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ASUS Zephyrus G14 (2021) Review: The M1 MacBook Pro killer

29 Aug
The ASUS Zephyrus G14 is a new breed of powerful, portable laptop made possible by the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs.

All product photography by DL Cade.

When it comes to lightweight laptops for creatives, Apple pretty much cornered the market with the release of the M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro. The price-to-performance of these laptops is better than anything we’ve seen from Cupertino in a long time, and the Apple Silicon M1 punches well above its weight given its ‘entry-level’ designation.

But what if you’re not a Mac fan? What if 16GB of unified memory isn’t enough? And what if you want more graphics power than the maxed out 8-core GPU variant of the Apple Silicon M1 can deliver? Is there a PC out there that offers all of these things without sacrificing the portability and efficiency of laptops like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro?

There is, and that PC is the ASUS Zephyrus G14: a small, lightweight ‘gaming laptop’ that features a powerful-but-efficient AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, 32GB of RAM, a WQHD/2K display with 100% DCI-P3 coverage and an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM. All of it packed inside of a 14-inch laptop chassis that’s only a tiny bit thicker, and no larger, than your typical 13-inch MacBook Pro.



Key specifications:

The 2021 ASUS Zephyrus G14 that we’re testing is the more expensive of the two main variants available in the US. Both options come with the same AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor and NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU (60W, 80W boost), but our model is equipped with 32GB of RAM and a WQHD display that claims 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, while the more affordable model comes with only 16GB of RAM and a Full HD display that can only manage 100% of sRGB.

Zephyrus G14 – FHD Zephyrus G14 – QHD
CPU AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS
GPU

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM

RAM 16GB DDR4-3200MHz 32GB DDR4-3200MHz
Storage

1TB NVMe M.2 SSD

PCIe 3.0

1TB NVMe M.2 SSD

PCIe 3.0

Display

14-inch 144Hz FHD

100% sRGB

14-inch 120Hz WQHD

100% DCI-P3

Price $ 1,450 $ 2,000

Note that the RAM in the Full HD version is user-upgradable, but for creatives, we would still recommend the more expensive option simply because of the color-accurate display. The extra pixels aren’t totally necessary at this screen size, but we’ve found that many high-refresh-rate displays used in gaming laptops slightly under-perform their spec sheet when it comes to gamut coverage, so it’s always good to have some cushion above and beyond 100% sRGB.

If you’re going to be doing creative work, the extra $ 550 for the top-tier model is worth the additional RAM, resolution and color accuracy.


Design, build and usability

For photo and video editors, the ASUS Zephyrus G14’s WQHD display delivers up to 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

The Zephyrus G14’s design is gamer-y, but not over the top. There’s no ostentatious RGB accents or glowing logos, and while the overall shape of the laptop features a few sharp angles, there isn’t even an RGB backlight on the keyboard – just a standard white light. The chassis is available in a ‘Moonlight White’ or ‘Eclipse Gray’ and, when closed, the only hint that this is an ASUS computer comes from the Republic of Gamers (ROG) logo stamped on a pearlescent metal plate that’s embedded in the lid.

Speaking of the lid, the most ostentatious and unique design element of the ASUS G14 is the so-called ‘AniMe Matrix’ lighting effect that covers a little more than half of the laptop’s lid on a diagonal.

The Zephyrus G14’s design is gamer-y, but not over the top.

Made up of mini-LEDs hidden behind a matrix of little dots, the matrix can be customized in ASUS’ Armoury Crate software to show any number of preset animations, display a static image, or loop through a custom set of images or GIFs that you upload yourself. For this review, I obviously couldn’t resist popping the DPR logo onto the back.

The so-called ‘AniMe Matrix’ on the G14’s lid can be customized to display a customized image or animation.

Unfortunately, that little bit of showing off is about all it’s good for. After taking the picture above, I turned it off and kept it off to avoid any additional battery drain, and the only purpose the little dots served from that point onward was the collection of dust and other particles that are practically impossible to remove once they’ve become embedded.

It is, in my opinion, the only thing on this laptop that is 100% gimmick and 0% function, and I kind of wish ASUS had left it off. Even the cheaper model, which won’t allow you to customize the AniMe Matrix, still comes with these little holes, they’re just set to display a static ‘holographic’ effect.

Moving back to the front of the computer, both the keyboard and trackpad qualify as good-but-not-great in my book. The keyboard features a little bit more travel and ‘mush’ than I’m used to from most low-profile laptop keyboards these days, but your preferences may vary, while the trackpad is sufficiently smooth and responsive, but a little bit undersized.

The Zephyrus G14’s trackpad is smooth and responsive, but smaller than most competitors.

Compare this to the massive glass-topped trackpads favored by Apple, Microsoft, Dell and Razer, and you’ll see what I mean. By pushing the keyboard down to make room for the audio controls, ROG button and power button/fingerprint reader, the trackpad has been squeezed to just 2.5 inches tall and 4.5 inches wide.

It’s precise, with a nice springboard click that’s usable from about halfway down the trackpad, but I wish it were a little bit taller.

In terms of ports, the Zephyrus G14 comes equipped with an HDMI, two USB Type-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, a headphone jack and standard barrel connector for power. One of those USB Type-C ports can also carry a DisplayPort 1.4 signal and charge your device if you leave the included 180W power brick at home, and both can transfer data at USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds (10Gbps), but neither supports Thunderbolt’s faster 40Gbps transfer rate because of the AMD processor.

The trackpad is precise, with a nice springboard click that’s usable from about halfway down the trackpad, but I wish it were a little bit taller.

In terms of ports, the Zephyrus G14 comes equipped with an HDMI, two USB Type-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, a headphone jack and standard barrel connector for power.

Thunderbolt is an Intel creation, and until it fully merges with the CPU-agnostic USB 4.0 standard and AMD releases Ryzen 6000 sometime in 2022, you won’t find any AMD Ryzen laptops that also feature Thunderbolt support.

Everything so far makes this a good gaming PC but not particularly special for photo and video work. That’s where the display comes in.

Following a trend we’ve seen from other gaming laptops, ASUS offers the Zephyrus G14 (and the bigger G15) with a couple of different display options. There’s an ultra-fast 144Hz Full HD display that can only hit 100% sRGB or a slightly slower 120Hz WQHD option that is ‘Pantone validated’ and claims 100% coverage of DCI-P3.

