华硕(ASUS)非常友好地向我们发送了他们最新的Transformer Book设备之一。就是我们前段时间测试的T100的老大哥——华硕Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)新品。我们非常想知道这款设备有什么不同，以及它是否比其前身值得升级。我们已经对其进行了一周的测试，今天(week and today)我们准备分享我们对它的了解。请继续阅读，因为这是该设备在世界上的首批评论之一。
华硕 Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)拆箱
ASUS Transformer Book T200的包装盒与ASUS Transformer Book T100非常相似，正面是设备的大图。
我们收到的用于审查的盒子包含平板电脑、键盘底座(keyboard dock)和两个充电适配器。与ASUS Transformer T100不同，充电适配器没有USB 端口(USB port)，您可以在其中插入不同的电缆。在纸张方面，您会找到快速入门指南(start guide)、保修和其他一些传单，具体取决于您购买此设备的位置。
硬件规格
我们审查的模型的硬件规格如下：11.6" IPS 屏幕(IPS screen)，1366x768 分辨率和相当不错的视角，四核Intel Atom Z3775 CPU，时钟频率为 1.33 GHz，配备Intel HD Graphics，2GB RAM 内存(RAM memory)（LPDDR3 )，主频为 1066 MHz，64GB eMMC存储空间(storage space)由Hynix制造，包含操作系统(operating system)和 500GB日立(Hitachi)硬盘驱动器(disk drive)用于存储。还有一个前置 2兆像素摄像头(megapixel camera)，用于偶尔视频聊天(video chat)和一个 5兆像素的后置摄像头(megapixel rear camera)，用于偶尔拍照（如果您是使用平板电脑拍照的人之一，那就是）。ASUS Transformer Book T200的平板电脑部分装有两个内置的后置扬声器、一个麦克风、摄像头、音量摇杆(volume rocker)、power/lock switch和开始(Start)按钮。它的尺寸为 305 x 194 x 11.95 毫米（宽 x 深 x 高(Width x Depth x Height)），而扩展坞的尺寸为 305 x 200 x 26 毫米（宽 x 深 x 高(Width x Depth x Height)）。平板电脑重约 0.78 公斤/1.71 磅（包括电池），而扩展坞重 0.76 公斤/1.67 磅。该设备由容量为 38 Whrs的聚合物电池供电(Whrs)，持续长达 11 小时。电池显然放置在设备的平板电脑部分(tablet portion)。不过，扩展坞不包含电池，因此使用它不会使设备在自主性方面持续更长时间。在连接性方面，ASUS Transformer Book T200包括一个USB 3.0端口，位于扩展坞左侧，紧邻RJ45 LAN 连接器(RJ45 LAN connector)，右侧有一个USB 2.0端口，兼容 802.11a/b/g/n无线网络适配器(wireless network adapter)和蓝牙 4.0(Bluetooth 4.0)芯片。
对于多媒体用途，华硕(ASUS)在平板电脑的左侧配备了一个 micro-HDMI 端口，您还可以在其中找到一个 micro-USB 端口、一个Micro SD(Micro SD card)读卡器和一个 3.5 毫米音频插孔。在平板电脑的右侧，没有按钮。此设备上预装的操作系统是(operating system)Windows 8.1 Pro 32 位。该设备有多种存储配置可供选择：32GB eMMC、64GB eMMC、32GB eMMC with 500 GB HDD和 64GB eMMC with 500 GB HDD（我们测试过的型号）。您可以在此处找到其官方硬件规格：ASUS Transformer Book T200 规格(ASUS Transformer Book T200 Specifications)。为了更好地了解T200与它的兄弟T100相比，请看下表。
使用华硕 Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)
我每天都在使用ASUS Transformer Book T200一周，完成一系列相对广泛的任务，包括阅读和发送电子邮件、连接到社交网络、浏览网页、流式传输视频和为7 个教程(7 Tutorials)撰写文章。事实上，这篇评论的大部分内容都是写在设备本身上的。回顾这款设备提供的用户体验，(user experience)华硕 Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)在性能方面并没有让人失望。四核Atom 处理器(Atom processor)搭配 2GB LPDDR3 RAM在运行任何(LPDDR3 RAM)Windows Store时都没有任何问题应用程序，除了一些要求更高的游戏，这些游戏会导致设备时不时地卡顿。CPU比(CPU)T100中的CPU略有改进，但在性能方面并没有太大的区别。
