ASUS Book T100 Chi now available for pre-order at $399

By Jon Martindale March 30, 2015

asus book t100 chi pre order t100ta transformer refurbished deal — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Announced CES 2015, Asus’ new 10.1″ Transformer Book T100 Chi tablet/laptop combination has taken a good while to become available for consumers, but it’s finally up for pre-order. While that doesn’t mean those interested can expect to be tapping away on their HD, touch sensitive display tomorrow, it does mean that that day isn’t too far away.

Unlike its bigger and badder brother the T300, the T100 comes equipped with a quad-core Intel Atom. It does however pair the Intel HD 5300 GPU for the heavier lifting and runs Windows 8.1.

The base T100 is also differentiated by its smaller 32GB storage capacity, whereas the one that’s $50 more comes with 64GB. This can be expanded further through a micro-SDXC slot, which supports up to 128GB. Memory is a mere 2GB of DDR3 RAM.

Both models are incredibly thin, measuring just three-tenths of an inch deep without the included keyboard. They also both feature passive cooling, so should be silent regardless of the scenario.

Users can switch between tablet and laptop with ease, thanks to the use of neodymium magnets that hold the screen and keyboard together. They also allow owners to use the keyboard as a stand, turning the tablet device into an impromptu photo frame or hands free movie screen.

For those that want a bit more precise interaction with their touch-screen Chi, Asus is also selling an optional stylus, which it claims has 256 levels of pressure sensitivity for drawing and writing purposes.

Both models come with 30Wh batteries, which with basic usage should last up to 10 hours.

Prices for the T100 start at just $400. For now, Asus is remaining tight lipped on when they will actually ship.

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