About four months after the initial announcement of the ASUS ZenBook S13, the company has stated that its new laptop will be available for order today. The ASUS ZenBook S13 boasts a 97% screen-to-body ratio, an incredible feat that single-handedly beats my daily driver and most of the other laptops on the market.
Like many achievements, this one does not come without controversy. To offer such thin bezels, the ASUS ZenBook S13 has embraced the notch that houses the laptop’s built-in webcam. Some features worth noting about the ASUS ZenBook S13 include a 13.9-inch display, a base SSD storage capacity of 512GB, and an impressive 15 hour battery.
An impressive and controversial device
With loads of smartphones, tablets, and laptops ditching bezels, there’s simply no way to ignore how great a 97% screen-to-body ratio looks on the ASUS ZenBook S13. The side bezels are a mere 2.5mm, with the top bezel being the thickest as it accommodates the built-in HD webcam.
This is arguably the most controversial decision that the company made in the ASUS ZenBook S13 as it results in a reverse notch that protrudes from the top of the display. ASUS touts this as a good thing, claiming that it provides an easy-to-find tab for lifting the laptop’s lid.
Nearly every laptop manufacturer these days has something controversial in each laptop. For Apple, it’s a lack of legacy ports and butterfly-switch keyboard and for the ASUS ZenBook S13, it’s a protruding notch. If you can get past this, you’ll gain a laptop with two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, a USB-A port, microSD card slot, 15-hour battery, quad-core i7 processor, and much more.
Pricing and availability
The base model of the ASUS ZenBook S13 will be priced at $1,399. While ASUS announced that its new laptop would be available today, that does not appear to be the case right now as the landing page is still shows it as unavailable. A product listing exists at Adorama, but it is showing backordered at the time of this post. Once availability officially begins, we anticipate it to be offered at many popular retailers including Amazon.
9to5Toys’ Take
The ASUS ZenBook S13 is without a doubt an impressive piece of technology. I love how minimal the bezels are, but the decision to implement a notch that protrudes from the top of the display does not sit well with me. I use an iPhone X each day, but I do not find the notch nearly as distracting as I think this one would be.
If the notch weren’t there, I’d admittedly be tempted by its 15-hour battery life, discrete graphics, and built-in USB-A port. That being said, I am a die hard macOS-fan and rely heavily on apps and shortcuts that are simply unavailable when using Windows. If this does not apply to you, then the there’s not much of a reason to pass up the ASUS ZenBook S13.
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