The IT Nerd

ASUSRepublic of Gamers (ROG) today announced new 240Hz gaming laptops with larger 17-inch displays, along with details on multiple 4K UHD panels set to demo at Computex 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan. The premium panels showcase groundbreaking speed, precision, and depth of detail that define the future of gaming machines. They push the boundaries of modern technology, giving everyone from competitive esports players to professional content creators a visual experience that looks incredibly sharp and feels impeccably smooth.

Only a month after the arrival of the fastest 15.6-inch panel on the planet in the ROG Spring 2019 Collection, the first 17.3-inch 240Hz/3ms display debuted inside the Strix SCAR III and Hero III esports gaming laptops. Technology demos featuring 4K UHD panels are also scheduled for Computex, including a 120Hz/3ms option with 100% Adobe RGB coverage and an AMOLED panel with high dynamic range (HDR). The dueling 4K UHD displays underline the ROG commitment to delivering the best visual experience, giving serious gamers, power users, and content creators the tools they need to accelerate their creativity and productivity.

First 17ʺ 240Hz displays

ROG is dedicated to staying at the forefront of gaming laptop display technology, breaking its own high-refresh records to push the boundaries of speed. In 2016, G752VS debuted a 120Hz display that doubled the speed of competing laptops while maintaining excellent colours and viewing angles. That led to a project with chemical giant Merck to develop a new liquid crystal structure capable of supporting even higher frequencies, resulting in the release of the world’s first 144Hz gaming laptop in the ROG G703 desktop replacement. Beyond speeding up the refresh rate, the 144Hz panel also cut the grey-to-grey pixel response time to just 7ms, a reduction of nearly 4X over the alternative at the time. By 2018, the response time dropped to a mere 3ms and spread across a full lineup of ROG laptops.

That spirit of innovation led ROG to demo a cutting-edge 240Hz panel inside Strix SCAR II at CES in early 2019, setting a new standard for hardcore gaming laptops and portable esports rigs. The same 15-inch panel rolled out last month across multiple members of the ROG Spring 2019 Collection, including the new Zephyrus S GX502, Zephyrus M GU502, Strix SCAR III G531, and Strix Hero III G531.

Now, Strix SCAR III G731 and Hero III G731 are the first to bring 240Hz/3ms displays to more expansive 17-inch screens. With up to NVIDIA^®GeForce RTX™ 2070 graphics that can push into factory overclocked territory thanks to ROG Boost, they have enough horsepower to generate triple-digit frame rates for sublimely smooth gameplay in fast-paced titles and competitive esports.

High refresh meets high resolution

Longtime panel partner AUO has developed a 4K UHD panel capable of refreshing at up to 120Hz (4K120), which is double the speed of typical UHD displays. ROG is demonstrating this groundbreaking 15.6-inch panel in a modified version of the Zephyrus S GX502 ultraslim gaming laptop.

The 4K120 display underlines the versatility of Zephyrus S for both gaming to content creation. NVIDIA G-SYNC^®Technology synchronizes the refresh rate of the display with the frame rate of the GeForce RTX 2070 GPU to eliminate tearing and smooth over performance fluctuations in normal gameplay. The 3ms response time helps to maintain a clear picture with fast-paced play, and the 400 nit backlight improves visibility in brighter environments.

On the creative side, artists can draw from a wide gamut that covers 100% of the Adobe RGB colour space, a much broader range than standard sRGB. The panel can also be factory calibrated and PANTONE^®Validated to guarantee colour accuracy for professionals and content creators.

Full spectrum innovation 

Expanding display technology in another direction, ROG is also demoing a 4K UHD AMOLED display deployed in another Zephyrus S test machine. This configuration has a static 60Hz refresh rate but features an ultrafast 1ms response time. The HDR display offers an 80,000:1 contrast ratio anchored by deep, rich blacks. It covers 100% of the DCI-P3 colour space commonly used in movie production, making the experimental machine especially appealing for video editing. With eight bits per channel plus two more via dithering, the display can produce over a billion individual hues.

