[Computex 2018] ASUS announces ZenBook Pro 15 (UX580) and ZenBook Pro 14 (UX480) – Ever seen a display on your touchpad? Look no further!

The ZenBook has always been my all-time favorite and I’ve owned a number of them as my daily drivers in the past. The thing about cramping super hardware in super confined space is what makes them very interesting. For the past years, ASUS has brought tonnes of innovations to the ZenBooks, rendering them one of the best devices in looks, performance, and durability (which was the last chapter for the ZenBooks).

At Computex 2018, ASUS unveiled THREE ZenBook notebooks; ZenBook Pro 15 (UX580), ZenBook Pro 14 (UX480) and ZenBook S (UX391). The highlight of the prime ZenBooks, the ZenBook Pro 15 and ZenBook Pro 14 has to be the innovative ScreenPad. Imagine Apple’s Touch Bar, but on your touchpad instead, and much more functional. It is a brand new way to interact with the ZenBook that adapts to the user to provide effortless control. Oh, and the ZenBooks are now more powerful than ever – and this is something that I have waited for a very long time, so you can tell my excitement!

ScreenPad Revolution

The ZenBook Pro series this year are the first devices to bring the awesome ScreenPad. ScreenPad is an ASUS innovation that revolutionizes the way we work on our notebooks and interact with them. It combines the touchpad with a high-resolution, full-color touchscreen to offer intuitive ways of communicating with both Windows apps and natively designed apps called the ScreenPad Apps.

ScreenPad brings adaptive functions with context-sensitive tools that enhance workflow and productivity. It is fully customizable and allow users to personalize their experience. At this point of time, supported apps include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and YouTube, while ASUS is adding support for other popular apps such as ASUS Sync, which lets you control your phone via ScreenPad.

ScreenPad also offers an exciting prospect for developers to produce new ScreenPad Apps or find ways of integrating with desktop apps, delivering endless possibilities to users.

ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 (UX580)

ZenBook Pro 15 is a serious professional powerhouse, spotting an up to 8th Generation Intel Core-i9 processor, GTX 1050Ti, 1TB PCIe x4 (NVMe) SSD, Gigabit speeds with Intel Wireless-AC and Intel Thunderbolt 3 ports. These were never imagined as a dominant hardware when we talked about ZenBooks in the past.

The display is beautiful! The 15.6-inch 4K UHD NanoEdge PANTONE validated display with 100% Adobe RGB color gamut, ∆E (Delta-E) < 2.0 color accuracy gives a whole new breath to multimedia entertainment on it while the powerful Harman Kardon certified audio system only makes it better.

It is available in two colors; Deep Dive Blue and Rose Gold and has the iconic spun-metal concentric finishing. The ZenBook Pro 15 is the first ScreenPad-enabled model in the series while it’s sibling, the ZenBook Pro 14 (UX480) will launch later.

Here are the specification combinations for the ZenBook Pro 15:

[table style=”table-hover”]

CPU	Intel Core i9-8950HK processor 2.9GHz, 6 Cores with Turbo Boost (up to 4.5GHz) and 12MB cache Intel Core i7-8750H processor 2.2GHz, 6 Cores with Turbo Boost (up to 4.1GHz) and 9MB cache Intel Core i5-8300H processor 2.3GHz, 6 Cores with Turbo Boost (up to 4.0GHz) and 8MB cache
GPU	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti/ 1050 Video memory: 4GB GDDR5 VRAM
RAM	8GB / 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 onboard
Display	15.6” LED-backlit 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) 16:9 touchscreen, color calibration: Delta E<2, 100% Adobe RGB color gamut 15.6” LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 (touchscreen optional), color calibration: Delta E<3, 100% sRGB color gamut Pantone validated 7.3mm-thin bezel with 83% screen-to-body ratio 178° wide-view technology ASUS Eye Care technology for up to 30% blue-light reduction
Storage	1TB / 512GB PCIe® SSD 512GB / 256GB SATA3 SSD
Keyboard & ScreenPad	Keyboard Full-size backlit, with 1.5mm key travel Fingerprint sensor supporting Windows Hello ScreenPad 5.5″ FHD (1920 x 1080) Super IPS+ display 178˚ wide-view technology Glass-covered for fingerprint and smudge resistance Precision touchpad (PTP) technology supports up to four-finger smart gestures
Audio	ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound; smart amplifier for maximum audio performance Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support 3.5mm headphone jack Long-travel voice coils for improved low-frequency response Certified by Harman Kardon
I/O Ports	2 x Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Thunderbolt 3) 2 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 2 1 x HDMI 1 x Combo audio jack 1 x MicroSD card reader
Power	150W power adapter (Output: 19.5V DC, 7.7A, 150W) (Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth	Dual-band 802.11ac gigabit-class Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0
Dimensions	365mm x 241mm x 189mm
Weight	1.88kg/4.1lbs 2.01kg/4.4lbs (touch screen)

