ASUS ZenBook Series Lands in Malaysia

It all started with the dream of having a laptop that isn’t much larger than a standard A4 piece of paper. Then the dream was to have a laptop which wouldn’t weigh a tonne. That’s the basis of the new series of ASUS ZenBooks. Striking a fine balance between design prowess, killer functionality and portability, the new series of ZenBooks can quite possibly be the perfect package for the digital nomads of today

The new ASUS ZenBook come in 3 sizes and multiple specifications; each with its own unique niche which will appeal to different people. The smallest of the new ASUS ZenBooks, the ZenBook 13, is a smaller than A4 sized laptop with a focus on being portable. The laptop comes with either an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor with a discreet NVIDIA MX150 graphics card. It has 3GB of RAM and 512GB of storage space thanks to a PCIe 3.0 x2 solid state drive.

It also has Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi a/b/g/n/ac connectivity. Unlike other super slim laptops, the ASUS Zenbook 13 comes with a good selection of connection interfaces including the USB 3.1 gen 2 type C, USB Type A, USB 2.0, HDMI, microSD and an audio combo jack (i.e. mic and headphone share the same port). All of this fits into a body which measures 30.2cm long, 18.9cm wide and 1.69 cm thick. This is a little bit smaller than our standard A4 sized paper with specifications which make it quite the beast.

The ZenBook 14, shares nearly the same specifications as the ZenBook 13 aside from one major difference: its size. That said, the 13 also has an i7 version which the 14 doesn’t. But that isn’t the focus when it comes to the ZenBook 14; the focus is the larger 14-inch screen which should be more than large enough for regular users. The larger 14-inch display still retains nearly the same build. The ZenBook 14 is only 31.9cm long, 19.9cm wide and 1.59 cm thick. Yes, the ZenBook 14 is slightly thinner than the 13 with comparable specifications. This is thanks largely to ASUS’s nano bezel which minimizes the bezel surrounding the screen and makes the screen standout even more.

Number Pad for Added Functionality

The new ZenBook series takes its queues from the recently launched ZenBook Pro. The mouse pad on the 13 and 14 have an added productivity which is made of a unique 5-layer glass that makes the mouse pad look really good. Since battery life and productivity are per-requisites for a good on the go laptop, ASUS has forgone the inclusion of its ScreenPad for a Number pad which can be turned on an off by clicking the top left corner of the Mouse Pad. The inclusion of the number pad allows users to have the familiar calculator-like layout for processing large spreadsheets or data entry. This feature skips the 15 as it already features a full keyboard.

ZenBook 15 for Creatives on-the-go

The larger 15-inch ZenBook forgoes the ­benefit of being smaller for a larger, more versatile workspace. It also packs more powerful insides for heavier workloads.

The more powerful ZenBook 15 comes with an Intel Core i7 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The biggest difference is the inclusion of the NVIDIA GTX1050 graphics processor into the laptop. The more capable graphics processor makes the laptop that much more powerful to enable more resource intensive graphics processing.

That said, the ZenBook 15 still retains its portability thanks to the slim form factor the Max-Q design allows. Across the board, cooling in the ZenBook series has been improved to allow better power efficiency and also better cooling. So, the inclusion of the more powerful graphics card should be a non issue.

Pricing & Availability

The ZenBook 13 will be available in two specifications i5 and i7. The i5 version of the ZenBook 13 will be retailing for RM4,499 while the i7 version will be retailing at RM4,999.

The Zenbook 14 will retail for RM4,399 while the 15 will be retailing at RM6,099.

All models will be available in market starting 10 January 2019 in Icicle Silver,and Royal Blue. If you want a more exotic colour, the Burgundy Red is available for the ZenBook 13.

Official Specifications

Model ZenBook 13
(UX333) ZenBook 14
(UX433) ZenBook 15
(UX533) Processor Intel® Core™ i5–8265U
Intel® Core™ i7–8565U Intel® Core™ i5–8265U Intel® Core™ i7–8565U Display 13.3’ FHD 1920x1080
16:9
IPS
Wide View 14’ FHD 1920x1080
16:9 IPS
Wide View 15.6’ FHD 1920x1080
16:9
IPS
Wide View Memory 8GB LPDDR3 8GB LPDDR3 16GB DDR4 Storage 512GB
PCIEG3x2 NVME M.2 SSD 512GB
PCIEG3x2 NVME M.2 SSD 512GB
PCIEG3x2 NVME M.2 SSD Graphics NVIDIA GeForce MX150
GDDR5 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX150
GDDR5 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 MAX Q
GDDR5 2GB I/O Port 1x USB 2.0
1x USB3.1 Type A (Gen1)
1x USB3.1 Type C (Gen 2)
1x HDMI 1x USB 2.0
1x USB3.1 Type A (Gen1)
1x USB3.1 Type C (Gen 2)
1x HDMI 1x USB 2.0
1x USB3.1 Type A (Gen1)
1x USB3.1 Type C (Gen 2)
1x HDMI Dimension 30.2(W)x18.9(D)x1.69(H)cm 31.9(W)x19.9(D)x1.59(H)cm 35.4(W)x22.0(D)x1.79(H)cm Weight 1.19kg 1.19kg 1.68kg Price RM4,499
RM4,999 RM4,399 RM6,099

Originally published at techENT.