Because the panel is so lightweight, covering it with a protective layer of glass barely adds to the overall heft of the laptop. The combination of AMOLED and glass is only slightly heavier than the matte TFT alternative.

Versatility on display

Special editions of the newly released ROG Zephyrus S GX531 and GX701 offer HDR displays via traditional TFT technology. At 144Hz and 3ms, their Full HD panels blend blistering speed with VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. Though software support is still somewhat thin due to the lack of a single API for high dynamic range, these leading-edge displays offer over a billion colours driven by powerful backlights with local dimming across up to 16 individual zones.

A richly detailed 4K UHD display is also available on ROG Mothership, which joins the HDR Zephyrus laptops in the ROG booth at Computex 2019. The revolutionary standing form factor is available with a 4K UHD panel that refreshes at up to 60Hz with G-SYNC. Like in the 4K120 tech demo, the panel covers 100% of the Adobe RGB colour space, making it particularly appealing for videographers who want to edit 4K UHD footage natively.

For graphic professionals who work within the standard sRGB colour space, the ROG Spring 2019 Collection includes multiple models with factory calibration that guarantees colour accuracy. Zephyrus S GX502, GX531, GX701, and Zephyrus M GU502 can be configured with PANTONE Validated panels, and all but GX701 are available at speeds up to 240Hz with 3ms response.

See the future of gaming laptop panels

The latest ROG gaming laptops offer serious utility to both competitive gamers and creative professionals. The lineup currently showing at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1, ROG Booth M0810 showcases advanced display technologies that raise the bar for gaming powerhouses and hybrid workhorses.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

Many ROG gaming laptops on display at Computex 2019 are available for sale or pre-order today. Check with your local ROG representative for details about availability, configurations, and pricing in your region.

ASUS today announced ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581), a groundbreaking laptop featuring the new ASUS ScreenPad^™Plus, a revolutionary 14-inch full-width secondary touchscreen that expands and enhances the interactive capabilities offered by the original ASUS ScreenPad.

ScreenPad Plus offers endless creative possibilities for content creators, allowing productivity-enhancing workflows and easy multitasking. It integrates seamlessly with the primary display, and the built-in ScreenXpert software includes a wide selection of useful apps, tools and utilities that allow users to easily enjoy the efficiency benefits of ScreenPad Plus.

Extreme performance for effortless creativity is provided by up to 9th Generation Intel^®Core^™processors, combined with up to 32GB RAM and an NVIDIA^®GeForce RTX^™2060 GPU, with ultrafast storage provided by up to a 1TB PCIe^®3.0 x4 SSD.

ZenBook Pro Duo features a stunning 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) OLED touchscreen for breathtaking visuals, a 4K (3840 x 1100) ScreenPad Plus and an ASUS NumberPad dual-function touchpad. The display is a frameless four-sided ASUS NanoEdge design, with ultraslim bezels for immersive visuals and an ultracompact form factor.

The brand new Celestial Blue colour gives ZenBook Pro Duo a sophisticated air of timeless innovation. It’s also decorated with a unique asymmetric version of the iconic Zen-inspired spun-metal finish: an intriguing design detail that gives ZenBook Pro Duo a totally unmistakable identity.

Create the uncreated: ultimate productivity

The unique 4K ScreenPad Plus on ZenBook Pro Duo gives users the ability to enjoy the productivity and efficiency benefits of using two separate LCD displays on a single portable device. The full-width, high-resolution 32:9 aspect-ratio touchscreen sits directly above the laptop’s keyboard, providing a greatly enlarged visual workspace while preserving the standard laptop form factor.

ScreenPad Plus can be used just like any standard second display in Windows to display visual content, or users can take advantage of many time-saving features and functions built into the ScreenXpert control software to simplify multiscreen window and app management. These include handy quick controls such as App Switcher, ViewMax and App Navigator that enable intuitive interactions and easy cross-screen referencing between the main display and ScreenPad Plus. Task Group lets users lock instantly into work mode by opening multiple tasks with a single touch.

