The ZenBook series is one that traditionally offers something… a little different in the laptop space. Now, Asus has announced the 2021 lineup of ZenBooks, and it’s certainly one that users have been waiting for. The good news? We have full pricing and availability details for the Malaysian market, along with specs and configurations that you’ll be able to choose from for local SKUs.
Three models have been released: the Asus ZenBook Flip S OLED, the ZenBook Flip 13 OLED, and the unique Asus ZenBook Duo 14. Ready? Here’s everything you need to know about the company’s 2021 lineup.
Asus ZenBook Flip S OLED
Asus says that this is the world’s thinnest laptop with a 13″ 4K OLED convertible laptop, although technically, that might be a comparatively small sample size. Regardless, you’re looking at a 13.9mm side profile, and the ZenBook Flip S OLED weighs in at just 1.2kg, so this is certainly one that you’ll be able to slip into most messenger/laptop bags.
Meanwhile, Asus has equipped this with 11th Gen Intel Core processors (up to i7), with Intel Iris Xe graphics and up to 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 1TB of NVMe PCIe SSD storage. Battery life is fairly impressive, too, with up to 15 hours of battery life promised by Asus—and of course, you’ll be able to charge this via USB-C at 65W.
As for ports, you get two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, along with a single USB3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port for legacy devices—plus, the ZenBook Flip S OLED comes with a full fledged HDMI port. There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, unfortunately, but Asus is trying to mitigate that with an included USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack dongle. What do you think about a laptop without a headphone jack? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
The headliner here is clearly the display, and the 13.3″ OLED touch display pushes a 4K resolution of 3840×2160 pixels at a 16:9 aspect ratio. You’re also looking at a max brightness of 400 nits, and 100 percent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. If you’re keen, the Asus ZenBook Flip S OLED is now available in Malaysia, with pricing starting from RM6,799.
Asus ZenBook Flip 13 OLED
Next up, the Asus ZenBook Flip 13 OLED, which is slightly more affordable than the Flip S model. You’re still getting 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors mated to Intel Iris Xe graphics, while configurations include up to 512GB of PCIe 3.0 SSD storage and 8GB of DDR4X RAM.
Just like the Flip S, this is a convertible laptop that you can use in a variety of modes—as illustrated by these images:
It’s a NanoEdge touch screen here, which you can use with the Asus Pen (sold separately), although Asus has made a significant compromise here compared to the Flip S model: screen resolution. On the Flip 13 OLED, you’re looking at a 13.3″ OLED display pushing a FHD resolution at 1920×1080 pixels at an aspect ratio of 16:9—again, there’s a max brightness of 400 nits and 100 percent of DCI-P3 coverage.
Moving onto ports, Asus has equipped this with two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with a single USB3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port and a full-sized HDMI port. Again, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack, and again, Asus is bundling in a dongle to help you out with that. The rest of the specs are very similar too, as well. That includes 65W USB-C charging, WiFi 6 support, and a slightly heavier weight of 1.3kg.
Retail pricing is set at RM5,199 for the i7 model, and RM4,699 for the more affordable i5-powered variant. The Asus ZenBook Flip 13 OLED is now available in Malaysia at authorised Asus dealers, as well as Asus e-Stores.
Asus ZenBook Duo 14
Another ZenBook, another lightweight laptop. At 1.62kg, the Asus ZenBook Duo 14 is the world’s thinnest and lightest 14″ laptop with a secondary display, Asus says. As per its name, you get a 12.6″ secondary touch display sitting above the keyboard, and it comes with an auto-tilt mechanism so that you can get just the right angle for viewing.
It’s actually called the Asus ScreenPad Plus, and it pushes a resolution of 1920×515 pixels with max brightness of 400 nits. Again, you’ll be able to use the Asus Pen here—and this time, Asus is bundling in their stylus with the top-end variant. In any case, Asus also says that the upgraded Screen Xpert 2 software will now include update built-in apps to boost productivity, such as the Windows Flick feature and the upgraded Task Group app.
Under the hood, you have options of up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, mated to a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX450 GPU and up to 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM. There’s also storage of up to 512GB of NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD, along with WiFi 6 support and 65W USB-C charging. For ports, you get a single USB3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, one HDMI port, a MicroSD slot, and two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports.
The good news? This is the only model in the 2021 ZenBook series to come with a audio combo jack. Thank goodness.
Like the rest of the 2021 offerings, the Asus ZenBook Duo 14 is now available at authorised dealers and Asus e-Stores. Pricing in Malaysia starts at RM5,499 for the i5 model, with the range-topping i7 variant retailing for RM6,499.
