Asus to ship the Transformer Pad 300 on April 22, goes head to head with Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Have you been eyeing the Asus Transformer Pad 300, wondering when the budget tablet offering from Asus will be available in the US? Better get your wallet out soon, because according to the folks at PC World, they have received confirmation from an Asus spokeswoman that the Transformer Pad 300 will hit retail stores on April 22.

Although the price of the Transformer Pad won’t be revealed until April 22, we already have a fair guesstimation of how much the Tegra 3-touting tablet will cost. No less than two online retailers have pegged the tablet’s price at $399 for the 16GB model, which will effectively put it on a collision course with another budget tablet from Samsung, the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. This calls for a quick specs comparison between the two.

Asus Transformer Pad 300

10.1-inch IPS display, 1280 x 800 resolution (149 ppi pixel density)
Quad-core 1.2GHz (or 1GHz) Nvidia Tegra 3 processor
1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSD card slot
8MP rear camera with auto focus, 1.2MP front camera
HDMI port, WiFi b/g/n
263 x 180.8 x 9.9 mm – 635 grams
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

10.1-inch PLS display, 1280 x 800 resolution (149 ppi pixel density)
Dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex A-9 processor
1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSD card slot
3.15MP rear camera, VGA front camera
TV-out, WiFi a/b/g/n
256.6 x 175.3 x 9.7 mm – 581 grams
Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich

Looking at the specs, it might be tempting to dismiss the dual-core processor of the Galaxy Tab 2, since it’s the same chip found on last year’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 – while it’s at least clocked at a higher speed. The Asus Transformer Pad 300, on the other hand, will join the ranks of other quad-core tablets in the market. Note that the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 won’t be out until May 13, or a good three weeks after the Transformer Pad 300.

Regardless of what you’ll choose, it’s refreshing to see 10-inch slates coming down in price. This bodes well for future Android tablets in the market.

Any thoughts? Is $399 the ideal price for a tablet? What would you like to see them priced at?

NEXT: Asus Transformer Going on Sale in Canada April 26!