Asus Transformer AIO review: The all-in-one/tablet hybrid that's hard not to like

The Sony Vaio Tap 20 introduced us to the idea of the all-in-one/tablet hybrid device. Asus has taken that concept, slathered it with Asus' particular brand of experimental enthusiasm, and brought it to life in the form of the $1,299 Transformer AIO.

7.8

Asus Transformer AIO

The Good

The Asus Transformer AIO delivers a fast Windows 8 all-in-one, a giant Android tablet, and an effective platform for using them in tandem.

The Bad

Remote desktop technology makes using Windows 8 in tablet mode unreliable, and you might prefer to wait to buy until later this year when the category has matured.

The Bottom Line

You'd be smart to wait and see how the market develops, but Asus has used the freedom of the still-forming all-in-one/tablet hybrid category to create a compelling Windows 8/Android device in the Transformer AIO.

The Transformer AIO, like the Sony Tap 20, shows an effort to offer consumers an intriguing new blend of all-in-one desktop and semiportable tablet. Rather than following Sony's approach of relying on Windows 8's new touch-friendly interface to achieve that mix with a single, seamless piece of hardware, the Transformer AIO essentially gives you two computing devices. One is an Intel Core i5 CPU-equipped base unit that behaves like a standard Windows 8 all-in-one with an 18.4-inch display. Lift the display out of its cradle and the screen switches over to its built-in Nvidia Tegra 3 chip, becoming a giant, 5.6-pound Android tablet.

The design Asus has devised for the Transformer AIO offers a few advantages. The tablet portion weighs half as much as the Vaio Tap 20, making it easier to move from room to room. With two CPUs, the Transformer can also run Windows 8 and Android concurrently, making some clever multiuser scenarios possible once you connect an external monitor to the base station. Android also provides access to a larger library of touch-designed applications than you would have if the Transformer ran Windows 8 exclusively.

One downside of the Transformer is that the base-station-with-removable-tablet model introduces more complexity than a self-contained alternative like the Vaio Tap 20. Suddenly you need to keep track of two sets of applications, and two storage locations (where did I save that photo?), and otherwise maintain two different devices. A remote desktop function to run Windows 8 on the tablet is sluggish and unreliable. The chunky base station is also not as elegant as a single-piece all-in-one/tablet design.

Those issues might put off some potential buyers. My bigger reservation comes from the fact that we will see more hybrid desktop designs this year, both over the next few months and in the fall when Intel introduces a line of supposedly more power-efficient CPUs, code-named Haswell. There's certainly something to be said for Asus' dual operating system approach today, in particular its potential to satisfy the needs of multiple different users in one environment. I still advise waiting six months to see what other products might emerge in this compelling new desktop category.

Unlike the Sony Vaio Tap 20, the Asus Transformer AIO feels like a desktop first. Because you can move the entirety of the Tap 20's hardware, you can always grab its power adapter and plug it in somewhere else. Regardless of where you use the Transformer's display, though, you still need to find a home for the base station. Asus kindly includes two power adapters with the Transformer, one for the base station, and a different cable for the tablet, so in truth you don't need the base station to keep the tablet charged. Still, I suspect most people buying this system will also be interested in the full Windows 8 experience, which means they'll be apt to find a more-or-less permanent home for the base unit.

As a desktop, the Transformer is a clunky-looking machine with a too-small display for its price. Even HP's $499 all-in-ones start with a 20-inch LCD. The ability to connect an external monitor to the Transformer's base station via the HDMI port is a saving grace for those interested in this system as a full-fledged computer. Even better, Windows will automatically extend the desktop environment across the tablet and an external monitor should you connect one. It's not the same as using two 23-inch or 27-inch monitors, but at least the Transformer can make full use of any available screen space.

Asus also deserves credit for the display's touch screen. Both in Windows 8 and in Android mode, touch input felt responsive, even with two people playing air hockey. I also felt no noticeable drag. The only hiccup came when I tried using Windows 8 on the tablet by itself via the included Splashtop remote desktop software. In that case, the input was still usable, but annoyingly laggy, though that could be a function of the overtaxed wireless networks in CNET's New York office.