Users can also drag discrete apps, toolbars or menus onto ScreenPad Plus to reduce clutter on the main screen and enhance work efficiency. Creators can dock their tools such as video previews, timeline controls, code windows or audio mixer panels onto ScreenPad Plus to optimize their workflow. Social communications apps placed on ScreenPad Plus allow users to keep up to date and respond instantly to messages while working, without having to switch between windows.

Adaptive functions, pioneered in the original ScreenPad, also offer enhanced workflow. ASUS is working with developers including Corel^®to optimize adaptive ScreenPad tools for the ultimate productivity. However, any Windows app can be used with ScreenPad Plus, with no need for a specific ScreenPad Plus-enabled version.

Using the bundled stylus — or any other active stylus — enables yet another layer of interactivity for users, with ScreenPad Plus offering a superbly stable platform for writing or drawing. A bundled deluxe palm rest[iii]enhances the ErgoLift tilting keyboard design even further for the most comfortable drawing or typing experience ever.

ZenBook Pro Duo features the latest version of the ASUS NumberPad, an LED-illuminated numeric keypad integrated into the touchpad. There’s also Amazon Alexa voice support, with a dedicated light bar at the front of the laptop that illuminates to indicate it’s listening.

Ultrapowerful performance

ZenBook Pro Duo is designed for extreme performance to enable effortless creativity. It’s powered by up to a 9th Generation Intel Core i9 eight-core processor with up to an unprecedented 5GHz Turbo Boost frequency and 32GB of DDR4 RAM. The gaming-grade NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, powered by the NVIDIA Turing^™architecture, is a game-changing GPU that offers users the power of ray-tracing for the ultimate visual realism.

An up to 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD ensures ultrafast data access at all times, and the full set of I/O ports includes a Thunderbolt^™3-enabled USB Type-C^™(USB-C^™) port. The latest Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ (802.11ax) takes wireless speeds to the next level, for supersmooth connections to the world.

To ensure silky-smooth operation and maximum performance are available at all times, there’s a dedicated Turbo Fan button to boost cooling at any time, and the ErgoLift hinge improves airflow under the laptop for better thermal performance.

This potent specification makes ZenBook Pro Duo one of the most powerful laptops available for discerning on-the-go creative professionals, and ensures an ultra-fluid cross-screen workflow when using ScreenPad Plus.

Brilliant visuals

The 4K UHD NanoEdge OLED touchscreen on ZenBook Pro Duo is truly amazing, with a four-sided frameless design featuring an 89% screen-to-body ratio that gives users more screen, and fewer distractions. This brilliant display technology delivers ultra-vivid colours and deep blacks.

To display the most vivid, most realistic colours possible, ZenBook Pro Duo supports an exceptionally wide colour gamut with 100% DCI-P3 coverage and HDR. The DCI-P3 colour space — widely used in the motion picture industry — is increasingly the preferred choice of creative professionals for its increased range of possible colours, and makes images on ZenBook Pro Duo look simply stunning.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581) will be available in Q3 in Canada. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.

ASUS today announced VivoBook S15 (S532), an ultraportable laptop featuring the innovative ASUS ScreenPad^™2.0 secondary touchscreen[i]that enhances productivity, and five unconventional colour‑blocking finishes that add a dash of personality to mobile computing to appeal to a younger audience. The sleek metal chassis features unique design touches and includes the ErgoLift hinge design for comfortable typing.

This laptop incorporates the new frameless four‑sided NanoEdge display design that gives it a more compact dimension, and an immersive viewing experience thanks to an up to 88% screen‑to‑body ratio. Powered by up to Intel^®Core^™i7 processors and NVIDIA^®GeForce^®MX250 discrete graphics, this laptop also features up to a 1TB PCIe^®SSD. This is also the first VivoBook model to feature an infrared (IR) camera, and Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax).