In my testing, it didn’t quite live up to that claim, managing only 95.3% coverage of DCI-P3 and 80.0% of AdobeRGB, but it did so at a respectable Delta E 2000 of less than 2. Other reviewers have profiled this display at up to 98% DCI-P3, but to my knowledge, nobody has seen it hit the advertised 100%.

In other words: the display is accurate enough for proper photo and video editing on the go, but I would not rely on it as my only screen. When it’s time for serious color grading, use the USB-C/DisplayPort to connect a larger, color-accurate 4K monitor, especially if you’re planning to print your work.

Finally, there are two more things left to mention – one positive and one negative.

The positive is battery life, which is excellent. AMD’s Zen 3 processors are already very power efficient, and ASUS is taking full advantage of that fact by putting a large 76Wh battery inside of the G14. For normal writing, research, and video consumption in ‘Silent’ mode, I could easily get 8+ hours of use out of this laptop. In ‘Performance’ mode while doing serious photo or video editing on battery, that drops to about 2 hours, but that’s to be expected given the NVIDIA 3060 GPU is pulling 60W all on its own.

The Zephyrus G14’s QHD display is color-accurate enough for proper photo and video editing on the go, but I would not rely on it as my only screen.

The negative is the total lack of webcam on this computer. While the Zephyrus G14 does have a built-in microphone array embedded in the top bezel, it does not have a webcam. None at all. Not even the crappy 720p option that’s included in most laptops today.

With so many photo and video professionals communicating with their clients over Zoom as much (if not more) than in-person, this is a huge miss. I suppose the idea is that gamers who stream will use a nicer camera anyway, and those who don’t won’t care about a webcam, but it’s a glaring omission that has the potential to really annoy you day-in and day-out.

Tehre is no webcam on the ASUS Zephyrus G14 – a frustrating omission given the increased popularity of video conferencing.

Overall, I quite like the design and build quality of the Zephyrus G14. Sure, I tend to prefer the rigid CNC-milled aluminum unibody designs favored by companies like Razer and Apple, but I never felt like I was dealing with a flimsy laptop and the design aesthetic is clean enough to use for both business and fun… assuming you turn off the AniMe Matrix.

For creative professionals, you can go in knowing that the I/O is solid, the trackpad is good (if a little bit small), and the screen is sufficiently color accurate so that you can get your work done on the go. If you can live without Thunderbolt and a webcam, the G14 checks just about every other ‘ultra-portable’ box, without sacrificing performance.

Speaking of which…

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Performance benchmarks

Despite its small size, the Zephyrus G14 is one of the fastest photo and video editing laptops on the market.

What really makes the ASUS Zephyrus G14 special is just how powerful it is given its size and weight. This is down to the magic of the AMD Ryzen processor inside, which is built on AMD’s Zen 3 architecture and practically sips wattage compared to most of Intel’s chips.

This is why ASUS chose AMD for this 14-inch laptop, why Razer chose AMD for their 14-inch Blade, and why we expect to see Ryzen PCs and M1 Macs practically take over the ‘powerful-but-portable’ category for at least the next year or two. Intel’s latest 11th-geneneration H-series laptop CPUs are more efficient than 10th-gen, but they still soak up a lot more wattage to generate those results.

For this round of performance benchmarks, we tested the M1 Mac mini, an Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro, the AMD Ryzen-based Razer Blade 14 and the ASUS Zephyrus G14. Full specs below:

Zephyrus G14 13-inch MBP M1 Mac mini Blade 14
CPU AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS Intel Core i7-1068NG7 Apple Silicon M1 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
GPU

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM

Intel Iris Plus Graphics

Apple Silicon M1 8-core

NVIDIA RTX 3070

8GB VRAM

RAM

32GB DDR4

3200MHz

32GB LPDDR4X

3733MHz

16GB Unified Memory

16GB DDR4

3200MHz

Storage 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD 2TB NVMe SSD 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display

14-inch 120Hz WQHD IPS LCD

100% DCI-P3

13-inch Retina Display

100% Display P3

N/A

14-inch 165Hz QHD IPS LCD

100% DCI-P3

Price

$ 2,000 $ 3,600 $ 1,700 $ 2,200
Price w/ 1TB of Storage $ 2,000 $ 2,600 $ 1,300 $ 2,200

Unfortunately we did not have an M1 MacBook Pro on hand to do a side-by-side comparison, but the internals of the M1 Mac mini and the internals of the M1 MacBook Pro are identical, so the results should be interchangeable. As usual, we tested Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Capture One 21 using the suite of tests described here.

All tests were run a minimum of three times in a row, with the laptops plugged in, fully charged, and set to their maximum Turbo/Performance settings.

Lightroom Classic

Import and preview generation in Lightroom Classic is based entirely on CPU performance, RAM amount and RAM speed. Each of these machines has a different combination of these factors, and the ASUS Zephyrus G14 and M1 Mac mini end up trading blows at the top of the import table thanks to the stellar performance of their respective CPUs and the Mac’s fast unified memory architecture.

Despite having an ever-so-slightly more powerful CPU than the ASUS, the Razer Blade 14 falls to last place because of its 16GB RAM limitation, while the Intel-based MacBook Pro sits somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Canon EOS R6 Import Nikon Z7 II Import Sony a7R IV Import Fuji GFX 100 Import
ASUS G14 1:38 2:59 3:30 7:35
Blade 14 2:07 4:16 4:58 12:30
M1 Mac mini 1:44 2:54 3:03 8:51
MacBook Pro 2:22 3:42 4:02 10:12

It’s a similar story when we try exporting heavily edited 100% JPEGs, but now that there are more pixels to move around, the ASUS G14 wins every single category.

As resolution increases and file sizes get larger, the Blade 14 and M1 Mac mini fall way behind the rest of the pack, held back by the maximum 16GB of RAM available to them. By the time we get to the 100MP Fuji GFX 100 files, the ASUS G14 is more than 15 minutes faster than both the M1 Mac mini and the Blade 14, but only about 3 minutes faster than the two-year-old MacBook Pro.

These results show you just how RAM dependent Lightroom Classic exporting really is. The more RAM, and the faster your RAM, the better your performance… even if you’re running an older processor and no discrete GPU:

Canon EOS R6 Export Nikon Z7 II Export Sony a7R IV Export Fuji GFX 100 Export
ASUS G14 3:58 8:55 11:41 23:40
Blade 14 5:30 14:40 20:46 40:02
M1 Mac mini 4:06 9:21 15:04 38:44
MacBook Pro 5:55 12:01 15:35 26:46

Capture One 21

Capture One 21 is a whole different animal. As we showed in our recent head-to-head comparison between Capture One and Lightroom Classic, C1 is less dependent on RAM speed and better optimized to take advantage of powerful GPUs through hardware acceleration.