这些设备在处理桌面应用程序方面也做得很好。我在华硕 Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)上运行了我在个人计算机上使用的大部分应用程序，几乎没有卡顿的迹象。桌面版Skype、Office 2013、Steam、Winamp、多个网络浏览器、IrfanView 或 SnagIt(IrfanView or SnagIt)，都运行得相当好。然而，在超过 4 或 5 个桌面应用程序之间切换时会有一些延迟，这就是T100最大的问题是另一个优雅的外观。该设备只有 2GB内存的事实(RAM)当您必须同时使用许多桌面应用程序时，这无济于事。
从积极的方面来看，华硕(ASUS)似乎在推出T100后吸取了教训，我们很高兴看到平板电脑背面的光滑表面消失了。T200的平板电脑背面有光滑的哑光纹理表面。这提高了抓地力并且没有留下指纹的空间。感谢(Kudos)华硕(ASUS)的这一受欢迎的改进。在平板电脑的背面，您会发现两个质量不错的内置扬声器。即使音量可以相当大，我也不建议将其最大化，因为声音在高电平时会失真。幸运的是，平板电脑左侧有 3.5 毫米插孔，因此您可以插入自己喜欢的耳机。音量摇杆(volume rocker)也可以更好地固定在外壳中，这与T100上的不同，我经常不得不将其深深地压入平板电脑的外壳中以使其响应。我们的测试模型在包含(test model)操作系统(operating system)的 eMMC 驱动器上有 64GB 的存储空间，并与位于(storage space)扩展坞(docking station)中的经典 500GB 硬盘配对。这是对T100的改进，因为您现在可以在其上存储更多数据。在T100上，我很快就到了必须卸载应用程序以便为其他人腾出空间的地步，但这里的情况并非如此。64GB eMMC 存储对于软件和应用程序(software and apps)来说绰绰有余才能正确安装。您肯定会注意到平板电脑本身和底座之间的有趣对比，因为后者具有光滑的哑光灰色纹理(matte grey texture)，不像平板电脑的深色外壳。键盘底座(keyboard dock)提供了比T100更愉快的体验。键盘间距更好，空间更小。几个小时的打字后，我设法击中了正确的键而没有看太多。我们在键盘上遇到的唯一问题是某些键的响应并不总是很好。例如，我们在使用CTRL+C/CTRL+V快捷方式时遇到了一些问题，这些快捷方式一直没有被注册。由互联网(Internet)上的其他论坛判断，我们不是唯一遇到此问题的人，因为键盘问题会影响一些T100 和 T200 用户(T100 and T200 owners)。
另一个积极的方面是平板电脑保留在(inside)键盘底座(keyboard dock)内，因此您不必担心它在膝盖上打字时会掉下来。只有当您按下按钮将其移除时，它才会出现。触控板也比T100上的触控板更好，(T100)响应时间(response time)更短，噪音也不大。但是，我们仍然建议在此设备上使用蓝牙鼠标。(Bluetooth mouse)我们在7 教程中回顾了几款(7 Tutorials)蓝牙鼠标(Bluetooth mice)，包括Microsoft Wedge Touch。您应该考虑浏览我们的评论部分，以找到适合ASUS Transformer Book T200的好鼠标(ASUS Transformer Book T200). 华硕(ASUS)再次选择将开始(Start)按钮放置在平板电脑左侧，靠近音量(volume rocker)键的位置。不幸的是，使用这个按钮是不舒服和不直观的。例如，如果您左手拿着平板电脑并想(hand and want)进入“开始(Start)”屏幕，则必须将平板电脑移到另一只手并(hand and press)用左手按下按钮，或者使用软件上的“开始(Start)”按钮Windows 8.1任务栏。在平板电脑上截屏也很困难，因为它需要同时按下“开始(Start)”按钮和音量键。
ASUS Transformer Book T200配备现代IPS 面板(IPS panel)的显示屏，分辨率为 1366x768 像素。图像质量(image quality)很好但并不出色，视角也是如此。分辨率令人满意，并且由于屏幕尺寸稍大，与(screen size)T100相比，它与应用程序并排工作要容易一些。
总而言之，华硕 Transformer Book T200 可以完成工作，而且就其价格标签而言，您将很难找到提供更多功能的设备。(All in all, the ASUS Transformer Book T200 gets the job done and for its price tag, you will have a hard time finding a device that offers more.)
