Asus ZenBook S is the laptop you’ll actually want on your lap
Asus' latest ultraportable laptop knows its angles.
- Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
The new Burgandy Red version is pretty and looks to have been manhandled by everyone at the press event.
The early laptops didn't really deserve to call themselves laptops. Chunky, heavy and with the kind of radiating heat that gave your thighs a healthy glow, they were hardly built for dropping on your lap and shooting off a quick memo to Jenkins in accounts.
But Asus ' new ZenBook S laptop is the lightweight slate of metal that early 90s business execs dreamed of.
Unveiled at Computex in Taipei on Tuesday, the metal unibody ZenBook weighs in at 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) and measures 12.9mm thick (0.5 inches). It's been tested to meet military-grade durability standards, and comes in colours "inspired by the magical moment at dawn when the golden rays of the sun first illuminate the ink-blue sky." If that's your thing.
Aside from the lightweight "ultraportable" design, the standout for the ZenBook S is its ErgoLift hinge. When you open it up, the screen pushes the keyboard up on a 5.5° tilt to make it easier to type when the laptop is actually on your lap or on a table. Close it up and that hinge disappears to give you a slim body that'll slip into your bag.
The ZenBook S features a cool ergonomic design called ErgoLift that raises the laptop for easier typing.
It's a small feature, but nifty for people who want to use their laptop on the go or anywhere other than a perfectly flat table. And it's a feature that helped Asus snag the Best Choice Golden Award at Computex this year.
Inside, the ZenBook S is packing some pretty premium specs in that thin body, including a 13.3-inch 4K display, Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD on the top-of-the-line model.
Key Specs
- 12.9mm thick, 1kg weight
- 13.3-inch touchscreen display up to 4K resolution
- Up to
Intel
Core i7 processor
- Up to 16GB RAM
- Up to 1TB SSD storage
- ErgoLift hinge creates 5.5° keyboard tilt
- 3 x USB-C connections with dual Thunderbolt 3
- Up to 13.5 hour battery life
- Meets military MIL-STD-810G durability standards
- Available in Deep Dive Blue or Burgundy Red
Be sure to check out our complete coverage from Computex 2018.