Asus T100 Chi or Surface 3?

[Man0fSteel]

An interesting comparison especially since the base T100 is $50 less, and comes with the keyboard and also has an optional active stylus.

Bay trail Atom and no option for 4GB of RAM means the Surface wins on potential future-proofing.

Anyone else thinking about these two choices for their next Atom Windows tablet?

 

[BSobotta]

I just ordered my mom the Asus T100 Chi. She is mainly using it for media consumption and it should do the Job just fine. The big difference between the two I feel in this respect is the aspect ratio. If I was purchasing a device for an all around use, I would go with the Surface 3. Just leaving work, so Ill go more into this when I get home.

 

[iamakii]

Aspect ratio, better screen and faster processor won't likely be her concern, so T100 Chi is a good choice.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

An interesting comparison especially since the base T100 is $50 less, and comes with the keyboard and also has an optional active stylus.

Bay trail Atom and no option for 4GB of RAM means the Surface wins on potential future-proofing.

Anyone else thinking about these two choices for their next Atom Windows tablet?

Considering the differences in build quality, I think that the Surface 3 wins out.

 

[hrudu]

Well, Surface 1 was a super flop, Surface 2 is a kind of improvement.
If history repeats itself I would go CHICHING!

BTW, there is still no GPS for Surface 3! And look at the Surface 1 & 2 I really don't see good build quality!


~~~

 

[cygnus11]

With respect to build quality, I think the Surface line is excellent.

I've only owned 3 tablets - the nexus 7 2013, the nvidia shield, and the Surface 2. And IMO, the Surface 2 is definitely the best build quality of the three. Even though the Surface 2's screen has the lowest pixel density of those three tablets, it is the best looking. HD video on the Surface 2 looks awesome. I also thought it felt the most solid, with the nexus a close second.

 

[Joe Dubya]

I just ordered my mom the Asus T100 Chi. She is mainly using it for media consumption and it should do the Job just fine. The big difference between the two I feel in this respect is the aspect ratio. If I was purchasing a device for an all around use, I would go with the Surface 3. Just leaving work, so Ill go more into this when I get home.

Books / magazines are media so aspect ratio should factor in to your thoughts - I kinda liked the Chi but couldn't get another widescreen tablet... personal preference

 

[BSobotta]

Books / magazines are media so aspect ratio should factor in to your thoughts - I kinda liked the Chi but couldn't get another widescreen tablet... personal preference

I think she is generally going to use it for TV and movies. Netflix and Hulu. I purchased a Lenovo yoga tablet 2 a month or so ago, and after having an rt for a while, the thinner wide screen tablet was so much more manageable than the old rt's. Although if I had known the surface 3 was coming I probably would have waited. Had no clue.

 

[P_Devil]

I think she is generally going to use it for TV and movies. Netflix and Hulu.

She will be fine. My Dell Venue 8 Pro with an older Atom SoC and only 1GB of RAM handles movies just fine whether they are 720p or 1080p. It can even Miracast them at 1080p to my HDTV without issues. I think the Surface 3 is an all-around better machine due to metal build, the display, and Pen compatibility but that's just my preference. The T100 will definitely suite her needs and then some.

BTW, there is still no GPS for Surface 3! And look at the Surface 1 & 2 I really don't see good build quality!

There will be in the cellular models.

 

[Geodude074]

Asus T100 Chi all the way. It's $180 cheaper than the Surface 3 with a keyboard ($500 Surface 3 + $130 keyboard = $630 tablet/keyboard). For that amount of money I'd rather get either the Asus T300 Chi which is $700, or the Asus Zenbook UX305 which is also $700.

The Asus T300 Chi is also a better value proposition than the Surface 3 upgraded to 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, since the T300 Chi comes with an Intel Core M-5Y10c, not an Atom X7.

The T100 is also thinner and lighter and less unwieldy to hold with one hand. 0.2 lbs might not sound like a lot, but it makes a big difference when holding for long periods of time with just one hand.

 

[ipaqman1]

The build quality of the Asus T100 Chi is far above that of the T100TA's. There is no comparison. I have tried out the Acer Switch, the T100TA, the Lenovo Yoga 10, the Dell Venue 8 Pro, and the cheap HP Stream 7. The Chi is better than the lot of them. The feel of the device is exceptional like an IPhone or IPad.

