ASUS Transformer Pad TF103C

The TF103 delivers a full slate of features and a sturdy -- albeit outdated -- design with an optional keyboard. And in a big improvement over the previous model, the new Asus Zen user-interface has useful preloaded apps, free storage and media services, and plenty of customization options.

It’s a very similar design to the Asus Transformer Book T100, with the obvious difference being that you get Windows 8.1 on the T100, whereas the Transformer Pad TF103 is an Android device. Android 4.4 “Kit Kat” to be precise, running on an Intel Atom 1.3Ghz processor.

The Asus Transformer Pad TF103 has a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800-pixel IPS screen. Like the design, this is very dated – a spec that belongs among tablets from 2011-2012 rather than 2014. 

It's a crying shame that Asus didn't include an additional battery in its keyboard like it has usually done before. As is typical of an entry-level product, we now have a tablet that not only can't rely on its keyboard for extra power, but that has to actually provide power to the keyboard. The TF103 does at least offer an average battery life in mixed use (browsing, games, productivity...) of nearly 9 hrs.

ASUS' entry-level Transformer Pad sacrifices quite a bit in the name of price, but you still get a speedy, well-designed Android tablet that can serve as a basic laptop in a pinch.