Improved productivity with ASUS ScreenPad 2.0

S15 is the first in the series to feature ScreenPad 2.0, the latest version of the innovative secondary touchscreen that enhances productivity and upgrades the laptop experience. Powered by the new ScreenXpert software, ScreenPad 2.0 now has a larger 5.65-inch touchscreen that offers many new features and benefits. This interactive secondary screen enhances productivity, allowing for more efficient workflow. It includes a collection of handy ASUS utilities to boost productivity: Quick Key enables one-tap automation of complex keyboard sequences, Handwriting for natural text input, and Number Key for rapid data entry. The revised smartphone-like interface is more intuitive for improved ease of use. Third party developers can also use the ASUS API to optimize their software and user experiences for ScreenPad. The hardware is now also more energy efficient than its predecessor, allowing for 2.5X longer battery life when ScreenPad is in use.

Design that defies convention

VivoBook S15 has a metal chassis finished in Moss Green, Punk Pink, Cobalt Blue, Transparent Silver or Gun Metal, with each colour featuring complementing accents to give the laptops colour‑blocking designs that really pop. The nature‑inspired Moss Green is paired with Energetic Orange accents to showcase the spirit of exploring the great outdoors, while the street‑styled Punk Pink with Moss Green trim represents the rebellious streak of a younger generation that’s not afraid to stand up for their beliefs. To appeal to a younger market, this is the first in the VivoBook range to feature the VivoBook logo on the lid, and the lid also features a tactile textured finish to further highlight the series’ different approach to computing.There are also intricate design touches like twill‑inspired vents and speakers on the underside of the chassis.

The NanoEdge display design provides VivoBook S15 with a more compact chassis footprint. Weighing just 1.8 kg, it easily slips into a messenger bag or backpack, making it perfect for users who are constantly on‑the‑go.

User‑friendly features

The frameless four‑sided NanoEdge displays provide VivoBook S15 with up to 5.2mm‑thin bezels and 88% screen‑to‑body ratios, giving more immersive visuals for work or play. The ErgoLift hinge tilts the keyboard by 3.5° to provide users with a more comfortable typing experience; its one‑piece construction also results in a much more durable hinge.

Intel-powered Wi­‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) delivers superfast networking speeds that are up to 3X faster than Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), with 4X the network capacity and 75%-lower latency to reduce large 4K video transfer times by up to 70%. The built‑in IR camera offers hands-free face login: advanced biometrics work seamlessly with Windows Hello, allowing users to wake their laptops and log in with a simple look. In addition, Harman Kardon‑certified audio provides high‑quality detailed sound that’s second to none.

Celebrating uniqueness

VivoBook S14 and S15 also include stickers featuring unique designs and phrases that go well with each of the five different VivoBook colours, allowing younger users to further personalize their VivoBook.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS VivoBook S15 will be available in Q3 in Canada. Pricing and configuration will be announced at launch.Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.

ASUS today announced the latest ZenBook 14 (UX434) and ZenBook 15 (UX534) laptops, which now feature the revolutionary ASUS ScreenPad^™2.0. Also announced is the exclusive limited-edition ZenBook Edition 30 (UX334FL), a luxurious Pearl White model that has been specially designed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ASUS, and which features a hand-crafted genuine Italian leather lid cover.

The new ScreenPad 2.0 is available on all the new ZenBook models. It upgrades the traditional laptop experience, adding an interactive secondary screen that enhances productivity for endless possibilities. Its intuitive new smartphone-like interface enables easy task management and allows the creation of seamless multitasking workflows.

All models in the series feature a four-sided frameless NanoEdge display, with up to a 95% screen-to-body ratio that gives them the world’s most compact footprint in their respective classes.

The combination of performance and mobility is a defining feature of the ZenBook series, and the new models feature a full complement of high-performance components including up to 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 quad-core CPUs, up to NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Max-Q graphics, 16GB RAM, ultrafast PCIe® SSDs and gigabit-class Wi-Fi 5.

