Asus announces ZenBook Pro with ScreenPad and a laptop with two screens

Asus refreshed its line of laptops during 2018 on Tuesday (5). In total, the Taiwanese brand revealed seven new portable computers, in addition to the two gaming models announced last Monday (4). The highlight is the ScreenPad present in some models of the ZenBook Pro line. The touch-sensitive area features a 5-inch display capable of running its own applications. The manufacturer also presented during the event the Project Precog, still in the experimental phase, which brings the concept of two screens with artificial intelligence features. Check out the specifications and other characteristics of the brand's new devices below. It is worth mentioning that none of the laptops had the price or release date in Brazil disclosed. Is the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro good? See what to consider before importing.

New ZenBook Pro brings display on the touchpad (Photo: Disclosure/Asus)

ZenBooks Pro

The ZenBook Pro line is aimed at those who want a high-performance laptop without sacrificing design. In practice, they compete in the market with premium portables, such as the Dell XPS and Apple's MacBooks.

At Computex 2018, the Taiwanese brand announced two models of the ZenBook Pro, with 14 and 15-inch screens. The main novelty is the presence of the ScreenPad in place of the traditional touchpad. The area is, in fact, a Full HD display that brings apps to enhance productivity, adapting as programs are opened on the computer. The concept is quite similar to the Switchblade interface that Razer brought to the Deathstalker keyboard in 2015.

ScreenPad can be disabled when not in use (Photo: Disclosure/Asus)

The ScreenPad already offers compatibility with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and YouTube, and the idea is to have more software available in the future. The feature also allows control of some functions via smartphone.

The laptops also come with powerful technical specifications. The ZenBook Pro 15 (UX580) features an Intel Core i9 8950HK processor, which can reach speeds of up to 4.5 GHz. Along with the power of the six-core processor is the GTX 1050 Ti as the graphics card and storage of up to 1 TB SSD, plus 16 GB of RAM. The screen has a 4K resolution and should be able to reproduce 100% of the Adobe RGB scale, ideal for those working with graphic projects or photo and video editing.

ZenBook S: ultra-thin is available in two colors (Photo: Disclosure/Asus)

The ZenBook Pro 14 (UX480) comes with a more modest configuration: a quad-core Core i7 processor (8th generation) and GTX 1050 (Max Q) GPU. It also has storage of up to 1 TB SSD and 16 GB of RAM, but the 14-inch screen has Full HD resolution.

The ZenBook S (UX391) is another laptop presented at Computex. Without the ScreenPad, the model features a 13.3-inch screen with 4K resolution, Kaby Lake R (i7 8550U) processor, and a refined metal finish. Completing the specifications are 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD.