Asus’ Zenbook Pro 16X is a Bizarre Counterpart to the MacBook Pro

newly off revealing two ultra - portable models , Asus is now herald a various fleet of Zenbook laptop computer lie in of convertibles , multi - screen option , and traditional clamshell devices . Zooming out at the pecking order of Asus ’ premium laptop computer serial , the models released today land somewhere between the standard “ Zenbook ” theoretical account , like theZenbook 14X OLED Space Edition , and the upcomingZenbook 17 Fold OLED , a large foldable .

The collection of machine revealed today round down out the Zenbook series with Zenbook S and Zenbook Pro gimmick . For those unfamiliar with Asus ’ naming structure , Zenbook S laptops are Asus ’ most portable high - end equipment and are stand for to rival the Dell XPS 13 or Apple’sMacBook Air . Zenbook Pro models are pitch more toward content Creator and admit dual - screen options .

If you have n’t already , I recommend read up on the newZenbook S 13 OLED and Zenbook Pro 15 Flip , a pair of devices that , for whatever reason , debuted one by one recently last month . These systems are now join by a convertible “ Flip ” version of the Zenbook S 13 OLED , along with a Zenbook Pro 14 Duo , Zenbook Pro 16X , and Zenbook Pro 17 . If there is an implicit in theme to these Modern system , it ’s that Asus is going all - in on OLED , and has no interest in deposit with the schematic .

Image: Asus

Zenbook Pro 16X OLED

It seems Asus is bore with the standard laptop torso every other productiveness laptop Divine is using . The company does n’t just make generic laptops anymore , and the Zenbook Pro 16X is a prime example of how it differentiate its merchandise .

Designed specifically for originative pros — an umbrella terminus for lensman , videographers , artists , developers , and the same — the Zenbook Pro 16X sport a mechanism that raise the keyboard as well as a built - in forcible dial standardised in functionality to the Surface Dial .

Asus calls the scheme that raises the keyboard when you lift the lid its “ Active Aerodynamic System Ultra , ” or AAS Ultra . It ’s essentially a more expert rendering of theErgoLift hingethat stay fresh the deck of cards flat while using joints to evoke the back end of the keyboard . This way , the key slant downward at a 7 - degree angle for a more comfortable typewriting experience . Asus also arrogate the opening created underneath the keyboard allow for 30 % better air flow and even improves audio quality by guide the audio from the gadget ’s treble tweeters .

Image: Asus

Image: Asus

The chassis ’ unconventional element continue onto the decoration rest , which sport an embedded dial called the Asus Dial . like to the Surface Dial , the Asus Dial is a physical rotary control that hit it sluttish for substance creators to switch between tools ( like clash size ) , raise saturation , aline layer opacity , or apace undo actions . you may also convert the screen brightness or volume controls .

The Asus Dial is support by the Adobe Suite , let in Photoshop , Premiere Pro , Lightroom Classic , After Effects , and Illustrator . you may customise what each turning of the dial check via the ProArt Creator Hub , software pre - establish on the Zenbook Pro 16X. Augmenting the telephone dial is an Asus Pen 2.0 with 4,096 pressing levels .

There ’s more , though . Asus is also getting funky with lighting , adding an “ healthy lighting system ” consisting of an illuminated logotype on the hat , per - key clean RGB backlit keys , and light bars on each side of the keyboard . These are n’t just for looks , since they can order you sure things about your system ; for example , when the laptop computer is off or on , which carrying into action mode you ’re in , or if the battery is low-toned ( in which case , the lights will glow red ) .

Image: Asus

Image: Asus

As for the rest of the innovation , the Zenbook Pro 16X has a CNC - machined aluminum unibody chassis and an anti - fingerprint coating . It sports the same “ Monogram ” logotype as the Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode , which , despite looking a lot like the Starfleet Command insignia orSpace Force allegory , is an ascent in my eye .

At 14 x 9.9 x 0.66 inches and 5.3 pound , the Zenbook Pro 16X OLED is n’t exactly ultra - slim , but it should be portable enough for short trips . The chassis now house a much large haptic touchpad with a built - in well-lighted numpad , too . You also get two Thunderbolt 4 ports , a received Coyote State posting one-armed bandit , and an HDMI 2.1 input to go along with a USB - A port and a headphone diddly-squat .