At import, CPU performance is still the most important factor, and the ASUS G14, Blade 14, and M1 Mac mini are within spitting distance of each other, while the MacBook Pro and its weaker 10th-gen Intel processor falls further and further behind as file sizes increase.

Canon EOS R6 Import Nikon Z7 II Import Sony a7R IV Import Fuji GFX 100 Import
ASUS G14 00:40 00:59 1:12 1:50
Blade 14 00:40 00:59 1:14 1:50
M1 Mac mini 00:45 00:53 1:00 1:22
MacBook Pro 00:47 1:42 2:12 3:12

At export, the Zephyrus G14 uses its combination of a fast CPU, fast GPU, and 32GB of RAM to (once again) sweep every single category. None of the other computers could keep up.

The Razer Blade 14 only fell a little bit behind the ASUS, but by the time we get to the largest files the M1 Mac mini is more than 10 minutes slower than the Zephyrus G14, and the Intel-based MacBook Pro was another 10 minutes slower than that – a full 20 minutes and 45 seconds slower than the ASUS G14.

If you own an Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro (as I do) this is not a pretty graph.

Canon EOS R6 Export Nikon Z7 II Export Sony a7R IV Export Fuji GFX 100 Export
ASUS G14 1:35 3:12 3:50 6:53
Blade 14 1:48 3:47 4:47 7:46
M1 Mac mini 2:53 7:02 8:49 17:20
MacBook Pro 4:57 12:50 16:18 27:38

Photoshop

When we ran the Pugetbench benchmark for Photoshop, the ASUS G14 came incredibly close to beating the impressive overall score put up by the M1 Mac mini, and did manage to beat the Mac in both the GPU and Filter categories.

However, this result requires a bit of context.

Presumably due to their ultra-fast unified memory, M1 Macs are able to merge panoramas much faster than any PC we’ve tested (at least in Photoshop), but the high overall score is disproportionately affected by that one factor. It’s like an Olympian winning the decathlon by coming in the middle of the pack in 9 events, and then pole vaulting twice as high as anybody else.

In most of the individual tasks that the benchmark performs, the ASUS G14 is as fast or faster than the Mac, which is reflected in the high General, GPU, and Filter score. I only really loses the ‘overall’ battle because of its lower PhotoMerge score.

Overall General GPU Filter PhotoMerge
ASUS G14 973.6 99.0 97.3 86.9 115.0
Blade 14 835.6 85.6 88.8 67.3 111.9
M1 Mac mini 1017.8 99.4 81.2 82.9 144.2
MacBook Pro 597.7 65.4 32.6 52.8 62.6

Premiere Pro

Our final tests involve Adobe Premiere Pro. Unlike most other Adobe CC apps, Premiere is well optimized to take advantage of the NVIDIA GPUs in both the Razer Blade 14 and the ASUS Zephyrus G14 through ‘CUDA’ hardware acceleration. It’s also able to take advantage of ‘Metal’ hardware acceleration on the M1 Mac mini.

This fact alone puts these three computers in a league of their own, and leaves my poor little Intel-based MacBook Pro trailing way behind the rest of the pack in every video encoding task we tried.

The Zephyrus G14 steals the show here, putting up the fastest times in all but one category despite stiff competition from both the Razer Blade 14 and M1 Mac mini. Using our Sony a1 test video, the G14 rendered and exported the full Premier Pro project 1 to 2 minutes faster than either the Blade or the Mac mini, and a whopping 18 to 20 minutes faster than the MacBook Pro.

This result, more than any others, shows the potential of GPU hardware acceleration. Properly implemented, it can produce massive performance gains.

Render All Export Master File Export H.264 Export H.265/HEVC Warp Stabilize
ASUS G14 6:40 00:15 6:06 5:59 2:33
Blade 14 8:50 00:41 8:12 8:06 3:13
M1 Mac mini 7:32 00:18 7:30 7:19 2:13
MacBook Pro 25:53 00:37 26:12 25:09 2:36

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Takeaways

Normally, this is the part of the review where I would list a few interesting takeaways based on the strengths and weaknesses that I noticed while running our benchmarks. But the ASUS does so well across the board that I don’t really have much to say other than: wow.

The ASUS Zephyrus G14 is an extremely capable photo and video editing machine – far more capable than you would guess given its small size. Thanks in large part to the power-efficient AMD CPU, ASUS has created a little monster that packs more punch than any other ‘ultra-portable’ PC laptop on the market, including the similarly specced Razer Blade 14 and, presumably, the M1 MacBook Pro (based on our M1 Mac mini results).

ASUS has created a little monster that packs more punch than any other ‘ultra-portable’ PC laptop on the market.

From a performance standpoint, ASUS basically didn’t have to cut any corners; as a result, we get a $ 2,000 14-inch laptop that easily outperforms $ 3,000+ Intel-based PCs from less than a year ago and gives the Apple Silicon M1 some honest to goodness competition in this size and price bracket.

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Conclusion

What We Like What We Don’t Like
  • Exceptional performance
  • Color-accurate WQHD display
  • Small and portable
  • Good variety of ports
  • Great battery life
  • Affordable
  • No Thunderbolt Support
  • No SD card slot
  • No webcam
  • Small trackpad
  • The AniMe Matrix is a neat-but-useless gimmick

It’s hard to find fault with the 2021 ASUS Zephyrus G14. It already offers most of what ‘creators’ are hoping to see from the rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro: it’s a small, portable, efficient laptop that delivers professional-grade performance in creative applications, including GPU accelerated tasks.

All of this for an extremely reasonable price and without some of the Apple-specific downsides that we’ve gotten used to: the lack of user-upgradable storage, the lack of ports, and occasional compatibility issues (especially with ARM-based M1 Macs).

The 2021 ASUS Zephyrus G14 a small, portable, efficient laptop that delivers professional-grade performance in creative applications.

The only real downside for creatives is the lack of Thunderbolt support – a must for some specialized equipment – and the computer’s focus on certain gaming-specific specs and design elements. Personally, I’d rather have a more power-efficient WQHD display that’s limited to 60Hz or a more affordable Full HD option that covers 100% DCI-P3, and the ‘AniMe Matrix’ feature is nothing more than a party trick that sucks up battery if you forget to turn it off.

