Johannesburg, 30 Jan 2019
The world's third-largest laptop manufacturer, ASUS, debuted its new range of consumer laptops for the South African market, at a glittering fashion show at Sandton City today.
ASUS South Africa unveiled its new premium ZenBook series: the ZenBook 13, ZenBook 14 and ZenBook 15, ZenBook Pro 14, ZenBook Flip 13 and ZenBook Flip 15, and two new additions to its VivoBook family: the 14-inch VivoBook 14 and the 15.6-inch VivoBook 15 at a local launch, to follow their debut at global trade show CES in Las Vegas, US, earlier this month.
Top South African designers Nao Serati, inaugural Project Runway SA winner Kentse Masilo and Balini Naidoo showcased designs, inspired by ASUS, at the launch.
"South Africa is an important market for us, which is why we wanted to launch our new models at a glittering event, similar to the global launch at CES," says Jasmine Lin, Product Manager & Marketing Head at ASUS South Africa. "And we plumped for a fashion show because ASUS laptops are not just tools, they are lifestyle products that complement and enhance users' lives."
Lin adds the new laptops demonstrated significant development in a field that had not seen a lot of innovation in the past few years.
"Our new models all feature four-sided frameless ultraslim bezels which means screen size has increased significantly while the actual devices themselves haven't. And they feature ASUS's innovative numeric keypads build into the touchpads, which allow for easy and familiar data entry. We also have innovative fingerprint and face recognition options to make logging in easier and more secure," she says.
The ZenBook 13, 14 and 15 are part of a fully redesigned series of premium thin and light laptops with stunning new frameless NanoEdge display, which features ultraslim bezels on all four sides and an unrivalled up to 95% screen-to-body ratio (1) for a near-borderless viewing experience. The NanoEdge display also allows a much more compact design, with the result that each of the new ZenBook models has the smallest footprint in its class (2).
The 13-inch and 14-inch models also optionally include the exclusive new NumPad, an innovative productivity enhancement that provides a full-size LED-illuminated numeric keypad built into the touchpad.
All models feature a special 3D IR camera that allows fast face login using Windows Hello, even in low-light environments.
The new models feature a full complement of high-performance components including the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU, up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics, 16GB RAM, ultrafast PCIe SSDs and gigabit-class WiFi.
Designed to be versatile, powerful and supremely portable, the 13.3-inch ZenBook Flip 13 and 15.6-inch ZenBook Flip 15 are 10% smaller than the previous models (3) and feature frameless NanoEdge displays with ultra-narrow bezels on all four sides and a 90% screen-to-body ratio that enables a much more compact chassis design.
Both models incorporate a world-facing camera, designed specifically for use with mixed-reality applications that allow users to interact with 3D virtual objects in the physical world.
ZenBook Flip 13 also introduces the amazing new NumberPad
ZenBook Flip 15 and 13 are powered by the latest Intel Core processors, and their touchscreen displays support an active stylus for easy and intuitive creative input. For the ultimate creative power, ZenBook Flip 15 adds high-performance discrete NVIDIA graphics and a PANTONE validated display for accurate colour rendering.
ZenBook Pro 14 features the futuristic new ScreenPad, an ASUS innovation that reinvents the way users work and interact with their laptop, and is designed for highly mobile artists, designers, programmers, or any kind of creator who's excited by new technology
ScreenPad cleverly combines a touchpad with a high-resolution, full-colour touchscreen to offer novel ways of interacting intelligently with both Windows apps and dedicated programs called ScreenPad Apps. Adaptive functions with context-sensitive tools enhance workflow and productivity, and ScreenPad is fully customisable to allow users to personalise their experience.
All models are torture-tested to military-grade (MIL-STD-810G) reliability standards, with demanding tests that include environmental extremes of altitude, temperature and humidity, in addition to extensive drop, shock and vibration testing.
They also feature the unique ErgoLift hinge design, which has a silky-smooth, stepless action that holds the display securely at any angle, allowing the laptops to be used in laptop, tablet, stand or tent modes, or anything in between, for the ultimate versatility.
When working on the go, it's vital to be able to connect with anything and everything. The new ZenBook series features the revolutionary USB Type-C (USB-C) port for any-way-up connections and super-fast USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gbps4) data transfers, and there's also a range of other USB ports, including USB Type-A (up to 5Gbps or 10Gbps) and/or USB 2.05. All models also include an HDMI port and a microSD or SD card reader, so it's easy to connect to all your current and future peripherals.
Meanwhile, the VivoBook 14-inch X412 and 15-inch X512 feature frameless NanoEdge displays with at least an 87% screen-to-body ratio for immersive viewing.
The incredibly slim bezel allows a large display to fit into a smaller chassis, effectively reducing the laptop footprint for a more compact and portable machine.
These laptops are powered by up to an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with up to NVIDIA GeForce MX130 discrete graphics, and include the ErgoLift hinge that tilts the keyboard to replicate the feel of a desktop keyboard for a more comfortable typing experience.
VivoBook 14 and 15 are available in four gorgeous colours, so users can select the one that best expresses who they are. There are classics such as transparent silver and slate grey, as well as iridescent peacock blue, which changes colour tone depending on how light strikes the laptop surface. There's also the eye-catching coral crush, which is slated to be a big hit in 2019.
The ZenBook 14 and 15 and Flip 15 are available In February, while the ZenBook 13, Pro 14, Flip 13, and VivoBook 14 and 15 are available at selected retailers from March.
For more information, visit www.asus.com/za/.
(1) As of 17 August 2018 based on internal ASUS market analysis comparing ZenBook 13/14/15 laptop size to competing products in their class (laptops with a screen measuring 13.3 inches, 14 inches and 15.6 inches) from vendors including Acer, Apple, HP, Huawei, Lenovo, Microsoft and Samsung.
(2) 597.80cm2 (ZenBook Flip 13 UX362) vs. 656.21cm2 (ZenBook Flip S UX370); 811.49cm2 (ZenBook Flip 15 UX562) vs 899.83cm2 (ZenBook Flip UX561)
(3) I/O ports vary according to model; please refer to individual model specifications for details.
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