ASUS outs new premium ZenBook for on-the-go creatives

At the top of ASUS’s main laptop business sits the ZenBook line and at the top of that segment is the newest machine the Taiwanese company just launched here at Computex 2018. The ZenBook Pro is the new extremely powerful yet stylish laptop creatives on the go will surely appreciate. It’s powered by up to the 8^th-gen Intel Core i9 processors, can handle 16GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, and 1TB PCIe x4 SSD.

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It comes in ASUS’s signature all-aluminum unibody with the spun-metal finish. To appeal to the style-conscious set, it is available in Deep Dive Blue with Rose Gold. It even has a gold keyboard backlight and lid logo for that subtle yet premium look.
It comes in two screen sizes the 14-inch (UX480) and 15.6-inch (UX580), the latter has a 4K UHD PANTONE validated display, built-in ASUS Calibration Technology for easy color calibration, and impressively low Delta-E value. ASUS calls it its “best looking display ever.”
But what really elevates this new device is not its main display. And we say main display, because ASUS just introduced a new take on the touchpad a.k.a. the ScreenPad. It’s a Windows Precision Touchpad with an interactive 5.5-inch Full HD touchscreen built into it. The ScreenPad adapts to whatever you’re doing, allowing you to multitask much easier. The ScreenPad can be used in several different ways: one is to use dedicated ScreenPad Apps to run within the ScreenPad itself, as a secondary screen for selected desktop apps, or just your regular touchpad. You can even select a different background for the ScreenPad.

ScreenPad Apps that are currently available include Calculator, Music Player, NumKey, Calendar, and Launcher. Later on ASUS plans to integrate ASUS Sync with the laptop to let you interface with your smartphone much easier.
The Screen Extender mode might be a more exciting feature for most users though. As the name suggests, it serves as the extension to the main display. Select desktop apps (at the moment it’s limited to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) will offer better integration with the ScreenPad and will make adaptive menus and editing controls accessible on the ScreenPad. And yes, for those who are wondering you can play YouTube videos right from the ScreenPad, too.

You will later be able to download apps from the Windows Store and ASUS is planning to release the SDK of the ScreenPad later this year so developers can develop apps for it.
The ZenBook Pro 15 will be arriving first this June at ASUS Concept Stores nationwide. You can check out the specs and prices below:
Display: 15.6″ LED backlit IPS 4K UHD 16:9 widescreen (3,840 x 2,160 resolution), 15.6″ LED backlit IPS FHD 16:9 widescreen (1,920 x 1,080); capacitive multi-touch displays; 5.5″ FHD touchscreen (ScreenPad)
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Processor: Intel Core i9-8950HK / Intel Core i7-8750HQ
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
Memory: Up to 16GB DDR4 2400MHz
Storage: 1TB/512GB PCIe SSD, 512GB/256GB SATA SSD
Cameras: VGA web camera
Connectivity & I/O ports: Dual-band 2×2 802.11ac gigabit-class Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 5.0; 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3 support, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x MicroSD card reader, 1 x DC jack
Audio: 2 x high-quality stereo speakers (with smart amp), Harman Kardon-certified audio system
Battery: 71W Lithium-polymer battery
Dimensions & weight: 365 x 241 x 18.9mm, 1.88kg