Asus loads up ZenBook 13 with discrete graphics

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,284   +192
Staff member

Asus at CES 2018 showed off an incredibly thin and light notebook in the ZenBook 13. Unfortunately for demanding users, the machine lacked a discrete GPU – an issue that Asus has since addressed.

The new Asus ZenBook 13 UX331 is a true Ultrabook (not just any thin and light system can earn that branding) with measurements of 12.2” x 5.8” x 0.47-0.55” that tips the scales at 2.47 pounds. It features a 13.3-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS touchscreen display driven by Intel’s Core i5-8250U processor (clocked at 1.6GHz that can Boost up to 3.4GHz).

According to Asus, the ZenBook 13 is the world’s thinnest laptop with a discrete GPU.

The system also packs 8GB of RAM, 256GB of solid-state storage and an Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 which should be able to handle moderate GPU-intensive loads. Expansion ports include a USB 3.1 Type-C port, two USB 3.0 ports and a micro SD card reader. You also get a single HDMI 2.0 interface, headphone-out / audio-in combination jack and the usual gamut of wireless connectivity options.

The unit’s 50Wh lithium-polymer battery affords up to 14 hours of runtime and can be recharged to 60 percent capacity in just 49 minutes.

The Asus Zenbook 13-WS51T is available to purchase as of writing for $999 directly through Asus. Newegg and Amazon also have the system listed although it’s currently out of stock and won’t be available until February 19 at the earliest.

Permalink to story.

 
I've always liked those Zenbooks despite not owning one myself. I've long since grown out of desktop replacements and gaming PCs, preferring more portable options... so this is kind of tempting to replace my aging XPS12 convertible.
 
Back