ASUS shows off a touchscreen Zenbook Prime Ultrabook, we go fingers-on (video)

Remember that ASUS Zenbook Prime Ultrabook we previewed last week? Yeah, it's outdated already, and you have none other than ASUS to thank. In addition to all the Ultrabooks and tablets the company announced later this week, it's also showing off a touch-enabled version of the 11-inch UX21A we tested out. What can we say? The form factor makes sense, given that Windows 8 is on the way and Microsoft is the star of this year's Computex. Other than that touchscreen, though, you won't notice any differences in the hardware: it's the same industrial design and backlit keyboard that you know and covet. And while the show floor is littered with touchscreen laptops, we will say that it's an especially welcome addition here, since the Zenbook Primes are already endowed with some of the best displays on the market: IPS quality with 1080p resolution. Touch just makes it better -- so long as you can live with the fingerprints. No word on when (or if!) this will be available, or whether we'll see a 13-inch version. Considering this was built with Windows 8 in mind, though, we'd wager it'll be a few months yet before we get clarification on all that.

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ASUS shows off a touchscreen Zenbook Prime Ultrabook, we go fingers-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 01:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Zenbook Prime bares all in teardown treatment

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Lately, ASUS has been all show and no tell, giving consumers a preview of its leaked Zenbook Prime lineup, but no solid U.S. release. So, consumers stateside eager to mark up those sleek ultraportables with fingerprint grease will just have to make do with a peak at what lies beneath, courtesy of the folks over at AnandTech. If you count yourself amongst the impatient hordes and think gawking at pre-release hardware might help get you through the interminable wait, then be sure to click on the source below for a healthy dose of splayed component rubbernecking.

ASUS Zenbook Prime bares all in teardown treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS bringing Zenbook Prime UX21A, UX31A, UX32A and UX32VD to the US, prices start at $799

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First the rumor mill revealed ASUS had plans to refresh Ultrabooks with Ivy Bridge and 1080p IPS displays. Then the company confirmed the news itself when it brought some new Zenbook Prime laptops out for a demo and promised they'd go on sale in ASUS' native Taiwan. Now we've got some splendid news for our readers here in the US: those fresh ultraportables are making their way stateside too... eventually. ASUS just confirmed it's bringing four models to the states: the 11-inch UX21A, the 13-inch UX31A / UX32A and the UX32VD. What's the difference between the UX31A and the UX32A, you ask? It all comes down to storage: the UX32A uses hybrid hard drives, while the UX31A packs an SSD. Meanwhile, the UX32VD is nearly identical to the UX31A except that it packs an NVIDIA GT 620M GPU.

As rumored, the lineup includes Core i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge processors, with 1920 x 1080 IPS displays offered even on the 11-incher. (If you don't need that kind of pixel density, 1366 x 768 displays will be available as well.) Another thing they all have in common: ASUS has tweaked the touchpad and re-tooled the keyboard, making the pitch 12 percent deeper. Also, the keys are now backlit, for what that's worth.

Tentatively, ASUS is saying the 13-inch variations will start at $999 with Ivy Bridge (that lone $799 13-inch model comes with a Sandy Bridge CPU). Still no word on pricing for the smaller UX21A, though we know it will be offered in two flavors: one with Core i5 and a 128GB SSD, and one with Core i7 and an optional 256GB drive. Of course, ASUS is careful to warn that these prices are subject to change, though we're presuming they're at least in the same ballpark as what you'll ultimately pay. Additionally, ASUS isn't saying when, exactly, these models will be available, but it's obvious that Intel needs to formally unveil its remaining Ivy Bridge CPUs before these laptops can see the light of day. We'll hit you back with more details as we receive them, but in the meantime head over to our preview of the UX21A for hands-on photos, benchmark scores and detailed impressions.

ASUS bringing Zenbook Prime UX21A, UX31A, UX32A and UX32VD to the US, prices start at $799 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Zenbook Primes with 1080p IPS panels and (probably) Ivy Bridge are real, coming to Taiwan in June

Refreshed ASUS Zenbooks with 1080p IPS panels and (probably) Ivy Bridge are real, coming to Taiwan in June

We've already seen spec sheets suggesting that ASUS's 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch Zenbooks are being fattened up for a major update, but now Engadget Chinese has glimpsed the new devices in their cold aluminum flesh. Tentatively called Zenbook Primes, or the UX21A and UX31A respectively, they both have 1920 x 1080 IPS panels with a matte finish and excellent viewing angles (please, ignore the dumb 1024 x 768 screen-saver in the pic, it doesn't do it justice). Judging from the fact that ASUS refused to let us go hands-on in case we identify the internals, we can be pretty confident that these beauties are running on next-gen ULV Ivy Bridge processors, which -- unlike their more powerful brethren -- have yet to be formally announced. We asked if there'd be room for discrete graphics, such as one of NVIDIA's new Kepler mobile GPUs for Ultrabooks, and were told that "anything is possible." Responses were equally vague when it came to global availability, because apparently the devices are awaiting clearance from Intel. All we know is that they should be out in Taiwan in June, likely with similar price tags to their predecessors.

ASUS Zenbook Primes with 1080p IPS panels and (probably) Ivy Bridge are real, coming to Taiwan in June originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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