Just when we all were happy that the ASUS Transformer Prime was finally starting to reach our doorsteps and resellers were getting stock ASUS goes and announces another one — but I’m not complaining. This is the Transformer Prime 1920 x 1200 display full 1080p version and they are calling it the ASUS Transformer 700 series.

We all know plenty about the Transformer Prime (see our review below) and it’s specs so we don’t need to go into details and will keep this short and sweet so you can see the hands-on pictures and our Shadowgun in 1080p on a tablet demo below. Yes this is almost exactly the same as the original only it has been upgraded with an enhanced IPS display with a massive 1920 x 1200 resolution. Gaming looks simply stunning to say the least, more on that below.

the key differences are in the display, and on the rear of the device. As you can see below gone is the radial-spun aluminum and instead they’ve replaced the entire top with a hard plastic. This should help all those nagging issues with GPS and WiFi that we’ve been hearing plenty of reports about. This should fix all those problems as the aluminum design was causing the signals to suffer in the original Prime.

Enough about those small changes, check out the extremely impressive hands-on video of us playing the popular Tegra 2/3 shooter called Shadowgun. This Tegra 3 enhanced version ran at the full native 1920 x 1200 resolution and is truly what you’d call HD mobile gaming. The image was as HD as I’ve seen and it was incredible.

The new ASUS Transformer 700 series will be available in early Q2 and will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It will be priced at $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 64GB flavor. After watching that video who wants one?

35 COMMENTS

    • Can I just buy it from you (provided you have the keyboard dock too) instead of you sending it back? Can’t find anywhere to buy it lol.

  4. available early Q2? the Prime was supposed to be available like 4 months ago, and its still out of stock almost everywhere, and has to arrive in some countries. Asus should take some marketing lessons from Apple

    Also, what I don’t like about this device is the fact that the same hardware has to run a screen with about 2.5x as much pixels, might actually turn slower

    • You’ll have to follow up. I am supposed to finally get mine next Wednesday and if I have wifi problems too, I am contacting a lawyer and this will be a class action suit because they are knowingly selling them while coming out with an “upgraded” version that has a fix. At the very least they should have to recall our units and replace the backs on them with a redesign of some kind.

      • I haven’t put my prime down since i got it.  love the device.  no wifi issues at all.   some minor quirks from time to time, but nothing to fuss at.  now we just need some more ics apps.  thats the only thing missing.  netflix works great – mini hdmi to tv looks good.  i can’t complain

      • I agree with you. I got mine and love it as well. I think the issues were overblown. Does it upset me a bit that they are releasing a newer model already with a changed back? Sure, but my wi-fi has been fine and even the GPS seems to work acceptably, not like I ever planned to use it as a nav device anyway.

    • I have had absolutely no problems with the wifi on my prime. the thing works great.
      unless mine is “special” I don’t think you will have any issues. 🙂

  6. No one was forced to buy the 201. If you bought but haven’t received the 201 cancel the order and wait until the 700 comes out. As it is many 201 owners are quite happy with their device. Take in a deep breath and be glad to be alive and thankful you can even access such amazing technology.

  7. Damn that’s ugly! Why did asus drop out the previous sleek design and be so careless on this one?? At least they should have the decency to make it all black! Won’t be buying that due to the really lame design! 🙁

    • you must have the baddest taste in tablet design. LOL! you think the tf prime has a sleek design?? that over acting spun finish that hurts the eye.. the design, if you compare that to someone else’s style would be Lady Gaga..

      so I guess you lure over that kind of style.. 

      • I agree with Genpt10  I LOVE the desing of the current prime. It is very sleek and looks very well built…that new one is extremly ugly and I wouldn’t buy just because of the design. The design of the current one is what first attracted me to it in the beginning.

      • Just a reminder that this does come out in Q2 of this year, so they do have a few months to update the backing of the Prime 700 to a more lavish design if they choose.  

        For better GPS, WIFI, Camera, and Resolution, I don’t care if the Prime 700 came in pea soup green.

        I was going to pick up the Current Prime, however Hardware issues and the new 700 is coming out have changed my mind. Good thing i decided not to preorder the current version.  

        Moral of the story….Patience is a Virtue

  8. the only design was nicer to look at BUT that means nothing when the Wi-Fi and GPS didn’t work right….glad to see they changed that…the only problem is I was 100% set on the TP and was all set to buy one not caring what was in store a couple months down the road…now that i waited cuz of the problems when this one hits I’m not 100% anymore cuz I’ll also have a Lenovo, an Acer, and a few others to consider all with ICS, Quad Cores, and 1080p res….sigh.

    • I’m in the exact same boat, if I could have walked in Best Buy and picked up a Prime a couple weeks ago I’d have one, and I’d be irritated already:)

      But now that I know I’m waiting till Q2 for the “enhanced” version there should be at least two other very serious contenders to consider. I think it would be silly to buy a tablet now, unless you were getting one of the older less expensive models.