与华硕 Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)捆绑(Apps Bundled)的应用程序
这是所有现代设备上的一个微妙主题，因为制造商倾向于捆绑您可能永远不会使用的应用程序。如果他们没有减慢您的设备速度并恶化用户体验(user experience)，那就不会那么糟糕了。华硕(ASUS)不会让ASUS Transformer Book T200 100 % 垃圾软件保持清洁，但也不会捆绑太多垃圾。您将找到以下预安装的应用程序：
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Office Home & Student 2013 - 您需要使用设备包装中的产品密钥激活 Office。此版本包括 Word 2013、Excel 2013、PowerPoint 2013 和 OneNote 2013。所有您想要保留的出色工具。
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Netflix - 根据您的居住地，您会喜欢这个应用程序，或者不喜欢华硕捆绑它。在美国和其他几个可以使用 Netflix 的国家/地区，您将需要使用此应用程序并将电影和电视节目流式传输到您的设备。在此服务不可用的国家/地区，您应该卸载此应用程序，因为它不会为您提供任何价值。
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Flipboard - 一个流行的新闻应用程序，您可以使用它根据您的新闻提要创建自定义杂志。在决定是否保留它之前，您可能需要对其进行试验。
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Twitter - 此社交网络的官方 Windows 8.1 应用程序。
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Line - 一个聊天应用程序，您可能想在决定是否保留它之前对其进行试验。
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WinFlash - 专用于更新设备 BIOS 软件的应用程序。你应该保留它。
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ASUS LiveUpdate - 一个可用于管理操作系统更新的应用程序。与 Windows 8.1 中的设置非常相似。
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ASUS ScreenSaver - 华硕制作的屏幕保护程序。
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ASUS WebStorage - 这是华硕的云存储服务，可为您提供 5 GB 的免费云存储空间。
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ASUS PhotoDirector - 这是华硕的照片编辑应用程序。它允许您编辑、构图或拼贴图片，以及在图像上添加文本气泡。如果您正在进行照片编辑，可能会很有用，但否则您将不会使用它。
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ASUS PowerDirector - 具有一些基本功能的视频编辑应用程序。在决定是否保留它之前，您可能需要对其进行试验。
ASUS Transformer Book T200 不像其他设备那样捆绑了那么多无用的应用程序。如果您所在的国家/地区提供此服务，您一定会喜欢随设备和 Netflix 应用程序提供的 Office Home & Student 2013 产品密钥。不过，其他应用程序……如果它们对您没有任何价值，您可以考虑删除它们。(The ASUS Transformer Book T200 doesn't bundle as many useless applications as other devices do. You will surely love the Office Home & Student 2013 product key offered with the device and the Netflix app, if you are in a country where this service is available. The other apps though… you may consider removing them if they don't provide any value to you.)
