Asus VivoTab Smart to offer full Windows 8 experience on a budget

Asus has confirmed that its VivoTab Smart is set to land in the UK on 31 January.

The VivoTab Smart is gearing up to be one of the cheapest full Windows 8 tablets on the market, with a base price of 399. This is the same price as Microsoft's own Surface RT device, which ships with the cut-down Windows RT OS, and the same price as an entry-level iPad featuring iOS.

The Smart is also odds-on to be cheaper than Microsoft's Surface Pro, which is expected to retail at the same price as a laptop.

Despite the low-price, Asus has packed in a number of high-end components. The 9.7mm chassis will house a 10.1in IPS touchscreen with a resolution of 1366 x 768.

Under the hood, the Smart will be powered by an Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor with a clock speed of 1.8GHz. This will be paired together with 2GB of RAM.

Asus offers 64GB of internal storage this can be doubled using the micro SD card slot. The firm will also throw in 32GB of cloud storage, which will be available for three years.

Other key features include a micro HDMI and micro USB connections as well as an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and Wi-Fi connectivity will also be included as standard.

Asus claims up to 9.5 hours of battery life from a single charge, which could make it appealing to business users.

The firm will also be making a hybrid cover/keyboard accessory available. The TranSleeve Keyboard will act as a cover, keyboard and convert into a stand for the device via origami-style folding.

The cover with keyboard will be priced at 89.99. Alternatively, users can also get just a cover for 39.99. Initially, these will be sold directly by Asus online.

The VivoTab Smart will be available from Argos and Carphone Warehouse from the 31 January.