Apart from unveiling its new AR-enabled Tango smartphone and Zenfone 3 Zoom, Asus has also made its mark in Notebook segment at this year’s CES which is going on in Las Vegas, Nevada. Upgrading its current ZenBook 3, the company has now announced the ZenBook 3 Deluxe which now goes head-to-head with MacBook Pro 2016. If you are not aware, Asus launched it’s ZenBook 3 at Computex last year which appeared to be more of a Windows powered MacBook device.
Compared to the 12.5-inch ZenBook 3, the Deluxe variant comes with a 14-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display, however, the Notebook sports a near bezel-less display which is why the company has managed to fit in a 14-inch display in a 13-inch frame. The ZenBook 3 Deluxe runs on the latest Windows 10 and comes in Core i7 Kaby Lake processors paired with up to 16 GB RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. For the connectivity, there are 3 USB-C ports, of which two support Thunderbolt 3. Interestingly, this what we saw with last year’s MacBook Pro 2016. Improving the typing experience, ASUS has also enhanced they Keyboard performance with 1.2mm of key travel paired with a glass trackpad and a fingerprint scanner just above it. The new Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe is just 12.9 mm thick and weighs at 1.3 Kgs.
As for the price and availability, the ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe will be available for $1,699 (approx. Rs 1,15,00) starting from May 2017.
Meanwhile, the company also introduced its new Chromebook Flip C302 at the CES 2017 yesterday. The Flip C302 comes with an aluminium built and also house a 360-degree hinge design making it a 2-in-1 convertible. The hinge design lets you use the convertible as a laptop, tablet or in tent mode.
At the front, there is a 12.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit touch display. On the inside, we get the Intel Core M 6Y30 processor or the Intel Core M 6Y75 processor combined with 4GB/8GB of RAM and 32GB / 64GB / 128GB of EMMC storage options. For audio, Asus has provided with high-quality stereo speakers and extra-large resonant chambers which maximise the sound output up to 87dB of high-fidelity audio. Moreover, Asus claims that this Chromebook can last up to 10 hours of continuous use on a single charge.
Being a Chromebook, the Flip C302 runs on ChromeOS and comes with built-in Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.2, microSD card reader, and two USB Type-C 3.1 ports. It also sports a front-facing HD webcam and a backlit keyboard to facilitate typing in low-light. The exact measurement of the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 is 304 x 210 x 13.7 mm weighing at 1.2 kgs.
Now for the price, the Flip C302 starts at $499 (approx. Rs 34,000) for the 4GB RAM and 32GB storage model and as we move on to higher specs, the price will see a bump as well.