Sure, this little gaming laptop can’t match the top-shelf build quality and clean design of brands like Apple, Razer, Microsoft, and even Dell – which is basically the only reason I can’t give the computer a full 5 stars – but if you’re looking for the ultimate ultra-portable PC laptop with the fewest trade-offs and the best performance, the ASUS Zephyrus G14 is the way to go.

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Asus takes on Apple’s Pro Display XDR with new 1600-nit HDR ProArt Display

06 Sep

Asus has shown a series of new ProArt products at the IFA show in Berlin including what it describes as ‘the world’s first HDR 1600 and 120Hz variable-refresh rate professional display.’ The ProArt Display PA32UCG is a 32in monitor with 4K UHD resolution and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and is aimed at those who need absolute color accuracy in standard and high dynamic range modes. The display is compatible with the Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma and HDR10 HDR standards and uses over 1000 mini LED back lights to produce a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits.

This Asus display could be out before Apple’s Pro Display XDR goes on sale. Both displays are 32in and offer a maximum brightness of 1600 nits, HDR and 10-bit color, but Apple’s model has 6K resolution whereas this one is limited to 4K. The Asus ProArt Display, however, has a faster refresh rate than Apple’s 60Hz – and is likely to cost less. A stand is also included with Asus’ monitor.

The display has built-in hardware calibration and with 10-bit color it supports the DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, sRGB, Rec. 709 and Rec. 2020 color spaces. It offers 2x Thunderbolt ports as well as DisplayPort, 3x HDMI and a USB hub.

Asus also announced the ProArt StudioBook One, the first laptop to use the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 graphics card. Asus describes as the computer as the world’s most graphically powerful laptop.’ An Intel i9 processor and new cooling system help with intensive video editing of up to 8K resolution. Asus has placed the CPU and GPU behind the display to avoid heat being trapped in the base, and has created a vent in the lid that allows two fans to draw in air to keep the main components cool.

The display in the laptop is a ProArt model, featuring 4K UHD resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and the ability to reproduce 100% of the Adobe RGB color space.

No pricing or availability dates has been released yet. More information can be found on these and the other products launched today in the press release below and on the Asus website.

You can also watch the full IFA presentation in the video below

Extract from the press release

{pressrelease}

ASUS ProArt lineup for content creation

Since the launch of the first ProArt display in 2011, ASUS has been committed to meeting the specific needs of professional content creators and has been recognized with over 400 industry awards. The content-creator market is expanding at a rapid pace and there are now more than 200 million PC-based creators worldwide, according to Intel research[1].

To meet the evolving needs of professional workflows in traditional content-creation fields, such as photography and videography, as well as provide new solutions for 3D designers, game developers and professionals in other creative disciplines, ASUS is introducing a brand-new lineup of ProArt products. Designed as a complete digital solution for content creation, these new ProArt devices deliver absolute precision for original imagination, extreme performance for unstoppable creation, versatile connectivity for seamless speed and promised stability for proven reliability. This new ProArt lineup represents the foundation of a comprehensive content-creation solution that will continue to grow with innovative new products designed to be the best companions for creators.

The complete lineup of ProArt StudioBooks takes advantage of NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ GPU capabilities, including realtime ray tracing and AI acceleration, catering to the needs of content creators and meeting the stringent requirements of the NVIDIA RTX Studio program. RTX Studio laptops are precision crafted to deliver dramatic improvements in productivity and performance across everyday creative apps. In addition to the flagship ProArt StudioBook One and ProArt StudioBook Pro X, the series also includes ProArt StudioBook Pro 17/15 and ProArt StudioBook 17/15 with both Quadro® and GeForce GPU options and all featuring Windows 10.

“With ProArt, ASUS has always been dedicated to delivering precision tools that empower creative professionals to do their best work,” said Mr. Samson Hu, ASUS Co-CEO. “I’m thrilled to be at IFA 2019 to announce our all-new, expanded ProArt lineup that takes our dedication to a new level, equipping more creative professionals than ever with a complete digital solution that enables them to achieve their artistic visions.”

“Content creators are more mobile than ever and must keep up with tight deadlines and complex workflows,” said Bob Pette, vice president of professional visualization at NVIDIA. “The latest ASUS ProArt lineup, punctuated by the world’s fastest laptop, carries the RTX Studio badge and is powered by NVIDIA RTX GPUs. They deliver high-end desktop performance and portability, so artists and designers can visualize and create their best work faster than before.”

The spark of inspiration can ignite at any time and content creators need a trusted, professional platform that matches the way they work and gives them the power to realize their creative vision. ProArt is inspired by creative professionals. It is designed with precision to go above and beyond the exacting standards professionals demand in order to provide immersive tools that support the creative process to bring the best ideas to life.

Together with the announcement of the new ProArt lineup, ASUS is launching the I am ProArtist campaign. Creators can submit their best 2D or 3D digital artwork or an original film clip for a chance to win ProArt products, including ProArt Display PA27AC, ProArt Display PA32UC, ProArt Station PA90, ProArt StudioBook Pro 17 and Mini PC PB60G. Full details are available at the campaign website: https://www.asus-campaign.com/iamproartist/

ProArt StudioBook One
ProArt StudioBook One is the most powerful StudioBook ever. Carrying the RTX Studio badge, the first laptop to feature NVIDIA Quadro® RTX™ 6000 graphics is the world’s most graphically powerful laptop. It is powered by the latest 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 processors, which deliver single and multi-threaded performance that enables creatives to tackle compute-intensive tasks and do the most with the software crucial to their workflows. NVIDIA Quadro RTX graphics provides users with more CUDA, RT, and Tensor cores, enabling rendering of animations, 8K video editing and data calculations to be handled more smoothly and efficiently.

ProArt StudioBook One has a powerful cooling system featuring a lightweight aerospace grade titanium alloy thermal module designed to optimize inlet and exhaust flow. When the lid is opened, the hinge tilts the chassis by 4.57° to maximize the inflow of cool air into the chassis. Heat-generating components, including the CPU, GPU, and thermal systems are placed behind the display to ensure comfortable use, even when placed on the user’s lap.

The 4K UHD PANTONE® Validated display on ProArt StudioBook One is truly amazing, boasting a superfast 120Hz refresh rate and edge to edge glass that sits flush with the bezels. Its 84% screen-to-body ratio provides immersive visuals, while the display’s wide 100% Adobe RGB gamut and Delta-E < 1 rating ensure exceptional color reproduction and accuracy.