华硕 Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)的配件
华硕在(ASUS)T200的标准包装中包含键盘底座(keyboard dock)这一事实再次成为焦点。如果没有这个扩展坞，设备会受到更多限制，并且您的工作效率会大大降低。平板电脑本身很适合浏览网页、玩休闲游戏或听音乐，但一旦你需要做一些工作或想写几封电子邮件，使用键盘底座时(keyboard dock)用户体验(user experience)会好很多。我们强烈建议为此设备购买蓝牙鼠标(Bluetooth mouse)，以便您在使用它进行实际工作时尽可能高效。根据您购买的设备版本，您可能会发现自己受限于可用的存储空间(storage space)，特别是如果您购买的是没有硬盘驱动器的型号(disk drive)。如果是这种情况，您还应该考虑购买Micro SD 卡(Micro SD card)来扩展它。
基准表现
自从我们在几个月前审查了ASUS Transformer T100以来，我们运行了相同的基准测试并将(ASUS Transformer T100)T200与其前身进行了比较。首先(First)，我们使用Bootracer来测量 Windows 8.1 在此设备上的启动速度。ASUS Transformer Book T200平均启动时间为 45 秒。这比T100慢 2 秒。
然后，我们使用3DMark 应用程序(3DMark app)来查看这款设备在运行针对平板电脑用户的休闲游戏时的表现如何。我们使用了Ice Storm Unlimited测试。
下面你可以看到华硕 Transformer Book T200与(ASUS Transformer Book T200)T100相比的总体得分。正如您所看到的，结果并没有那么不同——4 % difference太小，无法转化为对用户有意义的改进。
在此基准应用程序(benchmark app)执行的每个测试中获得的每秒帧数也是如此。
我已经运行了PeaceKeeper 电池测试(battery test)来评估电池在浏览网页时的续航时间。结果很好，但低于T100：T200持续了 6 小时 51 分钟，而(T200)T100提供了 9 小时 39 分钟，使T200 的电池运行时间减少了(battery run time)29(T200 29) % 。该测试是使用Internet Explorer的触摸版运行的。自主性的差异并没有让我们感到惊讶，因为T200配备的屏幕比(T200)T100上使用的屏幕更大，耗电量更大。此外，我们测试的T200包括一个硬盘驱动器，而T100没有。拥有一个额外的硬盘意味着我们默认需要更多的功率。
ASUS Transformer Book T200的充电速度相对较快，充满电大约需要 2 到 3 小时，具体取决于插入时剩余的电池百分比以及充电期间是否保持开启状态。充电时，T200比其前身快得多。几乎是T100(T100)充满电所需时间的一半。
判决
虽然华硕 Transformer Book T200比(ASUS Transformer Book T200)T100带来了一些不错的改进，但硬件配置(hardware configuration)几乎没有变化。多花一点钱，你就能得到更大的屏幕、更新的处理器(newer processor)、后置摄像头，最重要的是，还有一个可以插入 2.5 英寸硬盘(facing camera)驱动器(disk drive)或固态驱动(state drive)器的扩展坞。所有这些和一个得益于平板背面的磨砂质感，更好的握持感。(matte texture)华硕 Transformer Book T200(ASUS Transformer Book T200)是另一个雄心勃勃的举措，旨在满足尽可能多的客户的需求。作为平板电脑，它运行良好并提供良好的Windows 8.1经验。将其与随附的底座配对，您将获得一款体面的上网本，非常适合写电子邮件、浏览网页、与朋友和家人聊天以及一些轻松的办公室工作(office work)。由于其微型 HDMI 端口，它很可能在演示中也表现出色。但是，如果您是正在寻找移动“主力”的高级用户，我们建议您寻找其他地方。(power user)ASUS Transformer Book T200是一款不错的设备，但其硬件配置(hardware configuration)将使用场景限制为要求不高的活动。
ASUS Transformer Book T200 Review - Is It Better Than The T100?
ASUS has bееn kind enoυgh to send us one of their newest Transformer Book dеvices. It is the big brother of the T100 that we tested a while ago - the new ASUS Transformеr Book T200. We were very curiоus to learn what's different about this device and whether it is a worthy upgrade over its predecessor. We've tested it for a week аnd today we are ready tо share what we have learned аbout it. Read on as this is one of the first reviews in the world for this device.