That brings us to swapping back and forth between usage modes. The process is for the most part seamless. With the tablet in its docking cradle, you can use either Windows 8 or Android, and moving between them is a simple matter of hitting a small button along the right edge of the display, or clicking on the Mode Switch icon that shows up on both operating systems.

Because the base unit and the tablet itself both have their own CPU, you never have to reboot or otherwise disable one operating system to start up another. You also don't lose any data or experience any other status changes when you move between operating systems. Remove the tablet from its cradle, an easy-enough, latch-free maneuver, and it defaults to Android. But because Windows 8 is still running on the base unit, you can use remote desktop software to virtualize Windows 8 on the tablet.

One trick to a smooth virtualization experience is minimizing input lag. That's easy enough to do over a hardwired network, less so over the local wireless connection that Asus has to provide here. Asus has opted to use a true Wi-Fi connection to bridge the remote desktop gap between the base unit and the tablet, and the company recommends a 5.0GHz, 802.11n network specifically. That could mean a router replacement for buyers of this system. If you intend to use remote desktop mode often, you would be smart to ensure that the signal is strong in all of the places you will use the hardware.

Setting up the connection between devices is simple. You must put both Windows 8 and Android on the same wireless network, then launch the Splashtop program in one OS, make an account, and then launch Splashtop again in the other OS and sign in to the account. Once all of that is set up, the tablet will automatically go into remote desktop mode and let you use Windows 8 away from the base station. You can still swap between operating systems on the tablet, as well, and again, you don't lose any data when you do.

If you're unsure about the point of all this OS switching, an easy way to think about it is that the Transformer is essentially two computing devices, a Windows 8 desktop and a large Android tablet, built around a platform that invites a variety of different usage scenarios.

Out of the box, you can use the Transformer AIO as a day-to-day household computer, or even a general-purpose home office machine, but you can then pull the tablet away to watch a movie, play an Android game, or browse the Web. A small support pulls out of the back of the tablet and lets you stand it up independently. Add a monitor to the Transformer, and you can hand the tablet off to someone else and continue using Windows.

And when you do use the Transformer as a Windows 8 all-in-one, you may find you're impressed with its capabilities. The base unit is not the most elegant piece of hardware, but it houses a full-fledged quad-core desktop chip, the Core i5-3350P processor. The Nvidia GT 730M graphics chip is the mobile variant, and a lower-end chip at that, but it's at least more capable than the embedded graphics chips common in this price range.

Asus includes no particularly exotic PC features here, like the Tap 20's NFC or the Thunderbolt ports you'll find on the Asus ET2300INTI all-in-one. But, screen size aside, anyone shopping for an all-in-one in this price range should feel reasonably satisfied with the Asus' core PC components.

Cinebench
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Rendering multiple CPUs

Rendering single CPU

Toshiba LX835-D3380 (2.4GHz Core i7, November 2012)

6.47 

1.42 

Asus Transformer AIO (3.1GHz Core i5, March 2013)

5.14 

1.35 

Asus ET2300INTI (3.0GHz Core i5, November 2012)

4.98 

1.35 

Dell Inspiron One 2330 (2.7GHz Core i5, November 2012)

4.66 

1.33 

Apple iMac 21.5-inch (2.7GHz Core i5, November 2012)

4.44 

1.28 

Samsung Series 7 (2.9GHz Core i5, February 2013)

3.3 

1.24 

Sony Vaio Tap 20 (1.7GHz Core i5, October 2012)

2.41 

1.03 

Comparing the Transformer's performance as a desktop, you can see this system is highly competitive among other all-in-ones in the same price range. Only the Core i7 Toshiba LX835, a $1,349-based system, outperformed the Transformer consistently.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the Transformer and its GeForce GT 730M chip can play full PC games with reasonable frame rates and image quality. I had Far Cry 3 running at full resolution and medium quality and the game was thoroughly playable, even during large-scale battles with fire effects and lots of characters onscreen. I wouldn't recommend playing via the tablet in remote-desktop mode to Windows 8, though. The input lag is simply too severe.