For creatives, software is key. That’s why ASUS tests and invests in comprehensive Independent Software Vendor (ISV) certification processes to ensure the very best experience with professional software applications.

ProArt StudioBook Pro X
ProArt StudioBook Pro X is the first NVIDIA Quadro-powered laptop to feature ASUS ScreenPad 2.0 and the four-sided ASUS NanoEdge display. The innovative display design provides a 92% screen-to-body ratio and 16:10 aspect ratio for immersive visuals. ProArt StudioBook Pro X also supports an exceptionally wide color gamut with 97% DCI-P3 color space coverage and delivers high color-accuracy.

With ProArt StudioBook Pro X, users can edit and render multilayered files with professional-grade NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 graphics, optimized for stability and performance with professional software apps. It is powered by an Intel Xeon® or 9th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with six cores designed with the optimal combination of high frequency and threads to handle complex, multithreaded applications. CPU-attached Raid 0 ensures the fastest possible storage performance, with speeds of up to 6 GBps compared to the typical 4 GBps[2]. Additionally, ProArt StudioBook Pro X is designed to operate at full load without the need to throttle the speed of the CPU or GPU, making it outstandingly reliable for even the toughest workloads.

ProArt StudioBook Pro X is the first in the series to feature ScreenPad 2.0. This interactive secondary touchscreen upgrades the traditional laptop experience, providing users with an intuitive smartphone-like interface on which they can easily manage tasks and create their own seamless multitasking workflow.

The compact dimensions of this 17-inch laptop is comparable to that of many 15-inch laptops, slipping easily into a briefcase or messenger bag for professional grade graphics on the go. It looks good, too with a classy Star Grey finish with rose gold highlights.

ProArt Station D940MX
ProArt Station D940MX is a compact workstation-grade desktop designed for content creators and media professionals Featuring an 8-liter chassis, it is one of the smallest desktops available yet delivers incredible performance with a dual-sided logic board to house its powerful CPU, GPU and memory. It is powered by a 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 processor with up to 64GB DDR4 2666MHz memory, NVIDIA® Quadro RTX™ 4000 or NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 2080 Ti graphics, dual storage with a 512GB PCIe® SSD and 1TB HDD, and ultrafast connectivity, including dual Thunderbolt™ 3 ports on the front panel.

In addition to its compact size, ProArt Station D940MX has a stylish, modern design with unique touches especially for content creators, including an LED indicator at the bottom of the chassis to reflect the current status of the PC. Users can take a break and step away from ProArt Station D940MX when rendering graphics, simply glancing at the LEDs to check whether the process is done.

ProArt Station D940MX uses an advanced hybrid thermal system to cope with the heat buildup within the confines of its compact chassis. The system incorporates a 2D vapor chamber and heat pipes to lower overall internal temperatures by up to 6.8°C. Quad fans situated in different zones of the chassis help dissipate heat quickly, including an auxiliary fan on the hard drive, which increases airflow by up to 9% to ensure stable data performance.

Despite its powerful cooling system, ProArt Station D940MX operates silently, generating less than 19 dB of noise at idle, and up to 37 dB at full load, allowing users to work without distractions and not worry about the hum of cooling fans in the background when streaming or recording. Designed for the demanding needs of content creators, ProArt Station D940MX meets strict military-grade MIL STD 810G durability standards to ensure reliable long-term performance.

ProArt Display PA32UCG
ASUS ProArt Display PA32UCG is the world’s first HDR 1600 and 120Hz variable-refresh rate professional display. It features 4K UHD resolution and mini LED backlighting that delivers industry leading brightness and color performance for the critical visual workflows of filmmakers, broadcasters and game developers. ProArt Display PA32UCG is VESA pre-certified for DisplayHDR 1400, the industry’s latest and highest standard of HDR performance.

Featuring 1,152 individual mini LED backlights with local dimming that enable 1,000 nits of full-screen sustained brightness, 1,600 nits of peak brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, ProArt Display PA32UCG delivers exceptional high-dynamic range (HDR) performance and supports all major HDR standards, including Dolby Vision®, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) and HDR10.

ProArt Display PA32UCG also features quantum-dot technology, enabling it to display a wide color gamut with DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, sRGB, Rec. 709 and Rec. 2020 color space support. With true 10-bit color depth and a three-level factory color pre-calibration process, ProArt Display PA32UCG delivers incredibly accurate color (Delta-E < 1) out of the box, and built-in ProArt Hardware Calibration technology with color profile write-back to the display ensures continuous accuracy for dependable ongoing performance.

Adaptive-Sync enables a 48–120Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) that eliminates visual smearing, tearing and motion blur, making ProArt Display PA32UCG a welcome addition to game-development workflows. Additionally, the display offers rich connectivity with two Thunderbolt™ 3, one DisplayPort and three HDMI ports as well as a built-in USB hub, enabling content creators to connect a wide variety of devices and enjoy ultrafast transfer speeds with external storage.

ProArt Creator Center
The ProArt Creator Center app delivers the optimal creation experience across all ProArt devices, enabling color calibration, performance optimization and synchronization. It lets users calibrate the display of their devices at any time and sync visual settings with connected ProArt devices. ProArt Creator Center also enables easy monitoring and optimization of system performance during production and even frees users from having to wait at their machine during rendering by letting them monitor progress on their smartphone or other mobile device.

{/pressrelease}

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: The Asus ZenFone 6 flip-camera module is more durable than you might think

21 Jun

The Asus ZenFone 6 comes with a rotating camera module that does away with the display notch and means there is no requirement for a front camera, as the main module can simply be rotated to point towards the front when required.

Asus says the camera module housing is extremely durable and the flip mechanism has been tested for 100,000 actuations. It also closes automatically when a drop is detected.

If this still isn’t enough to convince you that there’s no need to worry about the camera module’s durability, watch the video above. Zack from Youtube channel JerryRigEverything demonstrates how much abuse the ZenFone 6, and specifically its camera, can take…and it’s a lot.

Be warned though, the video does not make for easy watching. Zack pushes and pulls the rotating module, twists the hinges and even sellotapes various items to it in order to see how much weight the motor can lift.