The intelligent touchpad, evolved

Powered by the new ScreenXpert software, ScreenPad 2.0 now has a larger 5.65-inch touchscreen that offers many new features and benefits. This interactive secondary touchscreen enhances productivity, allowing for more efficient workflow. It includes a collection of handy ASUS utilities to boost productivity: Quick Key enables one-tap automation of complex keyboard sequences, Handwriting for natural text input, and Number Key for rapid data entry. The revised smartphone-like interface is more intuitive for improved ease of use. Third party developers can also use the ASUS API to optimize their software and user experiences for ScreenPad. The hardware is now also more energy efficient than its predecessor, allowing for 2.5X longest battery life when ScreenPad is in use.

The world’s most compact designs

The new ultralight and ultraportable ZenBook models boast the smallest footprints in their class, a feat made possible by the frameless NanoEdge displays. These stunning 14-inch and 15.6-inch displays feature ultraslim bezels on all four sides, creating up to a 95% screen-to-body ratio that maximizes the screen area in the minimum physical space.

The result is simply breathtaking: the near-borderless visuals deliver a more immersive viewing experience with less visual distraction, making the ZenBook series the perfect choice for on-the-go creativity or entertainment.

Complementing the ultracompact design, the traditional ZenBook style and elegance is apparent at a glance: all models feature the iconic Zen-inspired spun-metal finish on the lid, and there’s a choice of prestigious Royal Blue anodized finishes, both enhanced with gold lid logos and a contrasting Rose Gold trim bar above the keyboard for an extra touch of luxury. The ASUS ErgoLift hinge design tilts the keyboard automatically for a comfortable typing experience, and also aids cooling.

Maximum performance

The new ZenBook series is built to deliver unbounded on-the-go performance, featuring up to the latest 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor and a range of fast graphics options, including up to NVIDIA® GeForce MX250 discrete graphics on ZenBook 14 and Edition 30. ZenBook 15 is equipped with high-performance NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1650 GPU.

All models are equipped with PCIe® SSDs and up to 16GB of RAM, making ZenBook ideal for creating complex documents, mining data, retouching photos, editing videos, or simply taking a gaming break. The new ZenBook series lets users do more, and do it quicker.

Mobile professionals need to stay connected — at the fastest speed possible. All new ZenBook models feature gigabit-class Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) for ultrafast downloads and smooth streaming with greater range and more stable network connections than ever before. Additionally, the latest Bluetooth^®5.0 lets users access all the benefits of the latest low-power peripherals and accessories.

Designed for non-stop, on-the-go lifestyles, the new ZenBook series gives users the freedom to work all day on a single battery charge — up to an impressive 14 hours for ZenBook and 14 , and an incredible 17 hours for ZenBook 15.

ZenBook Edition 30

The limited-edition ASUS ZenBook Edition 30 is a unique celebration of 30 years of ASUS innovation. It draws on the ASUS heritage but is designed with an eye on the future, and features the finest leather craftsmanship as a mark of our confidence. It’s an amazing laptop that is another milestone in our search for incredible.

Back in 2006, ASUS created the S6F Leather Collection, the world’s first laptop to incorporate genuine-leather panels. ZenBook Edition 30 brings a futuristic twist to that classic look, with a lid encased in luxurious Pearl White genuine Italian leather — hand-crafted and hand-stitched for perfect fit appearance — for a pure, bold style statement. The Rose Gold anodized diamond-cut edges and trim bar, accompanied by the exclusive 18-karat rose-gold-plated 30th anniversary logo on the lid, are eye-catching additions that give ZenBook Edition 30 a look of pure luxury.

ZenBook Edition 30 is exclusively equipped with a complete set of premium accessories, including a Pearl White mouse, a leather-look box and mouse pad, and a genuine-leather sleeve. It’s a very special collection for a very special laptop.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS ZenBook 14, 15 and Edition 30 will be available in Q3 in Canada. Pricing and configuration will be announced at launch.Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.