Unboxing the ASUS Transformer Book T200
The ASUS Transformer Book T200 is packaged in a box that's very similar to the ASUS Transformer Book T100, with a big picture of the device on the front.
The box we have received for review contains the tablet, the keyboard dock, and two charging adapters. Unlike the ASUS Transformer T100, the charging adapter does not feature a USB port in which you can plug different cables. Paper-wise, you will find a quick start guide, the warranty, and some other leaflets, depending on where you have purchased this device.
Hardware Specifications
The hardware specifications of the model we reviewed are the following: a 11.6" IPS screen with a 1366x768 resolution and fairly decent viewing angles, a quad-core Intel Atom Z3775 CPU clocked at 1.33 GHz with Intel HD Graphics, 2GB of RAM memory (LPDDR3 ), clocked at 1066 MHz, 64GB eMMC of storage space manufactured by Hynix, containing the operating system and a 500GB Hitachi hard disk drive for storage. There's also a front-facing 2 megapixel camera for occasional video chat and a 5 megapixel rear camera for occasional photos (if you are one of those people using their tablets to take photos, that is). The tablet portion of the ASUS Transformer Book T200 houses two built-in rear facing speakers, a microphone, the cameras, the volume rocker, the power/lock switch and the Start button. Its size is 305 x 194 x 11.95 mm (Width x Depth x Height) while the dock's dimensions are 305 x 200 x 26 mm (Width x Depth x Height). The tablet weighs around 0.78 kg / 1.71 pounds (battery included) while the dock weighs 0.76 kg / 1.67 pounds. The device is powered by a polymer battery with a capacity of 38 Whrs, lasts up to 11 hours. The battery is obviously placed in the tablet portion of the device. The dock doesn't include a battery though, so using it won't make the device last longer in terms of autonomy. In terms of connectivity, the ASUS Transformer Book T200 includes one USB 3.0 port located on the left side of the dock right next to a RJ45 LAN connector, a USB 2.0 port on the right side, a 802.11a/b/g/n compatible wireless network adapter and a Bluetooth 4.0 chip.
For multimedia purposes, ASUS included a micro-HDMI port located on the left side of the tablet, where you can also find a micro-USB port, a Micro SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the right side of the tablet, there are no buttons. The operating system preinstalled on this device is Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit. This device is available in multiple storage configurations: 32GB eMMC, 64GB eMMC, 32GB eMMC with 500 GB HDD and 64GB eMMC With 500 GB HDD (the model we have tested). You cand find its official hardware specifications here: ASUS Transformer Book T200 Specifications. To gain a better overview of the T200 compared to its brother, the T100, take a look at the table below.
Using the ASUS Transformer Book T200
I have been using the ASUS Transformer Book T200 for one week, every day, for a relatively wide array of tasks including reading and sending emails, connecting to social networks, browsing the web, streaming videos and writing articles for 7 Tutorials. In fact, most of this review was written on the device itself. Looking back to the user experience offered by this device, the ASUS Transformer Book T200 doesn't disappoint in terms of performance. The quad-core Atom processor paired with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM didn't have any kind of problem when running any Windows Store apps, except for a few more demanding games that caused the device to stutter every now and then. The CPU is a small improvement over the one found in the T100 and it doesn't make a big difference in terms of performance.
The devices also does a good job at handling desktop applications. I ran most of the applications that I use on my personal computer on the ASUS Transformer Book T200 and there were very few signs of stuttering. The desktop version of Skype, Office 2013, Steam, Winamp, multiple web browsers, IrfanView or SnagIt, all ran fairly well. There was, however some latency when switching between more than 4 or 5 desktop applications, and this is where the biggest issue of the T100 makes another graceful appearance. The fact that this device has only 2GB of RAM doesn't help when you have to work with many desktop applications at the same time.
