On Monday, ASUS kicked off Computex 2017 by revealing the latest members of its ZenBook and VivoBook laptop lineups. The most interesting of them all, however, is the 2-in-1 premium ZenBook Flip S, which launches in September for $1,099.
The convertible laptop is a high-end device that packs the ultimate hardware and design offerings by ASUS. It has the thinnest body ever of any product of its category, and it beats close competitors like HP’s Spectre x360 and Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1 in benchmark tests.
The 2-in-1 computer segment is growing, and tech giants at the Taipei event this week are looking to get the edge on Apple with their new product announcements. The Cupertino-based company is set to refresh some of its laptops next Monday at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.
ASUS ZenBook Flip S: Specs and features
ASUS brings the best of its arsenal to the convertible laptop race with the ZenBook Flip S. Starting by the build quality, the Taiwanese manufacturer claims the 2-in-1 is made using an aerospace-grade aluminum alloy, which is 50% stronger than standard alloy crafts. It is just 10.9 mm thin and weighs 1.1 kg.
It comes in only two colors, but the Royal Blue variation with gold accents has already wowed tech enthusiasts with a passion for design. The ZenBook Flip S has a 13.3-inch LED touchscreen coated with Corning Gorilla Glass protection.
There are two resolution configurations for the display: full HD 1920 x 1080 or 4K UHD (3840 x 2160). Both offer a 60Hz refresh rate and 178° wide-view technology. The touchpad is covered with glass, the keyboard has backlit keys, and the fingerprint scanner on the side of the screen is Windows Hello-compatible.
In spite of its slim frame, the ZenBook Flip S has serious business going under the hood. It can pack up to an Intel Core i7-7500U processor with TurboBoost up to 3.5 GHz and 16 GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 RAM. It also has a 3TB solid state drive.
Where the ASUS convertible seems to pale is in the field of graphics, where it counts with integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 as the only option. Moreover, it packs a VGA web camera that is lackluster at best, regarding recording quality.
Nevertheless, it still has impressive connectivity solutions with two USB-C ports that support fast charging, data transfers, and display outputs up to 4K UHD. In the box, there is a Mini Dock that expands on this with extra USB-C, USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA, LAN, and even a 3-in-1 SD card reader.
Harman Kardon collaborated with ASUS in the 2-speaker stereo audio system on the ZenBook Flip S, which also has an array microphone with Cortana recognition support. The 2-cell li-po battery on the 2-in-1 can withstand up to 11.5 hours of continuous use, and it charges to 60% in just 50 minutes.
According to latest laptop news, The laptop runs Windows 10 Home out of the box, and it supports Windows Ink using the ASUS Pen. The company’s signature stylus has 1024 pressure levels and pen-tip force support between 10 and 300 g.
ASUS ZenBook Flip S: Price and release date
At Computex, ASUS executives said the ZenBook Flip S would cost $1,099 upon launch. The expected release window is September this year.
Availability will reportedly come first to the homeland in Taiwan and possibly the United States. Still, the starting price won’t give users the top specs it was touted to have.
Source: ASUS