The tablet portion is an all solid metal build with a very bright (over 450 nits) full HD plus 1920x1200 screen. It can run a HD video for about 12 hours continuous on one battery charge. It is designed to use the faster charging 9V power adapter and it can also charge from a smartphone charger at twice the charge time.

The Chi can be easily used on a lap or held in your hands. The magnetic latch is very strong and holds the device together firmly. The new Surface 3 does not work well on a lap. The three position kickstand is not well designed for lap use according to one reviewer. The Chi can be used in laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes like the Acer Switch or Yoga laptop series. Because the keyboard uses bluetooth, the tablet and the keyboard can be separated. BTW, the keyboard battery lasts for days on a charge.

The proper comparison should be toward the Surface 3 with 2GB of ram, 64GB of storage, and the Atom X7 processor. With a keyboard and pen, the Surface 3 hits $680. The Chi is less than $480 with pen. With more memory, storage, and better processor, the Surface 3 gets very expensive.

I got the Chi at the local MicrosoftStore. I did not want to spend $200 more for a device that would not be stable on my sofa arm or lap. I had used the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10 for a month and had major problems using the tablet with kickstand and bluetooth keyboard in various situations.

Performance wise, the T100 Chi got a PCMark 7 score of 2772, the Surface 3 got a 2839. The T100 Chi ATTO max read/write speed is 176MB/s, 76MB/s. The Surface 3 speed is 163 MB/s, 39MB/s. So it seems the better X7 CPU is offset by the slower disk access.

 

[ipaqman1]

Here is a review excerpt I found on Amazon.

ASUS has blown me away with this tablet/mobile dock keyboard combo! I have a Microsoft Surface Pro and I really didn't expect this Transformer to be able to match the quality build the Surface has but I was completely wrong.
....
The keyboard is great, with island (chicklet) style keys. It's somewhat tactile (but no click.) If you've never used a small format keyboard, it will take a little getting used to, though. With the keyboard attached, it feels like a regular notebook/laptop and I have to say I greatly prefer it to the Surface keyboard cover. I also love that the keyboard has large, round rubber feet inset into the base. None of those wimpy little glued on feet that invariably come off. These feet hold the machine securely on whatever surface you have it on.

 

[thatdennis]

The 2 most important things to ask: Battery life & stylus input for the Asus chi?

 

[Wildo6882]

I'm actually struggling between these two, and the Lenovo Thinkpad 10 tablet. The Lenovo is on sale right now with the keyboard for $520 before tax (this is the 4gb/128gb version). I can also get the T100 Chi for $404 before tax from the Microsoft store with student discount. I'm mainly looking for something for travel, couch/bed browsing, and entertainment. Also for backing up photos to a micro SD card. I have the S3 on pre-order, but these other two options are starting me in the face and may be better values for the money. Any input on comparing all three?

 

[Joe Dubya]

The challenge with the surface 3 competitors for me is the landscape screen and the surface pen. I love the 3:2 and will use this as a notebook and an e reader. Yes, more expensive, but I don't want to make those tradeoffs

 

[P_Devil]

I'm mainly looking for something for travel, couch/bed browsing, and entertainment. Also for backing up photos to a micro SD card.

I still think the Surface 3 is the better choice. It's thinner and lighter than the Thinkpad 10, the N-trig Pen in the Surface 3 is better, the Surface 3 has a better display, it is graphically more powerful than the Thinkpad (about double the performance) while having a more powerful CPU (about 20-30%), and it has better battery life.

The Asus... Well, I've just never been a fan of Asus. I had an Asus VivoTab Note 8 tablet that I ended up returning because the touch input for the screen would stop working. The Wacom Pen would still work but not the touch input. I exchanged it for another one and the same thing happened after two months. I had Asus service the tablet (which meant it was out of my possession for almost 2 months) and it came back with the exact same problem. I ended up selling it for a loss just to get rid of it.

Turns out it is a common problem with the ribbon cable they use to connect the touch digitizer to the main board. I have issues with a company when I go through two of their products, get one back that is supposed to be fixed, and still have the exact same issue that is the result of them cutting corners. It was a solid 8" Windows tablet but the quality was really lacking. Plus the Wacom Pen wasn't always accurate and it never worked right near the edges of the display (which was a pain when I had to constantly use that to restart the tablet just so the touch input would start working again).