On the positive side, ASUS seems to have learned their lesson after launching the T100 and we were very happy to see that the glossy surface on the back of the tablet is gone. The T200 has a smooth, matte textured surface on the back of the tablet. This improves the grip and leaves no room for fingerprints. Kudos to ASUS for this welcome improvement. On the back of the tablet you'll find two built-in speakers of decent quality. Even if the volume can be fairly loud, I don't advise maxing it out because the sound becomes distorted at high levels. Fortunately, the 3.5mm jack is present on the left side of the tablet, so you can plug in your favorite pair of headphones. The volume rocker is also better fixed into the case, unlike the one on the T100, which I often had to press deep inside the tablet's case in order for it to respond. Our test model had 64GB of storage space on an eMMC drive containing the operating system and this was paired with a classic 500GB hard disk, located in the docking station. This is an improvement over the T100, since you can now store a lot more data on it. While on the T100 I had quickly arrived at the point where I had to uninstall apps in order to make room for others, that was not the case here. The 64GB eMMC storage was more than enough for the software and apps to be installed properly. You will definitely notice an interesting contrast between the tablet itself and the dock, since the latter has a smooth matte grey texture unlike the dark case of the tablet. The keyboard dock offers a more pleasant experience than the T100. The keyboard is better spaced and less cramped. After a few hours of typing, I managed to hit the right keys without looking too much at them. The only issue we've experienced with the keyboard is that some of the keys don't always respond well. For instance, we had some problems with the CTRL+C/CTRL+V shortcuts which didn't get registered all the time. Judging by other forums on the Internet, we're not the only ones with this problem, as keyboard issues affect some T100 and T200 owners.
Another positive aspect is that the tablet stays inside the keyboard dock, so you don't have to worry about it falling while typing on your lap. It only comes out when you push the button to remove it. The trackpad is also better than the one found on the T100, having a better response time and not being very noisy. However, we still recommend using a Bluetooth mouse with this device. We have reviewed several Bluetooth mice here at 7 Tutorials, including the Microsoft Wedge Touch. You should consider browsing through our section of reviews in order to find a good mouse to go with the ASUS Transformer Book T200. ASUS chose again to place the Start button on the left side of the tablet, near the volume rocker. Unfortunately, using this button is uncomfortable and unintuitive. For example, if you're holding the tablet in your left hand and want to go to the Start screen, you have to either move the tablet to the other hand and press the button with the left hand or use the software Start button on the Windows 8.1 taskbar. Taking screenshots on the tablet is also difficult because it involves pressing both the Start button and the volume rocker.
ASUS Transformer Book T200 features a display with a modern IPS panel and a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. The image quality is good but not remarkable, and so are the viewing angles. The resolution is satisfactory and due to the little larger screen size, it is a bit easier to work with applications side by side than it was on the T100.
All in all, the ASUS Transformer Book T200 gets the job done and for its price tag, you will have a hard time finding a device that offers more.
The Apps Bundled with the ASUS Transformer Book T200
This is a delicate subject on all modern devices because manufacturers tend to bundle applications you might never use. That wouldn't be so bad if they didn't slow down your device and worsen the user experience. ASUS doesn't keep the ASUS Transformer Book T200 100% crapware clean, but doesn't bundle too much junk either. You will find the following pre-installed applications:
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Office Home & Student 2013 - you will need to activate Office using the product key found in the packaging of the device. This version includes Word 2013, Excel 2013, PowerPoint 2013 and OneNote 2013. All great tools that you will want to keep.
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Netflix - depending on where you live, you'll either love this app or dislike ASUS for bundling it. In the US and a couple of other countries where Netflix is available, you will want to use this app and stream movies and TV shows to your device. In countries where this service is unavailable, you should uninstall this app as it will not provide any value to you.
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Flipboard - a popular news app which you can use to create customized magazines based on your news feed. You may want to experiment it with before deciding on whether to keep it or not.
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Twitter - the official Windows 8.1 app for this social network.
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Line - a chat application that you may want to experiment it with before deciding on whether to keep it or not.
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WinFlash - an application dedicated to updating the BIOS software of the device. You should keep it.