The good news is that the Asus withstands all the abuse without any issues and motor, gears and the entire flip-mechanism keep working perfectly. In the video, you can also see the display and housing scratched and heated but most of the camera torture happens right at the beginning and from 5:17 in the clip.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The Asus Zenbook Pro Duo features a secondary 4K touch-display

28 May

With an Intel i9 processor, up to 32GB RAM and an Nvidia RTX2060 GPU the latest model the Zenbook Duo Pro’s spec sheet makes for some impressive reading. However, the device’s real highlight is the secondary 4K touch-display that sits above the keyboard.

The ScreenPad Plus as Asus calls it, measures 14″ and comes with a 32:9 aspect ratio and 3840×1100 resolution. Asus says the IPS display offers a 178-degree angle of view.

This is potentially a very useful feature for photographers, video editors and other content creators who can display the editing window on the main screen and use the secondary display for tool bars, time-lines, thumbnail previews and similar items. Image retouchers can display a zoomed-in section on the smaller display while showing the full image on the big screen.

The package also includes an Asus Pen as well as a palm rest. Next to the keyboard you find the trackpad that can be turned into a numeric pad.

The main 4K OLED display is also of the touch-variant, measures 15.4″ and is capable of displaying 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut.

Alternatively to the an 8-core 2.4Ghz 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9980HK processor you can choose a 6-core2.6Ghz Intel Core i7-9750H. RAM options range from 8 to 32GB. There’s also an Nvidia GeForce RTX2060 GPUwith 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage.

Connectivity options include a full sized HDMI output for external displays, a Thunderbolt 3 Type-C USB socket and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB sockets as well as 3.5mm audio jack. At 2.5kg (5.51lbs) the Zenbook Pro Duo is not the lightest but the secondary screen should make more than up for the weight if you are image or video editing on the road.

No information on pricing or availability has been released yet but the ZenBook Pro Duo is expected to be released at some point during Q3 2019. More information is available on the Asus website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Asus ZenFone 6 features rotating camera module

17 May

Asus has revealed its latest its latest high-end device, the ZenFone 6, and the new model comes with quite a unique design feature: a rotating camera module. This means there is no requirement for a front camera (and therefore no display notch), as the main module can simply be rotated to point towards the front.

It also means you get rear camera image quality when taking selfie images or recording selfie videos, which could be a real bonus for some users. The rotation angle of the module can be adjusted via the camera app, so the feature is also useful for capturing subjects that are located further down or higher up.

Asus says the camera module housing is made with Liquidmetal technology that is 4x stronger than stainless steel but lighter. It has been tested for 100,000 actuations and closes automatically when a drop is detected. In addition, the rotation mechanism can be used to automate panorama panning or to help with motion tracking to keep your subject in frame.

Inside the rotating module Asus has implemented a 48MP Sony IMX586 Quad-Bayer sensor that produces 12MP image output for a wide dynamic range and low noise. It is combined with an F1.8 aperture lens. There is also a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 125-degree field of view but, likely due to space constraints, no tele.

In video mode the camera can record 4K videos at 60fps with electronic image stabilization and like most recent high-end devices, the Asus also comes with a multi-frame-based night mode that offers better image quality in very low light.

Images can be viewed and composed on a 6.4” IPS LCD that covers 92% of the front. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 855 chipset and up to 8GB of RAM. Up to 256GB of storage is available and storage can be expandable via a microSD card. The 5,000mAh battery should provide plenty of usage time.

The ZenFone 6 will first be available in Europe for €500 (approximately $ 560). No information on pricing and availability in other regions has been released yet.

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The new ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 features a 100% Adobe RGB 4K display

23 May

ASUS has unveiled its new ZenBook Pro 15: a lightweight laptop that packs some seriously impressive specs, including a 4K factory-calibrated display and, despite its thin 18.9mm frame, up to an 8th-generation Intel Core i9-8950HK hexa-core processor.

The model offers excellent hardware options targeting video and photo professionals, in addition to gamers. The new ZenBook Pro 15 offers a 15.6-inch IPS multi-touch display in 1080p and 4K 3840 x 2160 resolutions, both of which feature 100% Adobe RGB color space and 95% NTSC color gamut, integrated ASUS Calibration, and the promise of “pin-sharp accuracy.”

If the Intel Core i9 chip—which is fairly uncommon in laptops—is a bit too rich for your blood, buyers can choose a quad-core Core i5 or six-core Core i7 processor instead. RAM can be customized to either 8GB or 16GB, and storage maxes out at 1TB SSD. Finally, graphics are delivered via an NVIDIA GTX 1050 with up to 4GB of GDDR5 memory, and a dual-fan cooling system with three heat pipes promises to efficiently keep the laptop cool during a heavy editing session.

Despite the high-end hardware, the company claims the model’s 71Wh battery coupled with “clever ASUS thermal engineering” results in a runtime of up to 9.5 hours per charge. The laptop also features fast charging for bringing the battery from 0 to 60% in 49 minutes.

Other key features include two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a microSD card slot, HDMI, two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, Harman Kardon audio, a NanoEdge ultra-slim bezel and aluminum unibody, silver keyboard backlight, integrated fingerprint sensor, and an overall weight of 1.86kg / 4.1lbs.

Though ASUS has unveiled the new ZenBook Pro 15, it hasn’t yet revealed the price. While we wait for that, you can learn lots more about the new laptop over on the ASUS website.

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Asus unveils ZenFone 5Z with wide-angle dual-cam and AI camera

28 Feb

Asus has been one of the last manufacturers to unveil their new devices at this year’s Mobile World Congress, but looking at the newly announced Zenfone 5Z, it seems the wait has been worthwhile.

The Taiwanese manufacturer’s new flagship model comes with premium specs all around, including Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipset Snapdragon 845 and an iPhone X-style almost bezel-less 6.2″ display with “camera notch” and FHD+ resolution. 8GB RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a 3,300 mAh battery complete an impressive spec sheet.

But the ZenFone 5Z is not only about processing power and big screens, it’s also got a lot to offer in the camera department. The main camera features a 12MP 1/2.55″ Sony IMX363 Sensor and a lens with 25mm equivalent focal length and fast F1.8 aperture.

3-axis optical image stabilization and Dual-Pixel AF are on board as well. In video mode, the Zenfone 5Z can record 4K footage at 30 frames per second, and the secondary camera comes with a 120-degree super-wide-angle lens and 8MP pixel count—similar to what we’ve seen on recent LG models such as the G6 or V30.

On the software side of things, the 5Z camera offers an HDR night mode and an AI-powered automatic scene mode selector that is capable of learning user preferences.

