Thin computers aren’t just the domain of Apple, as Asus looks to its ZenBook to show how thin larger laptops can be.
Laptops are getting thinner and lighter every year, and you can see traces of that as you jump from brand to brand. Whether it’s the super svelte style of the Apple MacBook Air or Dell XPS 13, or even the wholly unique angular approach of the HP Spectre x360, a glance at the laptop landscape will reveal computers that are smaller and lighter than many before it.
Those are the times, and they are indeed changing, with most computer manufacturers following suit. Thin is in, and companies are going what they can to get laptops to a point where you barely notice carrying it around.
Of course, there’s always going to be a limitation on what you can do — technology is typically not paper-thin — but the machines are dropping the size across various dimensions, be it tablet or laptop.
In fact, Asus is now claiming it has the world’s thinnest in a category, as its ZenBook 14 for 2020 focuses on the world’s thinnest size for 14 inch notebooks.
An area that’s a little less common than the 13 or 15 inch laptops you’re probably used to seeing, 14 inch computers tend to provide just that little bit extra space on a portable 13 without hitting the often much larger size a 15 delivers. That extra size means you can find a larger keyboard in the design, complete with a numeric keypad, essentially getting that full-size keyboard into a marginally smaller design, something some people will no doubt want.
For the 2020 ZenBook 14, Asus is throwing in a 14 inch Full HD screen with Intel 10th-gen Core chips, plus a minimum of 256GB solid-state storage, and up to 32GB RAM (though it will likely be 8GB in the starting prices). The latest WiFi connection is also here, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax also known as WiFi 6, and it’s there with Bluetooth 5, because modern wireless connections are handy to have.
The design has been built to be slim and yet also angled for typing, with something Asus calls “ErgoLift” that tilts the computer at an angle when the lid is opened to improve airflow and typing. That means the ZenBook 14 isn’t a flat laptop like others out there, with the back of the screen jutting out just below the base of the laptop itself.
Asus has thrown this into a body measuring 13.9mm thick, thinner than the thickest end of the 13 inch MacBook Air (16.1mm), but clearly not as thin as its thinnest end (4.1mm), while the weight is marginally over one kilo. Despite the minimal thickness, the ports still aim to please, with two Type C Thunderbolt 3 ports, one HDMI, a microSD card reader, and an old school USB 3 port, for folks who still need one of those.
Folks who still do will find the Asus ZenBook 14 in select stores shortly, with the laptop starting at $1599 locally.