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ASUS LiveUpdate - an application that you can use to manage the operating system updates. Very similar to the settings found in Windows 8.1.
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ASUS ScreenSaver - a screensaver made by ASUS.
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ASUS WebStorage - this is a cloud storage service from ASUS that provides you with 5 GB of free cloud storage space.
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ASUS PhotoDirector - this is a photo editing app from ASUS. It allows you to edit, frame or collage pictures, as well as add text bubbles over images. Might be useful if you're into photo editing, but otherwise you won't be using it.
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ASUS PowerDirector - a video editing app with some basic features. You may want to experiment it with before deciding on whether to keep it or not.
The ASUS Transformer Book T200 doesn't bundle as many useless applications as other devices do. You will surely love the Office Home & Student 2013 product key offered with the device and the Netflix app, if you are in a country where this service is available. The other apps though… you may consider removing them if they don't provide any value to you.
Accessories for the ASUS Transformer Book T200
ASUS hits the spot again with the fact that they include the keyboard dock in the standard package of the T200. Without this dock, the device is a lot more limited and your productivity decreases rather drastically. The tablet itself is fine for browsing the web, playing casual games or listening to music but once you need to do some work or you want write several emails, the user experience becomes a lot better when using the keyboard dock. We highly recommend purchasing a Bluetooth mouse for this device, so that you can be as productive as possible when using it for doing actual work. Depending on what version of the device you buy, you might find yourself limited by the storage space available, especially if you're getting a model without a hard disk drive. If this is the case, you should also consider buying a Micro SD card for extending it.
Performance in Benchmarks
Since we have reviewed the ASUS Transformer T100 a couple of months ago, we have run the same benchmarks and compared the T200 with its predecessor. First, we used Bootracer to measure how fast Windows 8.1 starts on this device. The ASUS Transformer Book T200 booted, on average, in 45 seconds. This is 2 seconds slower than the T100.
Then, we have used the 3DMark app to see how well this device performs when running casual games aimed at tablet users. We have used the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
Below you can see the overall score of the ASUS Transformer Book T200 compared to that of the T100. As you can see, the results are not that different - the 4% difference is too small to translate into any meaningful improvements for the user.
The same is true in terms of frames per second obtained in each test performed by this benchmark app.
I have run the PeaceKeeper battery test to evaluate how much the battery lasts while browsing the web. The results were good but lower than those of the T100: T200 lasted 6 hours and 51 minutes versus the 9 hours and 39 minutes delivered by the T100, giving the T200 29% less battery run time. This test was run using the touch version of Internet Explorer. The difference in autonomy did not surprise us because the T200 comes with a bigger screen which consumes power than the one used on the T100. Also, the T200 that we tested included a hard drive while the T100 did not. Having an additional hard drive meant that more power we required by default.
Charging the ASUS Transformer Book T200 is relatively fast, somewhere between 2 and 3 hours for a full charge, depending on the percentage of battery left when you plug it in and whether you keep it turned on or not during charging. When charging, T200 was much faster than its predecessor. It took almost half the time the T100 needed for a full charge.
Verdict
While ASUS Transformer Book T200 brings some good improvements over the T100, the hardware configuration is mostly unchanged. For a little more cash, you get a larger screen, a newer processor, a rear facing camera and most importantly, a docking station that allows you to plug in a 2.5" hard disk drive or a solid state drive. All of these and a better grip thanks to the matte texture on the back of the tablet. The ASUS Transformer Book T200 is another ambitious move to satisfy the needs of as many customers as possible. As a tablet, it works well and offers a good Windows 8.1 experience. Pair it with the included dock and you get a decent netbook that is great for writing emails, browsing the web, chatting with friends and family and some light office work. It most probably does well in presentations too, thanks to its micro-HDMI port. However, if you're a power user looking for a mobile "workhorse", we suggest looking elsewhere. The ASUS Transformer Book T200 is a good device, but its hardware configuration limits the usage scenarios to less demanding activities.
