We’ve been able to acquire the new iPad and I thought it might be apt to compare it with one of the leading Android tablets around, the Transformer Prime. And to be fair to the iPad 3, we’re detaching the keyboard dock on the Prime for this exercise.
Already wrote and posted some unboxing photos over at TechWireAsia as well as some first impressions so we’re done with that and we can go straight to the comparison.
Comparing the new iPad 3 to the Asus Transformer Prime might look easy on paper but actual features will vary and be in favor of the other during real-world use.
Let’s look at the specs first so we get a bigger picture, then we’ll dissect some of the key features.
First up is the display — clearly the new iPad, with its 2048×1536 pixel resolution, beats the crap out of the Transformer Prime which has only 1280×800 pixels. Well, this is true if you’re like less than a foot away from the display. If you zoom in closer, you’d see this.
This is not something new. We always see this difference between a lot of smartphone displays.
However, at around 2 feet or farther, the sharpness and crispness between the display of the two tablets are already indistinguishable. The Transformer Prime also uses a more advanced Super IPS+ screen compared to the regular IPS LCD on the iPad so the Prime got some redeeming factor here. Still, the iPad with its full HD display prevails.
The camera on both tablets boast of full HD 1080p video recording. On paper, the 8MP camera of the Prime beats the iPad 3’s 5MP shooter but in the end it’s the quality of photos and videos that will matter. So far, the photos on the iPad are much more focused, cleaner and sharper. It’s still too early to tell since I need to get more samples but for the time being, I’d say the iPad has the upper hand.
Pure processing power is the name of the game for Android tablets and the Transformer Prime boasts of the best chipset a tablet can have. On the other hand, there was also a lot of confusion about the processor on the new iPad — it’s actually a dual-core A5x chip with quad-core graphics.
Apple was clever to focus the marketing and make it sound like the iPad has a quad-core chip (hence, they tend to higlight it as an A5x chip with quad-core grahics). In comparison, the Transformer Prime uses an NVidia Tegra 3 chip — that’s a quad-core processor running at 1.6GHz paired with 12-core graphics.
Based on the number of cores alone, the Prime trumps the iPad 3 in this department. However, actual performance might vary especially that the two tablets use different operating systems. We’ll have to look for an even playing field to fairly measure this but for the meantime, I’ll give the point to the Prime.
The new iPad has features that are absent or lacking on the Transformer Prime — cellular features (LTE/HSPA+), built-in GPS (Asus dropped the GPS in their specs sheet) and a faster Bluetooth 4.0.
The Transformer Prime got a bit of an edge over the iPad with the following — higher entry-level storage (32GB vs. 16GB), option for removable storage (via mciroSD card slot), a thinner and lighter profile, and allegedly better battery life (needs to be tested). Again, we’re not counting here the benefits of the keyboard dock and extra battery that comes with it.
The biggest disparity though between the two is that the Transformer Prime has been around since first week of February (albeit on a limited release) while the new iPad has not yet been released in the Philippines.
when will ipad hd be available in the philippines?
In the end there will always be iOS fanboys and Android fanboys.
Of course.. In any competitions, there are always faithful supporters..
But the bright side is, new comers will be informed before taking sides..
There will really be people who will choose iPhones, but at least after reading, they will choose it because they chose simplicity and not because their dumb.
NMH.
Transformer prime is really worth it, hope they can make scrolling more fluid and responsive like Apple did.
I’m no techie, but based on what I’ve read (the article itself and several commentaries), I think Transformer Prime is worth my money.
Been waiting for this review for some weeks now. Time to buy myself a Transformer Prime. Thank you, Sir Abe.
It’s second rate because it runs a second rate OS.
Since you were born Apple devices lang ba alam mo gamitin? sucks to be you fanboy. haha
I’m sure it sucks not being able to afford an Apple device.
