ASUS wants to take on the MacBook Air with this

ASUS wants to take on the MacBook Air with a device that’s thinner and arguably more versatile. Say hello to the Transformer Book T300 Chi, a “thinner than Air” (claimed ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih), all-aluminum 12.5-inch convertible laptop that was just announced at CES 2015 in Las Vegas.

Powered by Intel’s latest Broadwell Core M processor (not our favourite when it comes to performance and stamina), the 12.5 Book Chi has two variants. The top of the line features a WQHD (2560×1440) IPS touch panel display, 128GB iSSD with Intel Core M 5Y71 processor at 1.2Ghz. The entry level variant brings with it a full HD (1920×1080) IPS touch panel, 64GB iSSD with Intel Core M 5Y10 processor at 0.8Mhz.

The Book Chi’s versatility comes in the form of a detachable keyboard dock that allows you to use the computer in either full laptop mode with the keyboard attached or full table mode with the keyboard detached. While it’s not anything new, the form factor is an interesting take on the convertible/hybrid computer genre, but when it comes to convertible computers, we the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is still our favourite when it comes to execution.

In terms of dimensions, at 16.5mm (0.65 inch) complete with the keyboard dock attached, the Book Chi is a smidgen thinner than the MacBook Air (17mm or 0.68 inch). If you take the keyboard dock out the Book Chi becomes even thinner at and 7.6mm (0.3 inch).

So, can the Book T300 Chi take on the MacBook Air? If you’re looking for a thin, convertible ultrabook and don’t mind some of the tantrums of Windows 8 (weird tablet-computer transitional interface) then, perhaps. But its takes more than dimensions to make a computer good. For the ASUS Book T300 Chi to be taken seriously as a MacBook Air contender, it needs to prove that it has the stamina and performance to back up the claim of being the “ultimate dream machine” as claimed by ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih.

The ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi should arrive on our shore sometime in the first quarter of this year, prices: US$699 (RM2,490) for the 1080p T300 and US$799 (RM2,847) for the WQHD T300.