Before our full review comes out later this week, we thought we'd give you a sneak peek at the Transformer Pad Infinity's Full HD display. Is the change in resolution really relevant for Asus and for Android?
More than anything else, what sets the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T apart from the Transformer Pad Prime is the IPS+ display, with its Full HD 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, compared to 1280 x 800 on the Prime. One would hope for better-rendered text, as was the case between the iPad 2 and the new iPad.
With the excellent results we obtained on all the last generations of the Transformer Pad, we had high hopes for this new IPS+ Full HD display. The screen is no longer S-IPS technology as was used on the Prime; it's PLS, Samsung's own IPS technology. This time it appears Asus has gotten its goods elsewhere.
Top: subpixels on the Transformer Pad Prime's S-IPS panel
Bottom: subpixels on the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700's PLS panel
By our measurements the Infinity's average contrast is lower than its predecessor, the Prime, at 1000:1 in normal IPS mode compared to 1200:1 on the Prime. It's also lower than the Acer Iconia Tab A200 (1500:1), but higher than the new iPad (930:1). What really matters, though, is that this is a more-than-adequate ratio, something most notebooks and netbooks can only dream of.
The maximum brightness is also high. In normal mode it's 400 cd/m² and in Super IPS+ mode it reaches 620 cd/m²! Needless to say, the Infinity TF700T is easy to read outdoors in the sun.
The colours are quite accurate, with an average delta E of 5.8 (where 3 and below is perfect accuracy). This means that dark colours are well rendered and reds and yellows are champions of accuracy. This is one of the rare tablets not to have absurdly rendered colours, although it's still miles away from the near-perfect rendering on the latest iPad. The highly constant colour temperature of 7377 kelvins prevents any excess of blues, for example, and the overall rendering is fairly neutral.
The ghosting time is 17 ms, which is satisfactory—pretty much what you find with most IPS displays.
Transformer Pad Infinity (left); Transformer Pad Prime (right)
Now here's our favourite part: the high definition image compared to "regular" Android tablets (1280 x 800 pixels) and the iPad (2048 x 1536).
First off, we can confirm that the improvements made in the overall reading experience are immediately noticeable. You can see the difference between the Infinity and the Transformer Pad Prime the second you look at it. From Android icons and web pages to word processing, the characters and images truly take Android to the next level.
Compared to the new iPad, however, the Infinity still needs a few more pixels if it wants to dethrone Apple when it comes to legibility and comfort on the eyes. On the Infinity you can see traces of aliasing (the "staircase" effect seen below), whereas the iPad's Retina display smoothes out the contours almost perfectly.
Left to right: the Prime, the Infinity and the iPad
The Infinity's video player, on the other hand, seems more apt and relevant than the iPad's because the 1920 x 1200 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio are more fitting for 1080p movies than the Apple's 4:3 aspect ratio; while the resolution is high, the dimensions necessarily don't fit most movies.
Top to bottom: Prime, Infinity and iPad
So, the question is: can a Full HD Android tablet seriously compete with a 9.7-inch Retina display? Yes, because the video elements, which are a major part of the overall visual experience, beat the iPad and the Infinity's precision and legibility have made a huge leap forward. This display is quite a delight.
> Reviews: Touchscreen Tablets
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T
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| STORES | £ |
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| Amazon mark... | 779.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 779.99 |
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More than anything else, what sets the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T apart from the Transformer Pad Prime is the IPS+ display, with its Full HD 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, compared to 1280 x 800 on the Prime. One would hope for better-rendered text, as was the case between the iPad 2 and the new iPad.
With the excellent results we obtained on all the last generations of the Transformer Pad, we had high hopes for this new IPS+ Full HD display. The screen is no longer S-IPS technology as was used on the Prime; it's PLS, Samsung's own IPS technology. This time it appears Asus has gotten its goods elsewhere.
Top: subpixels on the Transformer Pad Prime's S-IPS panel
Bottom: subpixels on the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700's PLS panel
By our measurements the Infinity's average contrast is lower than its predecessor, the Prime, at 1000:1 in normal IPS mode compared to 1200:1 on the Prime. It's also lower than the Acer Iconia Tab A200 (1500:1), but higher than the new iPad (930:1). What really matters, though, is that this is a more-than-adequate ratio, something most notebooks and netbooks can only dream of.
The maximum brightness is also high. In normal mode it's 400 cd/m² and in Super IPS+ mode it reaches 620 cd/m²! Needless to say, the Infinity TF700T is easy to read outdoors in the sun.
The colours are quite accurate, with an average delta E of 5.8 (where 3 and below is perfect accuracy). This means that dark colours are well rendered and reds and yellows are champions of accuracy. This is one of the rare tablets not to have absurdly rendered colours, although it's still miles away from the near-perfect rendering on the latest iPad. The highly constant colour temperature of 7377 kelvins prevents any excess of blues, for example, and the overall rendering is fairly neutral.
The ghosting time is 17 ms, which is satisfactory—pretty much what you find with most IPS displays.
Transformer Pad Infinity (left); Transformer Pad Prime (right)
Now here's our favourite part: the high definition image compared to "regular" Android tablets (1280 x 800 pixels) and the iPad (2048 x 1536).
First off, we can confirm that the improvements made in the overall reading experience are immediately noticeable. You can see the difference between the Infinity and the Transformer Pad Prime the second you look at it. From Android icons and web pages to word processing, the characters and images truly take Android to the next level.
Compared to the new iPad, however, the Infinity still needs a few more pixels if it wants to dethrone Apple when it comes to legibility and comfort on the eyes. On the Infinity you can see traces of aliasing (the "staircase" effect seen below), whereas the iPad's Retina display smoothes out the contours almost perfectly.
Left to right: the Prime, the Infinity and the iPad
The Infinity's video player, on the other hand, seems more apt and relevant than the iPad's because the 1920 x 1200 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio are more fitting for 1080p movies than the Apple's 4:3 aspect ratio; while the resolution is high, the dimensions necessarily don't fit most movies.
Top to bottom: Prime, Infinity and iPad
So, the question is: can a Full HD Android tablet seriously compete with a 9.7-inch Retina display? Yes, because the video elements, which are a major part of the overall visual experience, beat the iPad and the Infinity's precision and legibility have made a huge leap forward. This display is quite a delight.
> Reviews: Touchscreen Tablets
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