Asus TP300LD Review: Great convertible ultrabook, with some hick-ups

DESIGN, SHAPE & KEYBOARD
The TP300LD looks and feels premium, just like most ultrabook out there. Its keyboards are well placed, and it is amazingly thin at only 2.2cm thick. The metallic casing only adds to its feel of premium-ness, although the plastic back somewhat makes this amazing device fall short of the Apple Macbook. Nonetheless, considering you get the Asus TP300LD at just a fraction of the price of a Macbook, I am not complaining.

Compared to its competitors, the Asus TP300LD has an adequate number of connective ports with two USB 3.0 ports, one USD 2.0 port, one HDMI port, and one SD card reader. In addition to those, there’s a Windows 8 button, and a dedicated volume button with a Kensington lock also made available for those of you interested to secure your laptop from being stolen.

Since the TP300LD is considered an ultrabook, you will not find any sort of optical drive on the laptop, and have to install any software or programs using a thumbdrive or the download it from the internet instead. Personally, this is something good because optical drives are so yesterday, and installing or accessing anything from these drives, no matter how fast, can sometimes be very disappointing. They also tend to drain power faster.

DISPLAY, CAMERA AND SOUND
I’ve used a 13.3-inch screen before, and it is my believe that the TP300LD’s screen is good enough for you to enjoy movies, and whatever work you need to do.

The display is an LED backlight glare panel and it comes with a stunning a 16:9 HD (1366×768) display.  Viewing your screen from multiple angles is possible so you can share the screen with more than three users when you watch a movie.

The TP300LD also has a clear and powerful sound system although it would not be loud enough to be used for presentations, what more a huge room.

If you intend to take photos or Skype, there’s a HD web camera which produced above average photos for a webcam although I personally feel that webcams and cameras on laptops are unnecessary since I do not personally like Skyping.

PERFORMANCE & STORAGE
The i5-4210U processor which powers the laptop enables smooth use of the laptop in both tablet and laptop mode.  I don’t have complaints over the performance of the TP300LD.  The only game I’ve played with the laptop so far is Football Manager 2014, and that too was smooth if compared to my previous laptop which boast of a 1GB AMD graphic card.  There is an i7 version for this laptop, but I couldn’t find one around Kuching City.

Since the TP300LD was purchased mainly for work purposes, I must say that it does every task without a glitch, and performs admirably, perhaps with the help of its 4GB RAM.  The 500GB HDD included in the TP300LD isn’t the latest of it’s kind, but it does suit my preference for bigger storage.

TABLET MODE
In tablet mode, the TP300LD is a large over-sized tablet which is uncomfortable to hold. The keyboards, although deactivated, give you an insecure feeling when using this 13.3″ laptop in tablet mode.

The problem of this laptop being in tablet mode however varies, but my biggest dislike is the fact that despite it is in tablet mode, the way it is used remains like how you’d need to use a computer, which is you need to double click to open items, and there is still the existent of a start button, which is weird for a tablet.

Nonetheless, if you are constantly on the go, or attending meetings, this would be something great because you will have a device you can use within a limited confined space!

BATTERY LIFE AND HEAT DISPERSION
The battery life of the ASUS TP300LD is okay, and since I am am not able to compare it with other models, I can just say it is adequate. The battery last for a good 5 hours on a full charge, and can the battery charges quickly.

In terms of heat dispersion, it is well done with the hot air being blown away from the main unit to the back, instead of the typical downwards outlet for heat.

The premium aluminium casing makes the laptop cool on your lap and palm, but you can feel the laptop heat up slightly in the tablet mode. You also need to turn the blowing laptop heat away from your good self if you’d want to feel comfortable using the laptop in tablet mode, and this will cause the Asus logo to look upside down.

CONCLUSION
Considering the price and the built, this is an awesome laptop with impressive specifications. If you are using the laptop for work, you can prepare to be amazed although you should not expect to play any latest label games. In tablet mode, the laptop does wonders to fill time where space is concerned hence making the TP300LD a real steal.