Gold and black seem to be a new trend for notebooks after ASUS revealed a new Zenbook 3 that looks remarkably like the new HP Spectre series which some observers have described as “pure bling”.
I am in Asia at the moment and it’s interesting to see what is actually selling in this part of the world Vs Australia.
Oppo and ZTE who are looking to open their own retail shops around the world are big in the smartphone market, while ASUS who dominate in the PC gaming market and Acer who are big in the notebook and PC gaming market are preferred over brands such as Hewlett Packard and Dell.
Last night at Computex in Taipei, ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih revealed a new range of products spanning 2-in-1 hybrids an ASUS Transformer 3, Transformer 3 Pro, and an ASUS ZenBook 3.
Acer chose to do their 2016 launch of new products in New York, as opposed to doing it at Computex, which is held in the same city where both Acer and ASUS PC’s are made.
The new ASUS ZenBook 3 sports a metal unibody construction and an aerospace-grade aluminium alloy design, with the chassis ranging from 11.9mm to 3.5mm in thickness (or thinness).
The display’s bezel is rather thin too, measuring 16mm thick on the bottom, 11.5mm on the top, and 7mm on the sides, resulting in an 82-percent screen to body ratio. Overall, the new laptop weighs only two pounds, making the ZenBook not only light, but extremely thin.
 |
According to Tsang, the specs include up to an Intel Core i7 processor, up to a 1TB SSD, and up to 16GB of memory clocked at 2,133MHz. There’s also support for USB Type-C ports, and a 40Wh battery promising up to nine hours on a single charge and fast charging tech that will reach 60-percent capacity within 49 minutes.
Tsang said during the presentation that the ZenBook 3’s CPU performance is up to 1.5 times better than the Apple MacBook, its SSD performance zooms up to 1,709MB per second, and its memory transfers data up to 25.28GB per second (bandwidth). Keeping the device chilled and performing optimally is a cooling fan that measures only 3mm thick.
Other features noted by Tsang include Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 protecting the screen, a keyboard with 0.8mm of travel (twice that of the MacBook), and a fingerprint login feature built right into the touchpad. The new ZenBook is offered in three colours too: Royal Blue, Quartz Grey, and Rose Gold.
 |
| ASUS Zenbook |
 |
| HP Spectre |
As for pricing, the Core i7 model with a 1TB SSD and 16GB of memory will cost $2,000 while the Core i7 model with a 512GB SSD and 16GB of memory costs $1,500. There’s a Core i5 model too with a 256GB SSD and 4GB of memory for $1,000.
The Zenbook 3 is targeting the MacBook; the company mentioned the Cupertino-based competitor multiple times during its debut. The specifications suggest ASUS has managed to cram much faster hardware in a smaller footprint – an achievement similar to HP’s recently announced Spectre.
The next 2-in-1 solution shown during the event was the ASUS Transformer 3. This device measures just 6.9mm thin and sports a 12.6-inch screen with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,920, a pixel counts of 275 pixels per inch, and a screen brightness of 450 nits, making it a great solution for outdoors (unless it’s raining, of course). This screen is also supported by the company’s Tru2Life technology, which enhances the overall sharpness and contrast, and includes a built-in kickstand with only two positions, and a 13MP camera mounted on the backside.
The Transformer 3 supports seventh-generation Intel Core processors, up to a 512GB SSD, up to nine hours on a single battery charge, Thunderbolt 3, and has memory clocked at 1,866MHz. Users can login with Windows Hello with the touch of a single finger on the screen. The 2-in-1 even includes four speakers that are 3.5 times louder than past models, thanks to SmartAmp technology.
Users can type up a storm on the included full-size, backlit Transformer Sleeve keyboard with a travel distance of 1.4mm, and a glass-based touchpad.
The starting price for the Transformer 3 is $800, and the available colours are Stone, Charcoal, Taupe, and Amber.
Pricing for the Australian market have not been announced so all pricing above is in US dollars.