All of the aforementioned components are wrapped up in a sleek-looking glass-covered body, and if the ZenFone 5Z performs as well as it looks, it could be one of the most compelling smartphone options in 2018.

That’s especially true when considering its price point. In Europe, the Asus ZenFone 5Z will retail at 600 Euros (approximately $ 735 USD) which is a good chunk less expensive than similarly specced models from the more established competition.

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Asus ZenFone 4 Pro dual-cam comes with 2x zoom and portrait blur

18 Aug

Taiwanese manufacturer Asus is a pioneer in the area of smartphone zoom, and so it does not come as a surprise that its latest flagship model, the ZenFone 4 Pro, comes with a quite impressive looking dual-camera setup that offers 2x zoom capability.

The main sensor in the dual-camera is a 12MP 1/2.55″ Sony IMX362 that comes with large 1.4um pixels and sees the world through a fast F1.7 aperture and 4-axis optical image stabilization. In terms of autofocus, Asus bundles PDAF with laser-based time-of-flight technology for reliable performance in all light conditions.

The main camera also comes with a manual mode that allows for up to 32 second shutter speeds, and 120 fps slow-motion video at 1080p resolution in addition to a 4K mode. Finally, a super-resolution mode can create 48MP images out of four 12MP captures.

The secondary camera uses a smaller Sony IMX351 sensor with 1um pixels and a slower F2.6 aperture. The camera offers both 2x optical zoom and a background-blurring bokeh-effect, but the smaller sensor and a lack of OIS and PDAF in the tele-module probably means those modes are best reserved for bright-light shooting.

In the front camera you’ll find an 8MP Sony chip with 1.4um pixels and an F1.9 aperture, alongside other flagship-worthy specifications: the Android OS is powered by a Snapdragon 835 chipset, images can be viewed on a 5.5″ 1080p AMOLED display, and the phone is wrapped up in a glass-metal-glass sandwich design body.

Prices for the ZenFone 4 Pro start at $ 600.

Key Specifications:

  • Dual-cam with 2x zoom
  • Main camera with 12MP 1/2.55″ Sony IMX362 sensor, F1.7 aperture and 4-axis OIS
  • PDAF and laser AF
  • 4K video, 1080p slow-motion at 120 fps
  • Tele camera with Sony IMX351 sensor with 1um pixels and F2.6 aperture
  • 8MP / F1.9 front camera
  • Snapdragon 835 chipset
  • 5.5″ 1080p AMOLED display
  • up to 6GB RAM
  • up to 128GB internal storage
  • microSD support

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Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom features dual-cam with 2.3x zoom

09 Jan

Last year’s Asus Zenfone Zoom was one of very few smartphones to feature a conventional style 3x zoom lens. The downside to that was a slightly thicker than usual device and at F4.8 a very slow aperture at the tele end, for smartphone standards. 

On the new Zenfone 3 Zoom, just announced at CES in Las Vegas, Asus has changed strategies and opted for an iPhone 7 Plus style dual-cam. The Zenfone 3 Zoom offers the usual ‘bokeh-effect,’ and similar to the Apple device comes with a ‘tele’ lens that offers a 59mm equivalent focal length next to a 25mm wide angle. Both modules come with a 12MP image resolution. On the wide angle image data is captured on a 1/2.55″ Sony IMX362 sensor with 1.4 µm pixel size, F1.7 aperture and optical image stabilization. The longer lens has an F2.8 aperture but sensor specifications have not been revealed yet. It’s fair to assume the chip will be smaller than the one in the wide angle module, though. 

The camera also comes with phase detection and laser assistance in the AF system, a dual-LED flash and 4K video recording. Other specifications include a 5.5″ inch 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 5, a Snapdragon 625 chipset and a huge 5,000 mAh battery. At 7.83mm the Zenfone 3 Zoom is considerably thinner than its predecessor and could be the first real Android alternative to the iPhone 7 Plus. It will become available in February at which point Asus will hopefully also reveal complete camera specifications.

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Asus announces Zenfone 3 Deluxe with stabilized 23MP camera

31 May

Asus has launched three new models in its Zenfone line, out of which the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is arguably the most interesting to mobile photographers. It comes with an impressive camera spec sheet that includes a 23MP 1/2.6-inch Sony IMX 318 sensor, F2.0 aperture, 4-axis optical image stabilization, electronic video stabilization in video mode and an AF-system that combines contrast-detect, phase-detect and laser technologies. At the front there is an 8MP sensor with F2.0 aperture but video shooters will have to make do without a 4K mode. 

Under the hood the Android OS is powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset and up to an enormous 6GB of RAM. Storage ranges from 32 to 128GB and is expandable via a microSD slot. A fingerprint reader, 3,000mAh battery with QuickCharge technology and a Type-C USB connector are all features you would expect on a current flagship device although the 1080p resolution of the 5.7-inch display cannot quite keep up with the Quad-HD displays of most competitors. All the technology is nicely wrapped up in a full aluminum unibody with “invisible” antenna lines that don’t disturb the overall design language. 

Along with the Zenfone 3 Deluxe Asus has also launched the standard Zenfone 3 that comes with a less powerful chipset, a smaller 5.5-inch display and a 16MP camera. The Ultra model ups the screen size to a massive 6.8-inches and features the same camera as the Deluxe. No information on availability has been released yet but the Zenfone 3 will cost you US249, the Ultra will set you back $ 479 and the Deluxe is the most expensive new model at $ 499.


Press release:

Taipei, Taiwan (30th May, 2016) — ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih took the stage today during the Zenvolution press event at Computex 2016 to unveil Zenbo, the first ASUS robot, along with a stunning portfolio of third-generation mobile products designed to provide users with revolutionary functionality for pursuing their passions. The incredible line-up includes the all-new ZenFone 3 family, featuring ZenFone 3 Deluxe, the new flagship ASUS smartphone with advanced camera technology that takes mobile photography to the next level; ZenFone 3, a feature-packed smartphone that brings premium design and empowering performance to users; and ZenFone 3 Ultra, an incredibly powerful smartphone with a 6.8-inch Full HD display that excels at entertainment. Also announced were ZenBook 3, an ultra-sleek and lightweight notebook with a premium aluminum design, along with ASUS Transformer 3 and ASUS Transformer 3 Pro, the world’s most versatile PCs that feature an unrivalled combination of mobility, convenience, and expandability.

