Hands on: Asus VivoTab Smart ME400C review

Asus is showing off a ton of great devices at CES this week, and the VivoTab ME400C is a stand out example of what the company excels at.

The 10.1-inch Windows 8 - not Windows RT - tablet will compete directly with Microsoft's own Surface Pro, but Asus's new device has at least one advantage: a superior keyboard.

The VivoTab Smart ME400C's detachable Bluetooth keyboard feels slightly cramped, but compared to the Surface's Touch Cover and Type Cover, it's much easier to type on.

Besides that, Asus's ME400C is a sleek and extremely portable device with some excellent features.

With Windows 8 you get the tile UI and the full desktop

The specs

The VivoTab Smart ME400C comes packing a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory, 64GB of storage (or 32GB outside the U.S.), NFC, and a 720p widescreen, wide viewing angle IPS display and SonicMaster audio tech for media viewing.

A reported 9.5 hours of battery life should help with that as well.

The 8 megapixel rear camera has an LED flash and 1080p video capture, while a 2 megapixel camera rests on the front.

The ME400C is light, thin and sleek, weighting in at just 580g and measuring 9.7mm thick, with a pleasant matte finish on the back. A microSD card reader, microSD and microHDMI ports provide some flexibility, though a regular USB spot would have been nice as well.

For the given power and specs, the UI was responsive and games like Pinball FX 2 looked and ran great.

The cover features a unique folding design

The cover and keyboard

The keyboard connects instantly via Bluetooth and features a touchpad mouse with left and right clicks. The keys travel a satisfying distance and the touchpad is responsive, making it a breeze to type for minutes at a time.

The cover flap is the same one that's used on other Asus tablets, with a unique folding design that allows it to easily double as a sturdy stand.

The tablet attaches to the cover magnetically, and the keyboard can attach to the cover's inside flap for easy travel.

The one drawback is that the cover can't be folded back when the keyboard is attached to it; to use the Smart ME400C effectively, you've got to remove the keyboard from the cover flap, then fold the cover back so the tablet stands up; then connect the keyboard via Bluetooth.

The cover/stand comes in four colors

Choices

The tablet itself comes in black or silver finishes, while the cover has black, grey, pink, and blue options.

Ultimately, any drawbacks here are few and far between, and the Asus VivoTab Smart ME400C is sleek and portable enough to be highly recommended for those who want a decent Windows 8 experience without the need to carry around a laptop.

That said, the price is looking rather steep, coming in at $499 (UK£308, AU$470) for the 64GB version when it launches in the U.S. by the end of Q1 this year. The cover and keyboard will be separate purchases, as well.