Classic!!! The Apple=”can afford” issue eh’.. pls not again! poor fanboy what an attitude. haha
Hey hey hey @Marc. Hold your horses pre..
@Kart
So with your expert opinion, how do you define a First Rate OS?
An OS that you can do nothing but download apps or an OS that you can allow you to defy the impossible?
Correct me if i’m wrong with this, but aren’t these devices made with these kinds of thinking?
Apple = Appliance (TV, Radio, Tamagochi)
Android = Little Computer (Can do anything)
I’m having quite a hard time analyzing a point of a SECOND RATE GADGET USER like YOU, Kart.
Can you please enlighten us with your vast knowledge in terms of OS?
Seems like your grammar missed a bit. Is this what your trying to say?
“Posts like that of @miata can make him look dumb.”
oh and I agree with you BTW. But casual gadget users, like @miata, based on his comment, don’t care much. sad fact.
Why buy a second rate Android tablet when you can just buy the iPad instead?
I’m quite not sure if you mean that (hope not) or you just want to start a fire.. ehehe.
Posts like your’s can sometimes make themselves seem dumb.. geez. casual gadget user..
I’m quite not sure if you mean that (hope not) or you just want to start a fire.. ehehe.
Posts like yours can sometimes make themselves seem dumb.. geez. casual gadget user..
How this android tablet became second rate? If you can prove it, I’ll believe you.
why settle for Jollibee’s 39ers, Mcdo’s chicken fillet meal, and ride MRT/LRT services just to have an iphone?
i think these are the kind of people that owns an iphone nowadays. i’m happy for them, for it’s a BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT in their life. after a tiring 8 hours of office work it’s a great day to celebrate.
@diet
“why settle(the hardships)… just to have an iphone?”
– People do that just to have an iPhone?? These people look like STATUS seekers to me when you say it like that..
I think these great hardworking people want to enter the smartphone echelon but are not well educated about the market.. So what will they eventually buy? What they only know, an iPhone..
What we need to do is inform them by posting relevant info in forums like yugatech. How great non-iPhone handsets are. Android, WP7, new Symbian, forget Blackberry. ^^
“after a tiring 8 hours of office work it’s a great day to celebrate.”
– Exactly. So why buy a limiting phone that is SOOOOoo expensive?
When you can buy a SUPERPHONE and will still have enough money to buy your mom ANOTHER GADGET and CHECK-IN WITH YOUR GF in a very nice motel. All of this still even cheaper than iPhone..
Most people didn’t buy MACs instead of WindowsPC before right? It’s cheper, customizable, and oh so powerful. Same with smartphones.
“And to be fair to the iPad 3, we’re detaching the keyboard dock on the Prime for this exercise.”
– Ehehe! Love it. cause it really is IMBA.. whaddap!
Maybe iPad with 2core-cpu and 4core-gpu is great for games and processing the retina display.
But having a 4core-cpu and 12core-gpu PLUS keyboard dock will surely blow your multiple tasks away.. Not to mention ang Porma mo outside with that detachable thingy.. ehehe!
It still falls to self preferences.. newipad is great for casual gadget users, and trasformer prime is, well, too powerful to fall in the wrong hands.. ^^
both are great tablets… on one side though, i’d give a bit more credit to the prime for the keyboard dock… on the other hand, apple has been known to support even its legacy devices and it’s one factor to prolong your gadget’s life a bit farther.
Hey Yuga, is the weight difference noticeable? The increased weight makes me reluctant to even consider an iPad (not for myself).
Yes, kung sanay kanang gumamit ng previous generation iPad. But Compared to Asus Prime, its not that significant or hardly noticeable.
Actually yeah, I can feel the difference.
Also please take note of the LTE of the new Ipad. I’ve read that tgere are some incompatibility problems in the “signal” of LTE in other country. If I remember it right, Australian user are sueing Apple for it due to its incompatibility of LTE in their local network…but Apple said, if the telco LTE is specifically listed in their website, it means Apple is 100% sure LTE connection is compatibleto that network, but if not, its just 3G connection.
