ASUS' Zenbook Lineup: The First Ultrabooks Arrive October 12, Starting at $999
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 11, 2011 2:39 PM ESTASUS just announced its first line of Ultrabook PCs under the new Zenbook brand at a press event in NYC. There are a total of five models in the Zenbook lineup ranging in price from $999 to $1499 and available in both 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch display configurations. Based on specs alone, the Zenbook lineup is very similar to Apple's 2011 MacBook Air. Dimensions are almost identical, although ASUS' 11 is a little heavier than Apple's while its 13 is a little lighter. The entire Zenbook lineup ships with 4GB of DDR3 memory and all of the systems use the same ULV Sandy Bridge parts that Apple uses in the MacBook Air. Battery capacities are identical to the Air models at 35Whr and 50Whr depending on the chassis size. ASUS does claim lower standby numbers than Apple (up to 10 days vs. up to 30 for the MBA), but that's likely an OS limitation. The Zenbooks typically give you a larger SSD than Apple (and 6Gbps on top of that) as well as a single USB 3.0 port to complement its USB 2.0 port. ASUS claims a 2 second resume time for all of the Zenbook models, presumably from a suspend-to-RAM state.
| ASUS Zenbook Lineup | |||||||
| UX21E-DH52 | UX21E-DH71 | UX31E-DH52 | UX31E-DH53 | UX31E-DH72 | |||
| CPU | i5-2467M | i7-2677M | i5-2557M | i5-2557M | i7-2677M | ||
| OS | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit | ||||||
| Display | 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 | 13.3-inch 1600 x 900 | |||||
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 | ||||||
| Storage | 128GB 6Gbps SSD | 256GB 6Gbps SSD | |||||
| Wireless Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 | ||||||
| Battery |
35Whr (5+ Hours) up to 7 day standby |
50Whr (7+ Hours) up to 10 day standby |
|||||
| Camera | 0.3MP | ||||||
| Audio | Bang and Olufsen ICEpower & ASUS SonicMaster Tech | ||||||
| I/O | 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 1x audio/mic, 1x microHDMI, 1x miniVGA | 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x microHDMI, 1 x miniVGA, 1 x SD Card reader | |||||
| Dimensions | 11.7 x 7.7 x 0.11-0.67" | 12.8 x 8.8 x 0.11-0.71" | |||||
| Weight | 2.43 lbs | 2.86 lbs | |||||
| USA MSRP | $999 | $1199 | $1099 | $1349 | $1499 | ||
The first Zenbooks will be available for order in the US starting October 12th. I've included some head to head comparisons between the various Zenbook models and their MacBook Air counterparts below. For the most part the specs aren't all that different. I don't expect that there are a ton of users who cross-shop similarly priced Macs and PCs, the Zenbook simply looks like a good option for those users who want a MacBook Air but prefer Windows 7.
ASUS' 13-inch offerings do have a higher resolution display than their Apple counterparts (1600 x 900 vs 1440 x 900). We're still waiting to hear back on the panel technology used in the Zenbooks, but I would be surprised if it was anything more than plain-old-TN like the Macs. Compared to the upgraded MBAs however, ASUS' Zenbooks do offer higher clocked CPUs at the same price point.
| ASUS Zenbook U31E vs. Apple 13-inch MacBook Air | |||||
| UX31E-DH52 | UX31E-DH53 | Base 13-inch MBA | |||
| CPU | i5-2557M 1.7GHz/2C/3MB | i5-2557M 1.7GHz/2C/3MB | i5-2557M 1.7GHz/2C/3MB | ||
| Display | 13.3-inch 1600 x 900 | 13.3-inch 1600 x 900 | 13.3-inch 1440 x 900 | ||
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | ||
| Storage | 128GB 6Gbps SSD | 256GB 6Gbps SSD | 128GB 3Gbps SSD | ||
| Wireless Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 a/b/g/n | ||
| Battery | 50 Whr | 50 Whr | 50 Whr | ||
| Camera | 0.3MP | 0.3MP | 0.3MP | ||
| I/O | 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x microHDMI, 1 x miniVGA, 1 x SD Card reader | 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x microHDMI, 1 x miniVGA, 1 x SD Card reader | 2 x USB 2, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x Thunderbolt, 1 x SD Card reader | ||
| Dimensions | 12.8 x 8.8 x 0.11-0.71" | 12.8 x 8.8 x 0.11-0.71" | 12.8 x 8.94 x 0.11-0.68" | ||
| Weight | 2.86 lbs | 2.86 lbs | 2.96 lbs | ||
| MSRP | $1099 | $1349 | $1299 | ||
| ASUS Zenbook U31E vs. Apple 13-inch MacBook Air | ||||
| UX31E-DH72 | Upgraded 13-inch MBA | |||
| CPU | i7-2667M 1.8GHz/2C/4MB | i5-2557M 1.7GHz/2C/3MB | ||
| Display | 13.3-inch 1600 x 900 | 13.3-inch 1440 x 900 | ||
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | ||
| Storage | 256GB 6Gbps SSD | 256GB 3Gbps SSD | ||
| Wireless Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 a/b/g/n | ||
| Battery | 50 Whr | 50 Whr | ||
| Camera | 0.3MP | 0.3MP | ||
| I/O | 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x microHDMI, 1 x miniVGA, 1 x SD Card reader | 2 x USB 2, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x Thunderbolt, 1 x SD Card reader | ||
| Dimensions | 12.8 x 8.8 x 0.11-0.71" | 12.8 x 8.94 x 0.11-0.68" | ||
| Weight | 2.86 lbs | 2.96 lbs | ||
| MSRP | $1499 | $1599 | ||
| ASUS Zenbook U21E vs. Apple 11-inch MacBook Air | ||||
| UX21E-DH52 | Base 11-inch MBA | |||
| CPU | i5-2467M 1.6GHz/2C/3MB | i5-2467M 1.6GHz/2C/3MB | ||
