The Asus Transformer Book T90 Chi is a 2-in-1 Windows tablet with an 8.9 inch display and a detachable keyboard dock that lets you use the tablet like a notebook.

Asus introduced the Transformer Book T90 Chi at CES in January, along with the 10 inch T100 Chi and 12.5 inch T300 Chi. Both of the larger models are now available… so what about the smallest member of the lineup?

It looks like the Transformer Book T90 Chi is coming soon: Several retail sites are taking pre-orders for $299 and up.

Update: Most of those stores have removed the product pages. It’s not clear if the T90 will be available in the US anytime soon. 

t90 chi

Adorama is selling the little 2-in-1 tablet for $299, while Provantage, PC Rush, and PC Nation are showing higher prices.

Note that I’m pretty sure none of these stores actually has the T90 Chi in stock as of mid-April, 2015. But they all have product listings for an Asus 2-in-1 with the model number T90CHI-B1-BK, suggesting that a version with a black case should be available soon.

The Transformer Book T90 Chi features an Intel Atom Z3775 Bay Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8.9 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, front and rear cameras, and Windows 8.1 software. It comes with a 1-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365.

The $299(ish) model has 32GB of storage, but Asus may also offer a model with 64GB.

The tablet measures 9.5″ x 5.4″ x 0.3″ and weighs 14 ounces. Add the keyboard dock and you’ve got a laptop that measures 0.65″ thick and weighs 1.65 pounds.

It’s an interesting little device for folks looking for a Windows tablet that’s easier to hold in one hand than a 10 inch model, but which comes with a keyboard for use in laptop mode. But the keyboard itself is rather small and doesn’t have a touchpad.

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17 replies on “8.9 inch Asus Transformer Book T90 Chi convertible up for pre-order for $299 (maybe)”

  1. Wow… stupid asus, I would totally buy this ultra compact PC for 300$ but instead they keep making shitty oversized phablets every demn month…

  2. i was waiting for this tablet, ended up buying a samsung one. never released here in turkey. t100 chi also did not released but asus just broght t300 chi which costs an arm and a leg.

  3. Adorama has just killed their product page for the T90. It’s officially dead.

      1. the T90 is not dead by any means. It was released in Japan back in March with limited availabilty. Since then the number of stores that carry are gradually increasing. I’m guessing ASUS has had production issues with the chi line hence the limited availability so its quite possible that they have given up on a wider global release outside of Asia.

        Unless there is news of an Atom X5/X7 update soon, I will probably pick one up within the next month or so

  4. not looking hopeful….two of the dealers listed above removed it from their sites, and ASUS North America on facebook said they weren’t bringing it to North America

    1. Looks like Asus dropped the ball on this one. First, they promised a February release for the whole Chi line, then vaporwared the T90. Wish Toshiba wises up and release the Click Mini in North America to provide more options to us 9 inchers.

  6. Coming out with a new Atom Z37xx product is going to be a tough sell since the Atom x3/x5/x7 tablets are just around the corner. I guess it will depend on how expensive the new tablets are or whether the tablets with the older chips will see a good price reduction once the newer ones come out.

  7. I just got asus t200 off ebay for $250. Hopefully I’ll have it by Friday. I have an asus t100 but screen is badly crack so I don’t use it. My dell venue 11 pro has something wrong with it so I can’t use it.
    The t200 should hold me over until I get a macbook pro for college.

  8. Adorama has had it up for preorder for almost 3 months now. They said it would be there by later March, then told me mid june and I cancelled my order.

    1. It’s also disappointing to know that it has been available in Amazon Japan since March 13. And yes, there’s a 64GB version available.

  9. Looks nice, but I’ll stick with my 1080p Thinkpad 8 since I think I read the resolution is 1280×800.

    1. If only the thinkpad 8 has pen support and a keyboard I would love to have it.

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