And that was just the design . Turning to the exhibit , the Pro 16X organic light-emitting diode has a 16 - inch , 4 jet ( 3840 x 2400 ) OLED 16:10 show with thin border around three edge of the screen door . Asus says it gets up to an telling 550 nits of light and supports DisplayHDR honest Black 500 .

Image: Asus

Image: Asus

Asus did n’t compromise on performance either , equipping this machine with either an Intel Core i7 - 12700H or Core i9 - 12900H CPU , up to 32 GB of RAM , up to a 2 TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD , and a GeForce RTX 3060 GPU . It has a large 96 Wh barrage fire but no estimate runtimes were ply .

Zenbook Pro 17

If you need an even larger video display , the Zenbook Pro 17 is a more traditional laptop computer than the Pro 16X organic light-emitting diode , but gives mental object creators plenty of powerfulness under the hood . This system uses an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX GPU and unite it with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU , up to 32 GB of RAM and up to a 2 TB SSD .

As you might have suppose , the Pro 17 has a 17.3 - inch IP touch screen display with a 2.5 K firmness of purpose at a standard 16:9 aspect proportion , which should make it a good choice for viewing media . It gets the supply welfare of a 165Hz refresh pace , so biz and the substance abuser port should bet smooth .

As Asus ’ first 17.3 - inch Zenbook , this scheme is understandably larger than the others , coming in at 15.5 x 10.2 x 0.74 inches and 5.5 pound . It is n’t much sonorous than the Zenbook Pro 16X , though neither is idealistic for frequent travelers . Since this is a more traditional clamshell laptop , you do n’t get some of the fancy characteristic from the 16X OLED . However , the Zenbook Pro 17 does practice an ErgoLift hinge , so the rear end of the laptop is tilted slightly downward for a more comfortable typewriting posture .

Image: Asus

Image: Asus

The Zenbook pro will go on sale “ soon ” starting at $ 1,499 .

Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED

Returning to another one of Asus ’ more wild conception , the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo organic light-emitting diode ( what a mouthful ! ) is the successor to adual - screen laptop computer we ’ve ensure before . For the uninitiated , the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED has a standard 14 - inch filmdom up top and a secondary 12.7 - inch “ ScreenPad Plus ” display above the keyboard that tilts upwards at a 12 - point - angle so you could view it without craning your neck .

It uses the same AAS Ultra mechanism as the Zenbook Pro 16X , meaning the laptop seat flat on its underside and is n’t lifted by the flexible joint ( like the Zenbook Pro 17 ) . That lowly 12.7 - inch , 280 x 864 - resolution display has a 120Hz refresh rate and hits 500 nits of brightness . you may use it as you would a secondary monitor or use Asus ’ software to adjust tools in certain creative apps let in those in the Adobe retinue .

Returning to the main board , the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED has a 14 - inch , 2880 x 1800 - pixel , 120Hz OLED touchscreen at a 16:10 aspect proportion . It reaches 550 nits of luminance , is Pantone formalise , and is DisplayHDR 500 True Black evidence .

Image: Asus

Image: Asus

On the inside are some seriously herculean specification for a 14 - inch laptop , including either an Intel Core i7 - 12700H or Core i9 - 12900H CPU , up to 32 GB of RAM , up to 2 TB of PCIe warehousing , and an RTX 3050 Ti GPU . It also has more port than one might bear : two Thunderbolt 4 , a USB - A 3.2 , an HDMI 2.1 , a microSD card reader , and a headphone tar . This system , at 3.9 hammering and 0.7 mm is a shade hefty , but still portable enough to take to employment or the coffee bar .

Asus says the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo organic light-emitting diode will cost $ 1,999 when it arrives later this year .

Zenbook S 13 Flip OLED

Also revealed today is a convertible version of the Zenbook S 13 OLED I write about last calendar month . It sports a likewise slim design , at 0.58 inch and 2.4 pounds , pass water it tripping than the XPS 13 and MacBook Air .

Most of the specs match that of the grapple model except for one major remainder : the Flip runs on Intel , up to a 12th Gen Core i7 , whereas the stock translation uses AMD Ryzen 6000 . An contribute benefit is that the three USB - C ports are Thunderbolt 4 .

aside from those difference , the S 13 Flip OLED has the same compelling feature as its twin , including a 13.3 - column inch , 2.8 super C OLED display , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a touchpad with an optional illuminated numpad .

Image: Asus