    • Mine works GREAT. I don’t have any issues with wifi or GPS. I bought mine from OD and it shipped from Ohio. Idk if that makes a difference tho. Try it. You can always return it.

  9. I’m seriously irritated. I need something now so I ordered the prime. Now I find out in a few months a new one will come out that basically just fixes issues with the one I ordered. Aughhh.

  10. That thing is soooo ugly!  I would buy something else before I would buy that.  I am getting the current transformer prime and assuming the wifi works as intended…I’m keeping it.  That one is UGLY and they can keep the better screen.

  11. I don’t know what anyone is talking about. The Transformer Prime looks awful. Giant logo in the center, weird spiral design.. no thanks. If they just had a straight plastic black or silver for that I would have ordered it in a heartbeat (well, if any were even in stock anywhere lol). I love the new design and can’t wait to pre-order.

  12. This is the shortest model update in Android tablet history, and for good reason. Guess when the WiFi issue on the Prime became apparent Asus finally DID test the Prime and found how poorly the all-metal design was performing.

    They immediately started to rework it and have the TF700 ready NOW. Trouble is, all the Prime owners now are F*d.
    If I had a chance to cancel mine (I cant even return it anymore), I would.

    This model will likely fix everything that is wrong with the Prime, which in many respects underperforms its predecessor, the original Transformer. Probably the Prime is so hard to come by b/c the TF700 is already in production. A video review by an Asus tech blog said “really soon”…

  14. Frankly, I haven’t had any problems with my Prime.  The ICS update went through smoothly and I was getting a pretty solid 25-36 mbps bandwidth.  it’s good enough to do netflix on HQ and not studder.  I just don’t think a resolution bump is really worth the extra $100 when the guts are pretty much the same.

  15. With All the nonsense Asus has pulled with releasing their products and then the inferior GPS and WiFi – I think I will wait to see what Samsung does next. I don’t like Apple, but at least thier product works.
    Asus should be ashamed of them selves – Ever hear of testing ?
    People should return their Primes and demand a refund, or threaten a class action lawsuit.
    The product Asus sold has defective hardware.
    You are paying good money- demand a product that works – specs on paper mean MUCH Less than real world usage – This is where Asus failed.
    Pitiful job All around – ASUS

    Samsung- This is your chance to show how it is done – Add on board SD Expansion and come out with a Pproduct that works and keep All that Asus offered and you will be king of the hill.
    Also add a rubberized back (Plastic underneath)
    And don’t forget  Infared and RF …….

    •  The iphone had horrific problem with reception dubbed “antenna gate.” have you forgotten about that?. Even their new phone has problem with battery issues. It’s not just ASUS.

  16. I love my prime!  I don’t have a bit of wifi issues.  Sure it drops to 2-3 bars pretty easily, however  I don’t notice a reduction in productivity or downloading pages….it gets actually the same exact “reception” as my samsung galaxy and my ipod touch.  both drop to 2-3 bars fairly quickly the farther away you get  however no noticable difference in performance until you lose signal…which for me is in my car at the end of the driveway about 60 or so feet away outside.  I think too many people heard why they recalled the first few and now everybody is hung up on doing speed test and watching their bars in stead of paying attention to the real life experience.  Not to say there hasn’t been those that had real wifi issues…..but I don’t see a difference in this tablet compared to any other device I have (including my sisters ipad)…..The nature of WIFI is the farther away from the signal you are the less bars you will get.  That is how it works with wifi.

    •  Our tf201, currently on update “15”, can’t get a connection in rooms where a galaxy tab 8.9 loads webpages fine. When the prime is in the same room as the router, it can max out our cable internet (20Mbps/2Mbps).

  19. good… hopefully this will knock the current TF201 a little in price and I’ll pick it up and get the dock.

    Really a fan of the metal spun design on the older one, looked sturdy and nice, especially when in the dock it just looked like a small ultra-book. This one will just look sorta cheap :/. from what everyone says, i think i can live with the current specs making it ONLY the second best on the market when compared to this one.

  20. Too bad ASUS, you really didn’t solve the wi-fi or GPS problem by going back to a “plastic” design.  Not what I would call forward thinking or design, but rather a cheap fix. 

  21. Not 700T till end of year per officials from Asus! Cannot buy it in HK or Taiwan!!!
    Sad news. Asus missed the chance to be top dog over ipad 3.

  22. ASUS is just changing the configuration a little bit and makes some minor cosmetic changes.

    They missed to bring up real innovations.

  23. They should make much bigger steps and not bring out a new one for every slightest change.

    I for instance would buy one with:
     1920×1200 Full HD,

     LTE, USB 3.0 (because of speed & power saving!), maybe also Thunder Bolt (even much faster…formerly known as Light Peak),

     Stereo Sound!!!,

     Gorilla Glass 2 (even stronger).

    …and of course also a more powerful quad core CPU!

    (ASUS, make it possible together with LTE…you have got to make up for a lot of trouble now. You really managed to annoy customers to infinity oo in a historical way)!

    Best wishes,
    Raf

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