New Asus Zenbook laptops have touchpad that doubles as number pad

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Asus in a preview event held last August 17, unveiled a new series of Zenbook laptops that introduces a couple of new features.

The new Zenbook series, comprised of the Zenbook 13 (UX333), 14 (UX433), and 15 (UX533),  boasts very slim bezels on all four-sides of the screen and a 95% screen-to-body ratio.

The trio of new Zenbooks also flaunts a compact design that utilizes the company’s ErgoLift hinge mechanism, which lifts and tilts the keyboard to enhance comfort when typing. The Zenbook 13, in particular, is even smaller than an A4-sized paper.

The Zenbook 13 and 14 is able to have a small and compact body because it completely repositions the number pad, often found on the right side of a standard keyboard, to its touchpad.

Asus tweaks the touchscreen-touchpad feature introduced in its recent Zenbook Pro release and turns it to a numpad-touchpad hybrid for this duo of laptops. Despite the LED-illuminated number keys being built into the touchpad, the feature can be toggled off by a soft touch button located in the upper right corner. The feature, however, is not available in the Zenbook 15.

The new models, meanwhile, feature 8th-generation Intel core processors, full high definition displays (FHD), and up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics.

Here’s a quick rundown of key specs:

Zenbook 13 (UX333)

• Intel Core i5-8265U processor

• 13.3-inch FHD display, 1920×1080 resolution

• 8GB RAM

• Intel UHD Graphics 620 (or NVIDIA GeForce MX150)

• 256GB PCIe SSD

• 30.2(W) x 18.9(D) x 1.69(H) cm

• approximately 1.09kg

• Royal Blue Metal

Zenbook 14 (UX433)

• Intel Core i7-8565U processor

• 14-inch FHD display, 1920×1080 resolution

• 16GB RAM

• NVIDIA GeForce MX150

• 2GB GDDR5 video memory

• 256GB PCIe SSD

• 31.9(W) x 19.9(D) x 1.59(H) cm

• approximately 1.19kg

• Royal Blue Glass (Glare)

Zenbook 15 (UX533)

• Intel Core i7-8565U processor

• 15.6-inch FHD display, 1920×1080 resolution

• 16GB of DDR4 RAM

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

• 2GB GDDR5 video memory

• 512GB PCIe SSD

• 35.4(W) x 22(D) x 1.79(H) cm

• approximately 1.67kg

• Icicle Silver Metal (Glass)

This new Zenbook series is expected to release locally in Q4 of this year. Prices and availability are to be announced. – Rappler.com

(Disclosure: Asus sponsored the trip to Taiwan, site of the event.)