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Game On: HP SlateBook X2 Vs Asus Transformer Pad

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S Aadeetya
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HP has been an ever-present figure in the PC market with Windows platform and with the growing demand for tablets clearly impacting PC sales (IDC reports), the company is looking to improvise its way through the muddle and enter the Android space as well. Slatebook X2 carries a lot of firsts; the first Tegra 4 powered device, first Android laptop from the stable of HP and all this highlights the direction in which brands are eyeing the future. While Asus launched its device quite some time back, HP introduced its SlateBook X2 in the country mid this year. Both of them are priced on the same level but from hardware standpoint, HP has a better made product.

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Features

The Asus Transformer Pad TF300 sports a 10.1 inch 1290x800 pixels display and HP Slatebook X2 comes with a full HD 1920x1080 pixels display, both powered by Android Jelly Bean platform. The devices pack a quad-core Tegra 3 and Tegra 4 CPU along with 1 GB and 2 GB RAM respectively. Both devices come with 16 GB internal storage variant, expandable further via microSD card. The TF300 comes with an 8 MP rear camera and 1.2 MP front cameras while Slatebook X2 is fitted with 2 MP rear and only HD front camera. For connectivity, both the devices offer plethora of options; USB port, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi among others. Interestingly, both of them come with separate tablet and base keyboard battery, which results in better overall life of the devices.

Design

Asus and HP have designed their respective products based on the principle of being both tablet PC as well as an Android powered notebook. In terms of its look and feel, the TF300 has a more smooth brushed aluminium look and has a gorgeous raised concentric circle pattern radiating from the chrome ASUS logo in the center of the lid. While the TF300 weighs 630 grams, the HP Slatebook X2 is on the heavier side at 1.27 Kg. The Slatebook is also well built but unlike the TF300, this one has a more plastic feel to it. The display on the Pad TF300 is not very outdoor friendly and in comparison with the full HD 1920x1080 pixels display on the Slatebook X2, it is quite average and out-dated.

A power/dock connector sits along the bottom edge, the micro USB port and microSD card slot can be found on the left panel, the standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack is on the right, and the Power button is up top.

Performance

In terms of hardware, the Pad TF300 packs a 1.2 GHz Tegra 3 CPU with 1 GB DDR3 RAM. Now pit that against 1.8 GHz quad-core Tegra CPU with 2 GB DDR3 RAM on the Slatebook X2, you have a different and powerful beast in your hands. The TF300's IPS screen has low brightness with good wide viewing angles, a satisfying contrast ratio, and no visible color tint problems. The Slatebook X2 on the other hand offers a high quality viewing experience that is quite important these days.

During regular use, both tablets felt equally responsive and fast, excelling with games and power-hungry apps. The rear camera on TF300 captures decent images with less noise and also capable of shooting 1080p videos. The cameras on Slatebook X2 are not up to the quality of TF300 and can be merely used for basic purposes such as Skype calling etc. The TF300 battery gives up to 7-10 hours of output on maximum and minimum settings. The Slatebook X2 also offers competent battery life.

We ran our basic video loop test, with HD movies on Wi-Fi and full brightness and the device lasted for 3 and half hours. On normal usage, it ran for close to 7 hours also. Benchmark scores wise; the Transformer Pad TF300 scored 9320 on Antutu, 3600 on Quadrant and 1330 on Vellamo. The HP Slatebook X2's scoring were 32224 on Antutu, 14051 on Quadrant and 2877 on Vellamo. These comparative figures highlight the power that X2 delivers.

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