In addition to adding the ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA laptop to its online portfolio earlier this week, Asus quietly introduced the ZenBook UX430 and ZenBook UX530 laptops, the company’s thinnest ZenBooks to date measuring in at 0.62 inches. The UX430 model sports a 14-inch screen while the UX530 version has a 15.6-inch screen, but otherwise the hardware differences between the two Asus ZenBooks are rather small.
For starters, there are two variants of the UX430 model: the UX430UA and the UX430UQ. Here are their specs:
| Screen size: | 14 inches (in a 13-inch-class chassis) |
| Resolution: | 1,920 x 1,080 at 60Hz |
| Color gamut: | 72 percent NTSC |
| Operating system: | Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro |
| Processor: | Intel Core i3-7100U Intel Core i5-7200U Intel Core i7-7500U |
| Graphics: | Intel HD Graphics 620 Nvidia GeForce 940MX w/2GB VRAM (UX430UQ only) |
| Memory: | Up to 16GB DDR4 at 2,133MHz |
| Storage | 128GB SATA 3 SSD 256GB SATA 3 SSD 512GB SATA 3 SSD |
| Connectivity: | Wireless AC Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Audio: | 2x two-watt speakers Harman Kardon certification |
| Battery: | 50 Watt hours |
| Webcam: | HD camera (optional on the UX430UQ) |
| Keyboard: | Chiclet-style with optional backlighting 1.4mm key travel |
| Ports: | 1x microphone/headphone combo jack 1x USB 3.1 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x USB 2.0 1x Micro HDMI 1x SD card reader 1x Gigabit Ethernet port 1x Fingerprint reader (on select UX430UA models only) |
| Size: | 12.75 x 8.85 x 0.62 inches |
| Weight: | 2.75 pounds |
| Colors: | Royal Blue with NIL coating Rose Gold with NIL coating Quartz Grey Shimmer Gold |
As the specs show, the only real difference between the two UX430 units is that the UX430UQ has an additional discrete graphics chip provided by Nvidia, which should be fine for graphics-intensive applications and low-resolution PC games. On the other hand, the UX430UA provides a fingerprint scanner for jumping into Windows 10 with a simple touch, but only on select configurations.
Like the UX430 laptop, the larger UX530 comes in two molds as well — the UX530UQ and the UX530UX. Again, they are very similar to the smaller UX430 duo, but offer a few more choices thanks to the increased physical space. Unfortunately, the UX530 units are not listed online as of this story’s publication, so all we have to go on is the press release distributed by Asus on Thursday.
That said, here is what we know so far:
| Screen size: | 15.6 inches |
| Resolution: | 1,920 x 1,080 at 60Hz |
| Color gamut: | 72 percent NTSC |
| Operating system: | Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro |
| Processor: | Intel Core i3-7100U Intel Core i5-7200U Intel Core i7-7500U |
| Graphics: | Intel HD Graphics 620 Nvidia GeForce 940MX w/2GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 950 w/2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory: | Up to 16GB DDR4 at 2,133MHz |
| Storage | 128GB SATA 3 SSD 256GB SATA 3 SSD 512GB SATA 3 SSD |
| Connectivity: | Wireless AC Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Audio: | 2x three-watt speakers Harman Kardon certification |
| Battery: | 50 Watt hours |
| Webcam: | HD camera |
| Keyboard: | Chiclet-style with optional backlighting 1.4mm key travel |
| Ports: | 1x microphone/headphone combo jack 2x USB 3.1 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 1x USB 2.0 1x HDMI 1x SD card reader 1x Gigabit Ethernet port 1x Fingerprint reader |
| Size: | 14.17 x 9.68 x 0.66 inches |
| Weight: | 3.59 pounds |
| Colors: | Royal Blue with NIL coating Quartz Grey |
With the UX530, there are two discrete graphics options and an additional full-size USB 3.1 port. Obviously, the larger screen makes this model slightly thicker and heavier although not by much. However, the UX530 will be sold with two fewer available colors than the smaller UX430 units. Overall, all four models are powered by the same 50-Watt hour battery given that Intel’s seventh-generation processors sip very little energy when in use.
Of course, customers won’t be able to configure these ZenBooks to fit their needs. Instead, Asus will ship all four units in various configurations when they become available in the second quarter of 2017. Pricing is unknown for now, so stay tuned.