As a tablet, the Transformer offers core components similar to those of a higher-end Android tablet from last year. The replacement for the Tegra 3 chip, the Tegra 4, should be rolling out to higher-end devices before too much longer, so you might feel some obsolescence anxiety. I wouldn't worry about it too much, though, given the proximity of the Transformer's Windows 8 base unit. The 32GB solid-state drive (SSD) also equals the storage capacity of our current favorite Android tablet, last year's Asus Transformer TF700, and the 2GB of memory in the Transformer AIO surpasses that unit's 1GB of RAM.

Of course the Transformer AIO has portability issues introduced by its 18.4-inch display. Given the size and weight of the tablet, 11.5x18.3x.7 inches (HWD) and a hefty 5.6 pounds, I wouldn't give the Transformer tablet to a very small child to run around with. Even an adult holding the tablet upright will notice the weight. That said, the Transformer is easier to maneuver than the nearly 12-pound Vaio Tap 20.

As should be obvious, the Transformer AIO's tablet is not an all-purpose replacement for an e-reader or one of the more common 7- or 10-inch tablets. I can see using it on a couch, in bed, or at a table. Setting it up for the kids to watch Netflix on in another room, or using it as a kitchen assistant, would both make sense. I would not use it in the bathroom, on mass transit, on an exercise bike, or anywhere else where you might need to hold it up for an extended period.

Battery life will also limit your ability to travel with the Transformer AIO's tablet, although it's better than the Vaio Tap 20, I suspect due to the efficiency benefits of Android and the Tegra 3 chip. Asus suggests that you'll see about 5 hours of power watching movies in Android at half brightness, and that matches our test results, which came in around 4 hours, 47 minutes. The Vaio Tap 20 posted 3 hours and 42 minutes on the same test. Interestingly, that's similar battery life to the 3 hours, 23 minutes we saw with the Transformer AIO tablet using Windows 8 in remote desktop mode.

For lighter duty, Asus says the Transformer will last about 15 hours playing MP3s. Our review window doesn't afford us the opportunity to run a 15-hour test, let alone more than one, but as always you should expect longer running times with less-demanding use.

Lastly, Asus equipped both the base unit and the tablet with a reasonable assortment of connectivity options, but with a few holes. The base has four USB 3.0 inputs and a USB 2.0 port that's occupied by the wireless mouse and keyboard receiver, as well as an SD Card slot, and a set of analog audio jacks for a headphone and a microphone. The HDMI output on the base lets you add an external monitor, or even connect to a television. There's no HDMI-in, though, which would be welcome for connecting a game console or a cable box. There's also no separate HDMI output on the tablet, although it does have a Mini-USB 2.0 port, a volume rocker, a microSD Card reader, and its own headphone and microphone jacks.

Conclusion
Asus has obviously put a lot of effort into the Transformer AIO. It is not the most elegant version of the all-in-one/tablet hybrid concept that I've seen, but it might be the most powerful. Its core PC components embody no compromises, and it has impressive versatility with two operating systems and the option to add a second user if you connect an external display.

We will see more variations of this product class in the coming months (from Lenovo, among others), and if the Asus Transformer AIO doesn't meet your needs, another model might. Intel's next CPU generation will also presumably enable lighter, more power-efficient designs before the end of 2013. If it were my money, I would wait to see how the market evolves. For those who can't wait, Asus's design will provide a rock-solid Windows 8 system, and a large Android tablet to experiment with.

Performance and battery testing conducted by Joseph Kaminski. Find out more about how we test desktop systems.

System configurations
Apple iMac 21.5-inch (November 2012)
Apple OS X Mountain Lion 10.8; 2.7GHz Intel Core i5-3330S; 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 512MB Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics card; 1TB 5,400rpm hard drive

Asus ET2300INTI
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 3GHz Intel Core i5-3330; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card; 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

Asus Transformer AIO
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 3.1GHz Intel Core i5-3350P; 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 730M graphics card; 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

Dell Inspiron One 2330
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-3330S; 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 32MB Intel HD Graphics 2500 (embedded); 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

Samsung Series 7 All-in-one
Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit; 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U; 4GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; Intel HD Graphics 4000 embedded graphics chip; 750GB 5,400rpm hard drive

Sony Vaio Tap 20
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-3210M; 6GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 32MB Intel HD Graphics 4000 (embedded); 1TB 5,400rpm hard drive

Toshiba LX835-D3380
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-3630QM; 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card; 2TB 5,400rpm hard drive