Review: Asus Transformer Pad TF103C (Model K010)
You’ve seen a couple of reviews of the Asus Transformer Pad from me over the last few months. But the ones that I’ve reviewed were all running the Windows 8.1 OS. The Transformer Pad I am going to write about today which is the TF103C runs Android. Specifically Android 4.4.2 KitKat. But I am getting ahead of myself. Here’s a look at this Transformer Pad:
Like other Transformer Pads, you can detach the keyboard and use it as a 10″ tablet:
Detaching the screen from the keyboard is easy. Simply press the button and it detaches easily. It also reattaches easily as it simply clicks into place once you line things up. In terms of connectivity, it’s got what you need. It has micro USB port and a MicroSD slot as well. Not to mention Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS too which is an interesting addition. The 10.1-inch, 1,280-by-800-pixel LCD is bright and while not the absolutely sharpest that I’ve seen, is sharp enough and I doubt you’ll complain. There are two rear-facing speaker grills on the left and right side and they’re decent when it comes to sound quality.
In terms of the keyboard, the keys can feel a bit cramped, but it didn’t take long for me to get used to and it’s better than using any on-screen keyboard. The trackpad is responsive and supports gestures like two-finger scrolling. Though there are some oddities such as the fact that if you want to reposition the cursor, you tap the trackpad rather than click it. That will throw some users, but you’ll get used to it.
Now under the hood you get the following:
- Quad-core 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3745 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 16GB Storage
- 2-megapixel camera rear camera
- 0.3-megpaixel front-facing camera
Performance is pretty good with the processor that this Transformer Pad comes with. Nothing that I threw at it slowed it down. Now the 16GB of storage is a bit on the light side given that you can only use 11GB of it, but at least you can expand it via the MicroSD slot. The cameras are average. You can use them for videoconferencing and my tests found the quality in that application to be acceptable. The battery life on this Transformer Pad topped out at 7 hours which is decent for most people.
Asus has packaged KitKat with their custom skin on top. That makes some aesthetic changes and adds a few features on top of the stock Android experience. Icons, settings menus, and default apps are colorful and flat. There’s an Audio Wizard app for tweaking the sound signature, which only really has an effect if you’re wearing nice headphones or using an external speaker. Also onboard is a display color calibration tool, which lets you adjust color temperature and saturation. One handy feature that I didn’t test is that there are a few power saving modes, which limit network connections and background data to varying degrees to maximize the battery life. Being an Android tablet means that you get access to the Google Play library of apps which can be an advantage as you get a large suite of apps to choose from.
So, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. What will you pay for the Transformer Pad TF103? You can expect to pay under $300 USD. Unless you have an allegiance to Windows 8.1 I can’t see a reason why you shouldn’t consider the Transformer Pad TF103. It’s a perfectly suitable tablet with the option for a keyboard that’s targeted lower-end user. Not that that’s a bad thing. In fact, I think it should find some buyers because of that.
January 1, 2015 at 12:46 pm
I bought this Transformer Pad for my Wife for Christmas. I am a career computer nerd, if you will. I have been working in Computers for 20 years. This is one slick computing pad! Talk to it, take pictures, print from it, get-send email, text, etc; Download docs to it. Seamless Wireless connectivity. Like ASUS motherboards, excellent! ON the down side, finding the apps needed to do work with, Word processor, spreadsheets, etc; (my wife is a Clinical Dietitian), one has to hunt to find the good apps from the junk.
In a nutshell this is an excellent investment and I got it with the attachable keyboard for less than $300.00. It was a homerun!
March 2, 2015 at 12:33 am
For the word processor use the kingsoft app, it’s decent compact and free. (If you’re still looking)
April 1, 2018 at 11:53 am
How can I make the make the ASUS Tablet Model K010 operate faster?
May 8, 2015 at 7:19 pm
I have had this tablet for around 8 months now and I love it. I am a professional poker player and all the poker apps I use to play (including PKR which is a 3D site) work fine and it is great for watching films. I instantly bought a 32GB SD card to counter the lack in internal memory for media storage. I picked mine up fully refurbished and in excellent condition for £100 and it was worth every penny. IPad Air 2 you say? No thanks, I am converted to ASUS and Android cheers!
July 5, 2015 at 1:48 am
how do you right hand click
August 23, 2015 at 5:50 am
Just hold your finger down over the bit you want to copy until it turns blue, then a little box comes up above right, with copy or paste as an option. Then when you wish to paste, just hold your finger down on the place and the little box comes up.
November 1, 2015 at 3:22 pm
I purchased this tablet about 6 months ago. I was told at the store that I could add/use a memory stick to it. I cannot find an opening for this. There is the opening at the bottom to attach a keyboard. And my battery dies after about 2 to 3 hours. I play a lot of games on it. I have downloaded samples of books to read on here, but I find it slightly awkward to hang on to when reading. Mostly, I leave it plugged into the wall while I play games, then I don’t worry about the battery dying. I do love the tablet!!!
December 17, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Does the k010 have a HDMI port as I’m struggling to locate one. Thanks
December 21, 2015 at 10:18 am
Not that I am aware of.
September 28, 2016 at 3:11 pm
i am sort of a nerd , i love tecnology and when i got this as a gift as i was super excited. It has been a great tablet this last year but now im having problems with it , the battery drains really fast and now i can’t get the screen to respod to my touch. Please help im going crazy.
December 31, 2016 at 5:55 pm
[…] Review: Asus Transformer Pad TF103C (Model K010) […]
July 17, 2017 at 10:49 pm
My ASUS k010 is driving me nuts. It consistently turns off games or the internet while I am on it. It goes back to the home screen, I usually reset it and it would work for awhile then turn off.
September 9, 2017 at 1:43 am
can you plug it up to your tv
December 30, 2017 at 9:03 am
[…] Review: Asus Transformer Pad TF103C (Model K010) […]
January 9, 2019 at 9:32 pm
why cant i use my asus as a k010 tablet?
July 25, 2021 at 6:30 am
athesis-news.somee.com
Review: Asus Transformer Pad TF103C (Model K010) | The IT Nerd