Computex 2019: Asus unveils new ZenBook, Duo Pro series

Taiwanese consumer electronics major, Asus unveiled the new line of ZenBook, Pro series along with limited-edition ZenBook Edition 30 (UX334FL) to commemorate the company's 30th year anniversary.

All the new ZenBook boasts ScreenPad 2.0. With a 5.65-inch touchscreen, it offers intuitive new smartphone-like interface enables easy task management and allows the creation of seamless multitasking workflows.

Another notable aspect of the new ZenBooks are the four-sided frameless NanoEdge display, with up to a 95% screen-to-body ratio, making them the world's most compact footprint in their respective classes.

Under-the-hood, they come packed with 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 quad-core CPUs, up to NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Max-Q graphics, 16GB RAM, ultrafast PCIe SSDs, Bluetooth 5.0, and gigabit-class Wi-Fi 5.

As far as the exterior outlook is concerned, all models feature the trademark Zen-inspired spun-metal finish on the lid, and there's a choice of prestigious Royal Blue anodized finishes, both enhanced with gold lid logos and a contrasting Rose Gold trim bar above the keyboard for an extra touch of luxury. The ASUS ErgoLift hinge design tilts the keyboard automatically for a comfortable typing experience, and also aids cooling, the company claims.

With a single battery charge, the new ZenBook series gives users the freedom to work all day on a — up to an impressive 14 hours for ZenBook 13 and 14, and an incredible 17 hours for ZenBook 15.

ZenBook 30:
In 2006, ASUS created the S6F Leather Collection, the world’s first laptop to incorporate genuine-leather panels. Now, the new ZenBook Edition 30 brings a similar but with a twist to match the contemporary design.

It boasts lid encased in luxurious Pearl White genuine Italian leather — hand-crafted and hand-stitched for perfect fit appearance — for a pure, bold style statement. The Rose Gold anodized diamond-cut edges and trim bar, accompanied by the exclusive 18-karat rose-gold-plated 30th-anniversary logo on the lid, are sure to turn eyes.

ZenBook Edition 30 sports 13.3-inch full HD NanoEdge display and comes with Intel Core i7-8565U/Core i5-8265U processor, Windows 10/ 10 Pro OS, 3D IR HD camera, ScreenPad (5.45-inch FHD+), 8GB/16GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce® MX150, 2GB GDDR5 VRAM/Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 620 and a 50Wh 3-cell lithium-polymer battery with up to 14 hours of power backup.

ZenBook Edition 30 is exclusively equipped with a complete set of premium accessories, including a Pearl White mouse, a leather-look box and mouse pad, and a genuine-leather sleeve. It's a very special collection for a very special laptop.

ZenBook Duo series:
Asus unveiled the new ZenBook Duo series at the ongoing Computex 2019 event. It comes in two variants-- one a generic ZenBook Duo and top-end ZenBook Pro Duo.

As the name implies, the ZenBook Duo series comes with secondary display dubbed as ScreenPad Plus, a 14-inch full-width secondary touchscreen that expands and enhances the interactive capabilities. They come with 9th generation Intel Core processors, combined with up to 32GB RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, with ultrafast storage provided by up to a 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD.

The ZenBook Pro Duo features a stunning 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) OLED touchscreen, a 4K (3840 x 1100) ScreenPad Plus and an ASUS NumberPad dual-function touchpad. The display is a frameless four-sided ASUS NanoEdge design, with ultraslim bezels for immersive visuals and an ultracompact form factor.

ZenBook Pro Duo features the latest version of the ASUS NumberPad, an LED-illuminated numeric keypad integrated into the touchpad. There's also Amazon Alexa voice support, with a dedicated light bar at the front of the laptop that illuminates to indicate it’s listening.

ZenBook Pro Duo is designed for extreme performance to enable effortless creativity. It's powered by up to a 9th Generation Intel Core i9 eight-core processor with up to an unprecedented 5GHz Turbo Boost frequency and 32GB of DDR4 RAM. The gaming-grade NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, powered by the NVIDIA Turing™ architecture, is a game-changing GPU that offers users the power of ray-tracing for the ultimate visual realism.

An up to 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD ensures ultrafast data access at all times, and the full set of I/O ports includes a Thunderbolt 3-enabled USB Type-C (USB-C) port. The latest Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ (802.11ax) takes wireless speeds to the next level, for super smooth connections to the world.

Users can also drag discrete apps, toolbars or menus onto ScreenPad Plus to reduce clutter on the main screen and enhance work efficiency. Creators can dock their tools such as video previews, timeline controls, code windows or audio mixer panels onto ScreenPad Plus to optimize their workflow. Social communications apps placed on ScreenPad Plus allow users to keep up to date and respond instantly to messages while working, without having to switch between windows.

To ensure silky-smooth operation and maximum performance are available at all times, there’s a dedicated Turbo Fan button to boost cooling at any time, and the ErgoLift hinge improves airflow under the laptop for better thermal performance, the company proclaims.

With the bundled stylus — or any other active stylus —, users can take notes or draw thus offering more capabilities than other laptops. It also comes with deluxe palm rest feature, that enhances the ErgoLift tilting keyboard design even further for the most comfortable drawing or typing experience. This is best suited to creative professionals and ensures an ultra-fluid cross-screen workflow when using ScreenPad Plus.

On the other hand, 14-inch ultraportable variant, ZenBook Duo (UX481), is also available, featuring a frameless four-sided NanoEdge FHD display and an FHD ScreenPad Plus. It's powered by up to an Intel Core i7 processor and a GeForce MX250 GPU.

The price of the new devices is expected to revealed in local regional events in the coming weeks.

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