Quality control seems a lot higher with the Surface line. Plus I think the Surface 3's design is really solid, above and beyond other 8-10" Wintel tablets. Plus it is the most powerful of Wintel tablet with Atom chips along with having the best Pen support.

 

[Wildo6882]

I still think the Surface 3 is the better choice. It's thinner and lighter than the Thinkpad 10, the N-trig Pen in the Surface 3 is better, the Surface 3 has a better display, it is graphically more powerful than the Thinkpad (about double the performance) while having a more powerful CPU (about 20-30%), and it has better battery life.

The Asus... Well, I've just never been a fan of Asus. I had an Asus VivoTab Note 8 tablet that I ended up returning because the touch input for the screen would stop working. The Wacom Pen would still work but not the touch input. I exchanged it for another one and the same thing happened after two months. I had Asus service the tablet (which meant it was out of my possession for almost 2 months) and it came back with the exact same problem. I ended up selling it for a loss just to get rid of it.

Turns out it is a common problem with the ribbon cable they use to connect the touch digitizer to the main board. I have issues with a company when I go through two of their products, get one back that is supposed to be fixed, and still have the exact same issue that is the result of them cutting corners. It was a solid 8" Windows tablet but the quality was really lacking. Plus the Wacom Pen wasn't always accurate and it never worked right near the edges of the display (which was a pain when I had to constantly use that to restart the tablet just so the touch input would start working again).

Quality control seems a lot higher with the Surface line. Plus I think the Surface 3's design is really solid, above and beyond other 8-10" Wintel tablets. Plus it is the most powerful of Wintel tablet with Atom chips along with having the best Pen support.

Thanks for the good reply - pretty much helped me solidify my Surface 3 purchase as I do agree with much of what you're saying. The QC of the Surface line is what I think pushes it over the edge. I'm a stickler for things performing and working as they should, as well as the easy return/exchange/repair coming from the Microsoft Store.

 

[Wildo6882]

The build quality of the Asus T100 Chi is far above that of the T100TA's. There is no comparison. I have tried out the Acer Switch, the T100TA, the Lenovo Yoga 10, the Dell Venue 8 Pro, and the cheap HP Stream 7. The Chi is better than the lot of them. The feel of the device is exceptional like an IPhone or IPad.

The tablet portion is an all solid metal build with a very bright (over 450 nits) full HD plus 1920x1200 screen. It can run a HD video for about 12 hours continuous on one battery charge. It is designed to use the faster charging 9V power adapter and it can also charge from a smartphone charger at twice the charge time.

The Chi can be easily used on a lap or held in your hands. The magnetic latch is very strong and holds the device together firmly. The new Surface 3 does not work well on a lap. The three position kickstand is not well designed for lap use according to one reviewer. The Chi can be used in laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes like the Acer Switch or Yoga laptop series. Because the keyboard uses bluetooth, the tablet and the keyboard can be separated. BTW, the keyboard battery lasts for days on a charge.

The proper comparison should be toward the Surface 3 with 2GB of ram, 64GB of storage, and the Atom X7 processor. With a keyboard and pen, the Surface 3 hits $680. The Chi is less than $480 with pen. With more memory, storage, and better processor, the Surface 3 gets very expensive.

I got the Chi at the local MicrosoftStore. I did not want to spend $200 more for a device that would not be stable on my sofa arm or lap. I had used the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10 for a month and had major problems using the tablet with kickstand and bluetooth keyboard in various situations.

Performance wise, the T100 Chi got a PCMark 7 score of 2772, the Surface 3 got a 2839. The T100 Chi ATTO max read/write speed is 176MB/s, 76MB/s. The Surface 3 speed is 163 MB/s, 39MB/s. So it seems the better X7 CPU is offset by the slower disk access.

Just wondering if you still have the T100 Chi and if you could go a little bit more into your thoughts on it after more use?