Asus unveils new notebook line-up at Computex 2016

While Asus’ new ZenFone 3 took pride of place along with their rather quaint Zenbo robot, their quartet of new notebooks – the ZenBook 3, the Transformer 3 Pro, the Transformer 3 and the Transformer Mini also made quite a few waves of their own.

ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih reveals the super slim ZenBook 3 at Computex 2016

Zenbook 3

The ZenBook 3 is aimed as a Macbook killer with the looks and hardware to match. It weighs 910g and is 11.9mm thin, making it slightly thinner and lighter than the Apple Macbook. The hardware on the Zenbook 3 consists of a large 12.5-inch display sheathed in Corning Gorilla Glass 4,  an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, up to a 1TB PCie SSD and, of particular joy to road warriors who like to work in the dark, a full-sized backlit keyboard that has a key pitch and travel akin to full-sized desktop keyboards. It also sports a fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support and is rated for nine hours of battery life. The Zenbook 3 will come in Asus’ distinctive metal ‘concentric ring’ finish in three colours – Royal Blue, Rose Gold and Quartz Grey. Alas, like the Macbook, the ZenBook 3 only has one USB Type C port so charging and docking duties may be a bit of a pickle.

Prices for the ZenBook 3 will start from US$999 for a Core i5 variant with 4GB RAM and a 256GB SSD all the way  to US$1,999 for the top of the line variant with a Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD.  No word on when it will hit stores locally but we’ll let you know when it does.

Transformer 3 Pro

Whereas the ZenBook 3 aims to engage the Macbook head on, the Transformer 3 Pro looks like a direct shot aimed at Microsoft’s Surface Pro series of hybrid Windows OS running slates. The form action is similar – a tablet with a flip-out rear kickstand and a magnetic latchable keyboard that also doubles as a protective notebook cover. The tablet portion itself is 8.35mm thin, weighs 695g and is made of aluminium that comes in two colours – either Icicle Gold or Titanium Gray along with four different colours for the keyboard.The stepless hinge itself lets you deploy it at any viewing angle up to 170°.

The tablet itself has a 12.7-inch, 2,880 x 1,920 pixel touchscreen with 275ppi paired with a pair of Harman Kardon tuned speakers. The hardware on offer in the Transformer 3 Pro consists of a 7th gen Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB RAM and up to a 1TB SSD with a USB Type-C port, a USB 3.0 port, a microSD card reader, a Thunderbolt 3 port, a HDMI out and a fingerprint reader that supports Windows Hello and a 13-MP camera.

The Transformer 3 Pro is also able to dock with a host of upcoming docks that are intended to enhance its functionality like the ROG XG Station 2 gaming dock that offers some pixel crunching oomph for gaming. You can also snag an optional stylus with the device. Prices start from U$999.

Transformer 3

While the Transformer 3 Pro stole the limelight, it’s smaller sibling the Transformer 3 aims to be more of an affordable workhorse. This 2-in-1 hybrid weighs 695g, is 6.9mm thin and comes with a detachable keyboard that latches on magnetically to the base of the tablet. The Transformer 3 sports a 12.6-inch display with 2,880 x 1,920 pixel resolution and 275ppi, has a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, up to 8GB RAM and up to a 512GB SSD. Like the Transformer Pro 3, it has a Thunderbolt 3 port along with a USB Type-C connector along with a fingerprint reader that supports Windows Hello. Prices start from US$799.

Transformer Mini

Another take on a 2-in-1 form factor, the Transformer Mini weighs just 530g and is 8.2mm thin. Even with the detachable backlit keyboard added on, it barely tops the scales at 790g, making it one of the lightest slates on the planet. The slate has a 10.1-inch display and an Intel Atom processor along with a fingerprint reader. The rest of the hardware hasn’t been specified yet as well as its price tag.