Great review Yuga, but all the points mentioned here are all about the products’ specs. How about user experience? What product does the job faster and better? What product makes users use it more?
I know that you all know that it’s not always about the specs. Take previous iPads as examples. No LTE support, crappy camera, steep price, etc. But hey, it became the world’s best selling tablet. Wonder why?
Just my two cents
Leaving that part out for the full review by tomorrow. :)
I agree to all the guys above.
“The biggest disparity though between the two is that the Transformer Prime has been around since first week of February (albeit on a limited release) while the new iPad has not yet been released in the Philippines.”
I think the new iPad is going to beat the overall sales of both the Transformer and Transformer Prime.
way to go captain obvious. apple is more popular, and today’s generation goes with the trend.
Its no brainer argument actually. The iPad use iOS which is exclusively for Apple devices=NO COMPETITION. While Asus Prime is on the Android platform=GAZILLION COMPETITION. :D
And one more thing.
“I think the new iPad is going to beat the overall sales…”
Comments like these are quite fanboyish.. no? Are you a $500/share holder of Apple? What would you gain in being happy and bragging their overall sales?
Don’t you think what’s important is if you are being given a power to choose? and well a powerful gadget also.. ^^
now the real question. Are you able to choose further after buying from them?
Bluetooth 4.0 is not really faster Bluetooth. The core feature of Bluetooth 4.0 is “Bluetooth Low Energy” which allows Bluetooth 4.0 devices to communicate at around half the peak power consumption of the classic standard Bluetooth. The downside of that power savings found in BLE directly corresponds to to the extension of battery power as Bluetooth 4.0’s data rate is ten percent of the Bluetooth 2.1. Bluetooth 4.0 offers the possibility to switch between BLE low or classic high power modes, which would mean using both Bluetooth 4.0 and either Bluetooth 2.1 or 3.0.
You have a point there. OTA transfer is actually slower but if we look at latency, connection rate is still faster. :)
Can you also add the price for this 2 tablets.
Not until the new iPad is officially released in the Philippines.
Theres no comparison actually, its like comparing apples to mangoes. Ganito lang kasimple, if you want iOS go for ipad, for Andriod, Asus Prime is simply the best of the rest. Both are great products.
Like.
Very well said. Unlike me, medyo my cheap-shot palagi.. ^^
i agree, it’s a choice whether you want android or ios, that’s why i bought bb playbook :D
I agree.
Comparison is not “apples to apples” but “apples to mangoes”
It really ends up with what the user wants and not what’s hip or in trend.
Oh and there are alot of fanboys in here hehehehe
I just bought my new iPad around 2 weeks ago and I really love this tablet. It’s fast and simply amazing. I love the idea of using an advanced processor. Honestly, I hated apple for many years because of its high price.. hahaha.. I always said that Android gadgets are better… Now, I can say that new ipad is indeed one of the best tablets in the market… :)
I have to agree with you. Actually, Ipad is incomparable with the tablets in the market, it can only be compared to other gen of ipad as they say :)
“I love the idea of using an advanced processor.”
newiPad = dual core, 4-core GPU.
TransformerPrime = quad core, 12-core GPU.
What do you love again? I think, you just don’t know your Android before.. you should’ve got an Apple product in the first place cause High End androids are too powerful to fall in the wrong hands.. ehehe!
Great comparison.
actually, I don’t see the point of a faster bluetooth in iPad since you can’t freely (and in a legit way if I may add) transfer files to and from different devices.
Wow. Exactly, right? right?
BT4.0 I guess will be beneficial for sending a copy of your newly, mobile downloaded, big file size, apps, music, documents, pictures, and TORRENT. oh yes, in other devices these great things can be done..
one more thing, this can be managed using a file manager, yes they have it. (e.g. Windows Explorer type of thing)