Asus has announced that its ZenBook UX305 ultraportable laptop is available for Australians to pre-order now from its Web site. It’s a 13.3in model that will be available in configurations for both consumers and commercial customers, with pricing for the consumer model being $1399.
That price will give you a configuration inclusive of an Intel Core M-5Y71 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 256GB M.2 SATA solid state drive, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and a Full HD screen.
Physically, the ZenBook UX305 is said to be less than 13mm thick, and completely silent in operation. The slimness and silence are possible due to the use of not only solid state storage, but also the Intel Core M CPU, which doesn’t require a fan to keep it cool. On the downside, you won’t get as much performance out of a Core M as you would out of a Core i CPU, but battery life should be improved.
The ZenBook UX305 has a sprinkle of ports included along the lines of its thin chassis: a headset port, micro-HDMI, and three USB 3.0 ports (two on the left and one on the right). It also includes an SD card reader, which is of the full-sized variety, and there is an HD webcam, Bluetooth 4.0, and Bang & Olufsen audio technology. Its 3-cell lithium-polymer battery has a rating of 44 Watt-hours.
It’s an attractive laptop from the pictures we’ve seen, with clean lines throughout the aluminium chassis, a bit of a wedge shape, and a spun, metallic pattern on its lid -- it’s similar to the other thin Zenbooks we’ve seen, but thinner. The keyboard is backlit with a layout that includes the power button right next to Delete, and there is a large touchpad nestled between the palm rest areas. Weight is stated as being a fit 1.2kg.
We’ll bring you a full review of the ZenBook UX305 as soon as we can get our hands on it.
