I’ve spent the majority of the last 18 months as a digital nomad: a freelance writer and photographer doing my job from over a dozen countries. I’ve done all my writing and photo editing on an Asus T100, so when I claimed it was the Best Travel Laptop, I put my money where my mouth was.
And I’ll tell you, it has been. It has its quirks, it’s far from perfect, but it has served me exceptionally well.
So with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, I looked over the specs for the new T100 Asus just started shipping. Is it the new best travel laptop? Let’s see…
Before we get started, if you want to dive deeper into the tech of travel (or travel tech) check out Travel Smarter With Tech, 10 Tips for Travelling with a Smartphone, Are Travel SIM Cards Worth It?, Pay In Local Or Home Currency?, 5 Myths About Travelling With Tech, and My Favorite Travel Gear.
Let me explain, up front, what I mean by “best travel laptop.” I have a specific set of needs, and it’s possible yours might not line up.For me, I need a laptop to be: Small, lightweight, Windows, cheap, and most of all… rechargeable via USB.
For a while, the T100 was the only laptop that met all of those requirements. After 18 months and over 90,000 miles, I stand by all of those things.
There are a few negatives, which I’ll get to at the bottom.
As a twist, the old T100 is still available (in mildly freshened 2014 form). It’s incredibly cheap, only $250.
The new version, christened the T100 Chi, is the same price as the old one was originally, but is now a sort of “step up.” It offers some interesting improvements though…
Screen
The old T100’s screen was pretty crappy. It wasn’t very bright, was hard to see in even a little daylight, and the color accuracy was terrible. I’ve seen some of my lovingly crafted images on a real screen months later and cringed at the color balance.
The T100 Chi has a very different screen. First, it’s 1,920×1,200, greater than full HD resolution. I haven’t seen it in person yet, but it’s hard to imagine it’s worse than the old screen. Asus’s marketing is making all sorts of claims about the color (“sRGB color gamut”), so clearly they realize that was an issue with the old one.
The screen is also IPS-based, so it should have good off-axis performance (as in, you can see the screen from most any angle).
Detachable Keyboard
The old T100 had a removable keyboard, and the latch and hinge was all one piece. It wasn’t great, and in fact failed on my T100 after a few months of use (thankfully, when I was coming home from a trip).
The T100 Chi has a magnetic connection, and even more interesting, the keyboard can work separate from the PC/screen. This is done via Bluetooth, which may or may not lead to issues. Apparently you have to charge the keyboard separately (i.e. it doesn’t draw power from the PC). Amazon reviews are saying it needs charging every 2-3 weeks with heavy usage, so that’s pretty good.
I’ll be honest, I’m a bit nervous about this. It could be cool, but it could also be a pain.
Chassis
The original T100 felt every bit the cheap laptop it was/is. The T100 Chi has an “all-aluminum unibody design.” Initial reports are saying it feels far more sturdy than the old one (not hard, that).
Processing
Though slow compared to more expensive computers, I’ve never found an issue with the T100’s processing speed. The Chi has a newer, and slightly faster, processor, but it’s still going to seem a bit slow compared to more expensive laptops.
Same Same
The internal storage options stay the same (32 or 64 GB are available… but I’d go for the 64). It doesn’t specify, but it seems the T100 Chi can still recharge via USB. Awesome.
The price is also the same as when the original T100 was launched, though it’s $150 more than the T100 is now.
Not for everyone
As much as I love the T100, I’ll be the first to admit it’s not for everyone. While I have larger-than-average hands, I have thin dexterous fingers. The small keyboard on the T100 has never bothered me, and was even a benefit when I sprained two fingers falling down a flight of stairs (sober, ironically enough). If you have really big hands, or fingers of the more “meaty” variety, you’re going to hate the T100. Two colleagues at Wirecutter think I’m crazy for liking the T100 for this very issue, and regularly mock me for my love. My love holds true.
The lack of storage space can be an issue, depending on what you’re doing. Even with a 128 GB micro SD, the lack of on-board storage space is never far from your mind. Maybe you’re the type of person that doesn’t mind carrying around multiple micro SD cards, but I’m not. That said, I’ve never had a problem, at least not after I figured out Lightroom was duplicating all my images (thanks, Adobe).
The processing speed has never been an issue for me. It’s a little slow, sure, but I’ve never found myself waiting for anything. I think some people get caught up in specs and synthetic tests, but in reality, if a heavy adjustment in Photoshop takes 7 seconds instead of 2, I don’t think most people are going to notice or care.
If you’re editing videos, however, that can be a slow churn. If videos are your thing, I’d look elsewhere.
Lastly, I have yet to find anything that my T100 can’t do that a Macbook Air can, for a fraction of the latter’s price.
Conclusion
All told, these are some fantastic upgrades to the T100. Many were things I would have loved to have gotten in my T100. The price is basically the same, too. Except… you can get the older T100 (last year’s mild refresh) for $150 less than this new one. If you’re looking for the bare bones cheapest option, go for that.
For me, knowing the shortcomings (mostly the screen), I’d probably still swing for the $400 option if I were buying today.
But wow that older one is a tempting steal.
T100 Chi 32 GB: $400
T100 Chi 64 GB: $416
http://baldnomad.com/
Bald Nomad is the continuing adventures of writer/photographer Geoffrey Morrison, who spends most of the year in search of life, the universe, and everything.
0 comments:
Post a Comment