| Display | 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 | 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 | ||
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 | 2GB DDR3 | ||
| Storage | 128GB 6Gbps SSD | 64GB 3Gbps SSD | ||
| Wireless Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 a/b/g/n | ||
| Battery | 35 Whr | 35Whr | ||
| Camera | 0.3MP | 0.3MP | ||
| I/O | 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x microHDMI, 1 x miniVGA | 2 x USB 2, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x Thunderbolt | ||
| Dimensions | 11.7 x 7.7 x 0.11-0.67" | 11.8 x 7.56 x 0.11-0.68" | ||
| Weight | 2.43 lbs | 2.38 lbs | ||
| MSRP | $999 | $999 | ||
| ASUS Zenbook U21E vs. Apple 11-inch MacBook Air | ||||
| EX21E-DH71 | Upgraded 11-inch MBA | |||
| CPU | i7-2667M 1.8GHz/2C/4MB | i5-2467M 1.6GHz/2C/3MB | ||
| Display | 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 | 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 | ||
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | ||
| Storage | 128GB 6Gbps SSD | 128GB 3Gbps SSD | ||
| Wireless Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 a/b/g/n | ||
| Battery | 35 Whr | 35Whr | ||
| Camera | 0.3MP | 0.3MP | ||
| I/O | 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x microHDMI, 1 x miniVGA | 2 x USB 2, 1 x audio/mic, 1 x Thunderbolt | ||
| Dimensions | 11.7 x 7.7 x 0.11-0.67" | 11.8 x 7.56 x 0.11-0.68" | ||
| Weight | 2.43 lbs | 2.38 lbs | ||
| MSRP | $1199 | $1199 | ||
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cjb110 - Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - link
My thoughts exactly, 4gb...very short sighted! Hopefully there will be more customisable ultrabooks from people like Dell.But although I like the concept, I'd want a blu-ray drive (and HDMI out) so that the lightweight portable device can serve two jobs: Mobile Work Horse and Entertainment.
name99 - Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - link
And I want a car that fly and gets 200 miles to the gallon.Do you people not understand the concept of engineering tradeoffs?
DanNeely - Tuesday, October 11, 2011 - link
Do you know if anyone's making an ultrabook in this size?It's an akward size lump, but I can (barely) stuff my netbook into my jeans pocket if I want to carry it somewhere and have both hands free without needing to weara backpack. It's a tight enough fit that I'm dubious about doing the same with anything almost an inch larger; and I can't exactly walk into a Best buy and see if it would fit unless I want to chance winning a free ride to the local police station.
Eletriarnation - Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - link
One of the things I like about the MBA and would want in any Ultrabook competitor is the backlit keyboard. Do these have backlit keyboards?laok - Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - link
I hope it has 8GB RAM.Wait to see the inside of it.
BSMonitor - Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - link
Hopefully they are not lying to me about being in stock!IvanAndreevich - Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - link
Finally, a high res screen with small dimensions. Now to make it IPS..Kiers77 - Thursday, October 13, 2011 - link
what about wifi performance?I am told (several sources, including failure of Samsung to replicate this light ultrabook segment) that putting wifi 2x2 or 3x3 antennae behind a slim screen like this is well nigh impossible. result = poor wifi signal strengths.
Any feedbacks?
KrisB - Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - link
Does the Zenbook have the capability for the cover to be closed and not power off when connected to an external monitor?ScandinavianViking - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
ASUS Ultrabook UX31E-RY027V discount offer:just saw this online :
http://www.interdiscount.ch/idshop/p...27V/detail....
ASUS Ultrabook UX31E-RY027V
Statt CHF 999.00 nur CHF 799.00 minus 10.00 %
* Preis nur mit Bon gültig. 04.06.2012 bis 24.06.2012
13.3" TFT, Glare, LED Backlight
WSXGA (1600 x 900)
Intel i3-2367M, 1.4 GHz
4GB DDR3 RAM
128GB SSD SATA3 2.5"
Intel GMA HD
WiFi 802.11bgn / Bluetooth 4.0
USB 3.0 / mini VGA / micro HDMI
Windows 7 Premium 64-Bit
my "old laptop is struggling (2008 model) and I have been seduced by the sleek design and portability promised by the zen-book. however ? need some much wanted advise regarding the above purchase, as i am not a computer buff.. will i regret buying this laptop, as the model above is equipped with a Intel i3-2367M, 1.4 GHz processor..
really use my laptop mostly for internet browsing, office apps for project work and studies and so on, occasionally watching a film on the move, and yes music player. (guess most new computers will be able to handle this) have a tendency to have 10-20 Firefox sessions running in addition to 2 or three office apps running)
I must admit I am lured by the price-tag of only 719CHF but cannot decide if i am buying a cat in a bag, and would be better off spending 3-500CHFmore for a higher grade processor..
any insights, thoughts or comments would be much appreciated
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