Asus has been busy announcing a slew of new products at the Computex 2016 technology expo in Taiwan. Here are some of the highlights — including a super skinny new MacBook rival and an insanely cute house robot.
ZenBook 3
Asus has taken a fairly drastic approach to slimming down the new version of its established ZenBook, making it more like the MacBook than the MacBook Air in the process. The new laptop weighs 910g and is 11.9mm inches thick — both superior measurements to the MacBook — but it also packs a 12.5-inch display.
In terms of features, it uses a Thunderbolt 3/USB-C port for charging, has a Gorilla Glass 4 display, a crazy-thin fan to keep things cool inside and nine hours of battery life. Specs will vary depending on how much you spend — from $US1000 ($1393) for an i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 256GB SSD, to $US2000 ($2785) for an i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD.
Transformer 3 Pro
Asus announced a slew of new Transformer devices, but the best of the bunch is probably this one — the Transformer 3 Pro. With a “stepless” hinge and high-grade cover keyboard, it’s reminiscent of Microsoft’s Surface. It runs Windows 10, weighs 795g and can be configured to have an i7 processor, 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM. It will start at $US1000 ($1393).
ZenFone 3
The latest range of Asus smartphones also deserves a quick mention. There are three in the range — ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Deluxe and ZenFone 3 Ultra — and they all look kind of similar, with 2.5D Gorilla Glass and solid metal casings. Perhaps most tempting is the base model, the ZenFone 3, with looks that belie its modest $US250 ($348) price tag. On the inside, there’s a Snapdragon 625 chip, 3000 mAh battery, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Not setting the world on fire, but at least it’s pretty.
Zenbo Robot
And then, there’s the Zenbo robot. Apparently aimed at older people, it’s designed to link smart devices that already exist in the home, whether that’s lights, camera, fire alarms or air conditioners. It trundles around on wheels, waiting for you to prod its touchscreen face to make video calls or browse the internet or control your home. It will cost $US600 ($836) when it goes on sale.