Two new top-of-the-line portable computers from Asus are now available. The Asus Zenbook 3 Delux UX490UA is a high-end laptop that the company first unveiled at CES in January. It’s now available for purchase from Amazon and Newegg for about $1700.
The Transformer Pro T304UA is a new 2-in-1 tablet that’s basically the company’s answer to the Microsoft Surface Pro. We first learned about this model in March, and now it’s available in the US for about $999.
While neither computer is exactly what I’d call cheap, you get a lot power in a rather compact package with both devices.
The Transformer Pro features a 12.6 inch, 2160 x 1440 pixel display, an Intel Core i7-7500U processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a digital pen, a detachable keyboard, and a fingerprint sensor.
A Microsoft Surface Pro tablet with similar specs sells for $1599… and that price doesn’t include the optional keyboard cover you’d need to buy in order to match the feature set of the Asus tablet. The Surface Pro does have a higher-resolution display though, and there are cheaper models if you don’t need a Core i7 processor or 8GB of RAM.
The Asus Transformer Pro measures 11.8″ x 8.3″ x 0.34″ and weighs about 1.8 pounds and it features a 39 Wh battery, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, an HDMI por, a microSD card slot, and a headset jack.
The Asus Zenbook 3 Deluxe notebook has a 14 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display with slim screen bezels, a Core i7-7500U processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of solid state storage, a 46 Wh battery, a backlit keyboard, and a fingerprint sensor.
The notebook features two Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C ports and a USB 3.1 Type-C port and comes with a USB Type-C power adapter, an HDMI dongle, and a USB Type-A adapter.
Asus says the notebook measures 13″ x 8.3″ x 0.5″ and weighs about 2.4 pounds, making it closer to the size you’d expect from a 13 inch laptop than a 14 inch model.
Asus might offer lower-cost versions of the Zenbook 3 Deluxe and Transformer Pro in the future. According to the official spec sheets, the laptop could be outfitted with as little as 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a Core i5-7200U processor, while the tablet could come with Core i3 or Core i5 processor options and as little as 128GB of storage.
Or if you don’t need all the bells and whistles, you could just buy a cheaper, less stylish laptop. The 2.6 pound Asus Zenbook UX330UA with a Core i5-7200UA display, a 13.3 inch full HD display, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage sells for just $699 right now.
via The Verge and TabletMonkeys
any word on the GPU for the T304UA? I’m guess it’s integrated into the CPU
What ever happened to the Asus Transformer 3 (non-Pro, T305CA)? It seems to be up for sale in the UK only.