassles in portability”.

The Chi is razor thin, all amounting to just 12.3mm thickness and a 1.65 cm height after being folded with the screen attached. It is quite the competition to the MacBook and its thickness which was the talking point when it was announced. Combine with it the fanless architecture and the magnet hinge design for the docking which can withstand up to 2 KGs of weight and this is definitely an eye catcher. Also the total weight of the device is only 720G as a tablet 750 with the keyboard which eases portability.

The display is In-Plane Switching with Asus TruVivid which enhances the colors; give wider viewing angles and good clarity. The resolution of 2560×1440 and pixel density of 235ppi, it’s definitely a good fighter for the display front while comparing to other devices that are present. The screen size stands at 12.5 inches with an Intel HD Graphics card Along with display details Asus has also focused quite a bit on the color production for the screen. sRGB gamut which is 20% wider and also is 72% NTSC compared to the competitor that is the MacBook.

ASUS SonicMaster audio technology gives the Transformer Book T300 Chi the edge over the competition when it comes to sound quality. The superior engineering and cleverly-designed software delivers immersive sound that is rich, powerful and distortion-free, with clear vocals and a full-range frequency response.

The performance is always a talking point for any hybrid or any device in particular. It’s one of the main factors in choosing your next device so therefore in this hybrid as well Asus has not fallen flat in this aspect.  Intel M Core with Windows 8 and having a close to 8 hours long battery life inspite of being a hybrid. The thermal management system is quite enhanced so the fanless design is not a risk when it comes to overheating. A 128GB SSD is used for the memory while the RAM stands a mighty 4GB DDR 3 ensuring that processing speed will remain top notch. The SSD will provide speed 9 times faster than the traditional HDDs. It uses USB 3.0 connection via a USB Type-B which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0. Well at least they did not follow Apple’s supposed blunder by making a single USB Type-C port to do 4-5 functions but rather played it safe by sticking with Type-B.

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Hands on Impression:

These days making a hybrid of a laptop and tablet does require quite a bit of research and thinking. If even one of the features and performance bits are lacking then the whole idea behind making such a device becomes less of a spectacle. But looking at this T300 I can surely say that this is going to give the Microsoft’s Surface a run for its money. It is easily transformable between both types and performance wise also quite a competitor to other tablets around town. The display was as crisp as Asus claims it and the portability is quite easy with the low weight and small size. Keyboard is quite the standard one as there can be no funky ideas for it while the touch is quite smooth as well. Touch response is also quite good. At 12.5 Inches screen size though for my small hands it’s not quite easy to use as a tablet but nonetheless for a hybrid it still is a very good device. Since everyone has a different impression, my impression for this device is good enough for me to possibly go for this if and when I require such a device in the future.

To complement the sophistication and elegance of the Transformer Book T300 Chi, a special range of beautiful yet practical accessories are available.The Active Stylus Pen allows users to write, draw or annotate items anywhere on the screen with a rechargeable battery that lasts up to two months battery life on a single charge. The Chi TriCover is a magnetically-secured cover that provides full protection for Chi, and also has a built-in multi-position stand that props up Chi at the perfect angle for typing or entertainment. There’s also a handy pen holder on the cover.Chi Case is a two-piece cover that gives full all-round protection for Chi’s tablet and keyboard, while also allowing the two to be detached. It also has all the openings for the ports to be accessible through the cover. It’s basically a cover that provides protection with a style statement.

The ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi is now available at leading retailers across the region with an RRP of 2,699 AED. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.