While revealing ASUS Zenbo, Chairman Shih said, “For decades, humans have dreamed of owning such a companion: one that is smart, dear to our hearts, and always at our disposal. Our ambition is to enable robotic computing for every household.”

Joining Mr. Shih on stage, Intel’s Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Client Computing Group, Navin Shenoy said, “For nearly thirty years, Intel and ASUS have been collaborating to bring some of the most innovative PCs and devices to market. We are excited to continue that collaboration on the new ZenBook and Transformer 3 family powered by Intel Core processors, and we look forward to working closely with ASUS on expanding beyond traditional clients into new, emerging markets like robotics.”

ASUS Zenbo, the ZenFone 3 Series, the ASUS Transformer 3 Series, and a line-up of other all-new ASUS products are on display at the ASUS showroom at the Nangang Exhibition Hall at Taipei World Trade Center. Visitors to Computex 2016 are invited to visit the showroom to experience the revolutionary functionality of these latest ASUS innovations for themselves.

ZenFone 3 Deluxe — World’s First Full-Metal Smartphone with Invisible Antenna Design

ZenFone 3 Deluxe is the flagship model of the ZenFone 3 family and the ultimate expression of ASUS smartphone design. It is constructed with a strong and light aluminum alloy unibody, and has a rear surface free of unsightly antenna lines and an ultra-thin 4.2mm edge.

ZenFone 3 Deluxe features a 5.7-inch Full HD (1920 by 1080) Super AMOLED display with a gamut of over 100% NTSC color space for rich, vibrant colors, even in harsh, outdoor lighting. An ultra-thin bezel gives ZenFone 3 Deluxe a 79% screen-to-body ratio for a maximized display in a compact package. Inside, ZenFone 3 Deluxe has a powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 Series processor, Adreno™ 530 GPU, and integrated X12 LTE modem, as well as up to 6GB RAM to deliver the best performance and fast connectivity for demanding apps, games, and media.

ZenFone 3 Deluxe raises the bar for mobile photography with its incredible 23MP camera featuring the latest Sony IMX318 image sensor, a large f/2.0 aperture lens, and 4-axis optical image stabilization for high-resolution, blur-free, and low-noise photos in almost any lighting condition. It also features 3-axis electronic image stabilization for steady 4K UHD videos. Coupled with an ASUS TriTech autofocus system that automatically selects 2nd generation laser, phase detection, or continuous autofocus to provide accurate and nearly instant 0.03-second focusing and subject tracking, as well as exclusive PixelMaster 3.0 technology, ZenFone 3 Deluxe captures truly stunning photos and videos.

ZenFone 3 Deluxe has a built-in fingerprint sensor that’s perfectly positioned on the rear of the phone to sit underneath the user’s finger and unlocks the phone in just a fraction of a second. Quick Charge 3.0 technology reduces battery recharge times and a reversible USB 3.0 Type-C port that makes connecting charging and accessory cables effortless.

ZenFone 3 Deluxe also excels at audio with its powerful five-magnet speaker and NXP smart amplifier that provides clear, defined sound and also protects the speakers from damage. When listening over certified headphones, users can enjoy Hi-Res Audio (HRA) that provides up four-times-better sound quality than CDs. 

ZenFone 3 — Agility, Beauty, and Clarity

Winner of a Computex 2016 d&i Award, ZenFone 3 is a feature-packed smartphone that brings premium design and empowering performance to everyone. Built around a gorgeous 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 by 1080) Super IPS+ display with up to 500cd/m2 brightness, ZenFone 3 delivers an incredible visual experience that makes apps, videos, and games look their best. With a narrow bezel, ZenFone 3 provides a 77.3% screen-to-body ratio for a maximized viewing area in a slim and compact body. The front and rear of the phone are encased with scratch-resistant 2.5D Corning® Gorilla® Glass that gently curves to make the edge of the phone completely smooth.

ZenFone 3 is equipped with a 16MP camera with ASUS TriTech autofocus that automatically selects 2nd generation laser, phase detection and continuous auto focus to achieve precise focus in just 0.03 seconds, resulting in sharp images in any condition.

ZenFone 3 is the first smartphone worldwide to be powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa?core processor — the first Snapdragon 600 Series processor with 14nm FinFET process technology, an integrated X9 LTE modem, and 802.11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi connectivity — PC-grade graphics and up to 4GB RAM that together deliver outstanding mobile performance with improved efficiency and battery life. ZenFone 3 has a built-in fingerprint sensor that’s perfectly positioned on the rear of the phone to sit underneath the user’s finger and unlocks the phone in just a fraction of a second. 

ZenFone 3 Ultra — Unleashed, Unlimited, and Unrivaled

Winner of a Computex 2016 Best Choice Golden Award, ZenFone 3 Ultra is a smartphone designed for multimedia lovers, featuring a 6.8-inch Full HD (1920 by 1080) display with a 95% NTSC color gamut for rich, vibrant images even outdoors in harsh lighting. It is the world’s first smartphone to have ASUS-exclusive Tru2Life+ Video technology, which harnesses a high-end 4K UHD TV-grade image processor to optimize every pixel in each frame before it is displayed, resulting in superior contrast and clarity. ZenFone 3 Ultra also excels at audio with its two new powerful five-magnet stereo speakers and a NXP smart amplifier that provides clear, defined sound and protects the speakers from damage. When listening over certified headphones, users can enjoy Hi-Res Audio (HRA) that provides up to four-times-better sound quality than CDs and the world’s first smartphone with virtual 7.1-channel surround sound with DTS Headphone:X.

Like ZenFone 3 Deluxe, ZenFone 3 Ultra has an incredibly slim and elegant full-metal unibody chassis — the world’s first to have no antenna lines. An ultra slim bezel gives ZenFone 3 Ultra a 79% screen-to-body ratio, maximizing the viewing area while minimizing its overall size and weight. ZenFone 3 Ultra is equipped with the same high-resolution 23MP camera with ASUS TriTech autofocus system as ZenFone 3 Deluxe. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor, Adreno 510 graphics, and up to 4GB of RAM, ZenFone 3 Ultra delivers outstanding mobile performance. A built-in fingerprint sensor is perfectly positioned on the front of the phone beneath the user’s finger and unlocks the phone in just a fraction of a second.

ZenFone 3 Ultra also has a high-capacity 4600mAh battery for long-lasting performance and Quick Charge 3.0 technology for rapid recharge times. ZenFone 3 Ultra even works as a power bank with 1.5A output for quickly charging other mobile devices.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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