[/table]

ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 (UX480)

ZenBook Pro 14 on the other hand delivers unrivaled performance with an up to 8th Generation Intel Core-i9 processor, GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics and fast storage powered by Intel Optane memory if the variant doesn’t include SSD. This puts the ZenBook Pro 14 very close in competition with its own ZenBook Pro 15.

The ZenBook Pro 14 hones a 14-inch FHD NanoEdge display, an infrared camera for facial recognition and built-in support for Amazon Alexa voice-powered services.

It is available in two colors; Deep Dive Blue and Rose Gold and has the iconic spun-metal concentric finishing.

Here are the specification combinations for ZenBook Pro 14:

[table style=”table-hover”]

CPU	Intel Core i7 processor Intel Core i5 processor
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 1050 Max-Q Video memory: 2GB/4GB GDDR5 VRAM
RAM	8GB / 12GB / 16GB 2400MHz DDR4
Display	14” LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 touchscreen, 100% sRGB color gamut 5.2mm-thin bezel with 83% screen-to-body ratio 178° wide-view technology ASUS Eye Care technology for up to 30% blue-light reduction
Storage	Intel Optane memory 1TB 5400RPM SATA III HDD 128GB / 256GB SATA III SSD 256GB / 512GB PCIe x2 SSD 1TB PCIe x4 SSD
Keyboard & ScreenPad	Keyboard Full-size backlit, with 1.4mm key travel IR camera supporting Windows Hello ScreenPad 5.5″” FHD (1920 x 1080) Super IPS+ display 178˚ wide-view technology Glass-covered for fingerprint and smudge resistance Precision touchpad (PTP) technology supports up to four-finger smart gesture
Audio	ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound; smart amplifier for maximum audio performance Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support 3.5mm headphone jack Long-travel voice coils for improved low-frequency response Certified by Harman Kardon
I/O Ports	1 x Type C USB 3.1 Gen2 1 x Type A USB 3.1 Gen2 1 x USB 2.0 1 x Standard HDMI 1 x Combo audio jack
Power	90W power adapter (Output: 19V DC, 7.7A, 90W) (Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth	Dual-band 802.11ac gigabit-class Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0
Dimensions	323mm x 225mm x 179mm
Weight	1.6kg

[/table]

ASUS ZenBook S (UX391)

ZenBook S has been awarded as the winner of Computex 2018 Best Choice of the Year, Best Choice Golden and d&i awards. It is a premium 13.3-inch Windows 10 ultra-portable notebook that delivers effortless portability, powerful performance and no-compromise connectivity while meeting the military grade MIL-STD-810G that was also shouted about recently in the ASUS ZenBook 13.

With a super thin profile sitting at 12.9mm and 1kg weighing all-metal unibody, the ZenBook S is completed in prestigious Deep Dive Blue or Burgundy Red with Rose Gold diamond-cut edges, complete with the iconic Zen-inspired concentric spun-metal finish for a luxurious look and feel.

At this weight and dimensions, ASUS still managed to bring ample innovation to the ZenBook S like its new ErgoLift hinge that automatically tilts the chassis by 5.5° for best typing comfort while doubling as airflow improvement and audio enhancements. You heard about two birds and one stone, this is THREE!

ZenBook S is powered by 8th Generation Intel Core processors and a fast PCIe x4 SSD while also featuring a 4K UHD NanoEdge touchscreen, delivering up to 13.5 hours battery life for all day entertainment and productivity. In the connectivity section, two of the three USB Type-C ports support Thunderbolt 3 that can only extend your imagination as you let it be.

Pokdepinion: It’s a ZenBook, what is there not to love? The ScreenPad wil surely give you the chills when you look at it for the first time. It looks surreal!