BERLIN—Bigger isn’t always better, as Asus is proving with its lineup of 2018 ZenBooks.
The 13-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch ZenBooks have the same size display in a far smaller body than past ZenBooks. Asus is ditching the bezels, including the large Asus logo it has long emblazoned on the chin of its ZenBook displays, to create a nearly edge-to-edge screen on each model in the latest series of notebooks. The new ZenBooks have up to 95 percent screen-to-body ratio.
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During a press event at IFA showcasing the new laptops, Asus representatives held each new ZenBook up against last year’s 13-inch model. The new 13- and 14-inch models are much smaller than the ZenBook 13 UX331UN, and the 15-inch is just as tall but a bit wider to fit in that giant display.
Seeing the comparison in action was impressive. Asus added an ErgoLift hinge to each new ZenBook to make it more comfortable to type at an angle. We plan to put this to the test to see if it makes a big difference over ZenBooks without ErgoLift.
Asus is also promising its new series of ZenBooks are more powerful than last year’s, thanks to Intel’s 8th-generation Core i7 CPU, Nvidia GeForce graphics cards, Gigabit Wi-Fi and 16GB of RAM. (The 15-inch model comes with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q CPU, while the 13- and 14-inch options include up to MX150).
A new 3D infrared camera enables faster face unlocking with Windows Hello, even in dim environments. All three models have ports galore: USB-C, USB 3.1, HDMI, SD card and your choices of USB-A or USB 2.0.
And the 13- and 14-inch models have an LED NumberPad built into the touchpad, which could be gimmicky but looks extremely cool in person. Asus says the smaller ZenBooks last 14 hours on a charge, while the larger 15-inch notebook lasts 16 hours. We’ll put those claims to the test, too.
Credit: Laptop Mag