Benchmarks

We ran the following benchmarks to gauge overall performance of the Transformer TF101:

Passmark Performance Test Mobile
Linpack for Android
AnTuTu Benchmark v2.4.2
EMP7

*All tests were performed with the unit plugged in. The Transformer being tested was running the latest firmware update version HTK75.US_epad-8.6.5.21-20111216
*The MobileDock version in tests was EP101-0213.
*The version of Android on the Transformer in testing was 3.2.1.

A note on testing:

We observed some unusual behavior in tests when the unit was plugged in vs unplugged on battery power. For some reason the tests showed worse performance when plugged in vs unplugged. We opted to leave the unit plugged in for the tests as this will demonstrate worst case scenario performance.

PassMark Mobile Performance Test

As you can see the Asus Transformer TF101 performs very well in nearly every category. The on-board memory and 2D graphics do not fare well in testing but the TF101 performs excellent in 3D and in overall scores. Of course it should be noted that the current version of Passmark pits the Transformer against Andoid phones and not other tablets.

Linpack for Andoid

This test runs a massive database query using the CPU power of the TF101. With a score of 159552 the TF101 will not be breaking any CPU speed records. It should be taken into consideration that the TF101 was never meant to be a CPU powerhouse to begin with. The Transformer has more than enough juice for the applications typically run on a tablet.

EMP7

This test is also a benchmark of the CPU power of an android device. Similar to Linpack this benchmark runs an oracle database queary of 500,000 records on EMP5 and is designed to give relative performance for mobile devices.

AnTuTu Benchmark

As you can see by the results above the newly released Asus Transformer Prime is clearly in domination. The Transformer TF101 reviewed here placed in the middle of the pack. Similar to PassMark the AnTuTu benchmark tests multiple areas of the mobile device and reports scores.

As I noted earlier most of these scores are pitted against mobile phones which makes the results look a bit uneven. In order to use them fairly please consider this and compare against scores on another tablet. We considered showing these results compared against netbooks but that too would be unfair as the Atom processor would be more powerful and the OS is Windows based vs Android. We do have access to an HP Touchpad but that runs WebOS and not Android.

Aside from what the numbers say I can tell you that in person the OS is fairly snappy and handles all of the applications we have thrown at it with ease.

Now for our summary.