The annual Computex trade show has begun and Asus made some big announcements at its keynote event in Taipei. It unveiled a wide range of laptops and accessories, including a new ZenBook Pro Duo dual-screen notebook, ROG Strix XG17 portable gaming monitor, upgraded ZenBook with its ScreenPad 2.0, the ZenFone 6 Edition 30, and a limited-edition ZenBook Edition 30 crafted in leather and an 18K rose gold logo. The announcements are part of a big effort by Asus to bring more premium devices with top-of-the-line specifications to the market. Asus at Computex 2019: ZenBook Duo and ZenBook Pro Duo The ZenBook Duo and ZenBook Pro Duo have dual screens and top-of-the-line specifications. Both laptops have a second display right above the keyboard that improves multitasking and productivity. Out of the two, the ZenBook Pro Duo is a more premium model. The 15.6-inch variant features an OLED 3840 x 2160 as its primary display and a 14-inch 3840 x 1100 LCD secondary display. Meanwhile, the regular model has a 14-inch model with a Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCD display and a secondary 12.6-inch FHD panel. Also read: Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is a futuristic dual-screen laptop made for creators The machines are designed in such a way that it enhances productivity by utilising the secondary screen. Both laptops will allow you to run multiple apps across both screens simultaneously. The idea is to simply drag and drop any app to the second screen. Prices of the notebooks have not been announced, but don't expect them to be cheap. Expect the dual-screen notebooks to be available in Q3. Asus at Computex 2019: ROG Strix XG17 portable gaming monitor Always wanted to play League of Legends on a big screen while travelling? Asus' latest ROG Strix XG17 portable gaming monitor will make your wish come true. The ROG Strix XG17 is a portable gaming monitor that is equipped to run games at 240 frames per second (fps) at 1080p. The gaming monitor is designed to be used on the go, perhaps why it has a battery of its own which according to Asus will last three hours on a single charge. It comes with a smart case which allows users to use the monitor in either landscape or portrait mode. In future, Asus will introduce an accessory that lets you place the monitor above your laptop and use it as a secondary monitor. The ROG Strix XG17 includes two USB-C and a mini HDMI input, meaning the portable gaming monitor can work perfectly with smartphones, game consoles and even laptops. Aside from the ROG Strix XG17, Asus also unveiled the ZenScreen Touch - a 15.6-inch 1080p touchscreen portable monitor designed to be hooked to smartphones or laptops. It has a 7,800mAh battery and comes with a magnetic kickstand cover. No word on pricing yet, but the ZenScreen Touch is coming to the market next month. Asus at Computex 2019: Updated ZenBook 13, 14 and 15 Asus has updated the ZenBook with its all-new ScreenPad 2.0. If you recall, we have seen this unique secondary display on the ZenBook Pro 15, but it's been massively improved. The 5.65-inch 1080p touchscreen that doubles as a touchpad bring in a number of new changes. Asus says the battery life has been improved, as it's connected to the integrated graphics, not discrete graphics. Second, it can run apps downloaded apps from the Microsoft store. Otherwise, we are looking at the laptops with thin NanoEdge displays and premium chassis. The ZenBook 13, 14 and 15 will be available with up to an 8th Gen Core i7 CPU and up to 16GB of RAM. Also read: Asus working on a foldable laptop, but nothing soon Asus at Computex 2019: All-new VivoBooks Asus has also updated its affordable VivoBook lineup, this time with the ScreenPad 2.0. It's good to see that the secondary display is coming to VivoBooks which are pitched as an affordable alternative to the ZenBook. The colourful laptops feature Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia MX250 graphics, up to a 1TB of internal storage and Intel Wi-Fi 6. The new VivoBook S14 and S15 will be made available from mid-June 2019. Asus at Computex 2019: 30th anniversary Zenfone 6, ZenBook Asus is celebrating its 30th birthday this year with three limited-edition devices: ZenFone 6 Edition 30, ZenBook Edition 30 and Prime X299 Edition 30. The ZenFone 6 Edition 30 is a special edition smartphone that has a “Zen-inspired concentric circle” pattern on its matte black back along with an Edition 30 logo, 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. Otherwise, it is exactly the same device as the ZenFone 6. It has the same flip rotating dual camera system, a Snapdragon 855 processor and a 5,000mAh battery. Next up is the ZenBook Edition 30. This limited edition laptop with an 18 carat rose gold plated Asus logo and is made using an Italian leather on the lid. The luxury laptop will ship with an Intel 8th generation CPU, a Geforce MX250 discrete GPU, and all-white premium accessories. Then there is the new motherboard targeted at enthusiasts. A high-performance motherboard supports Intel Core X-series desktop chips, two M.2 slots with passive heat sinks, dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, and DisplayPort, Intel Gigabit Ethernet controller, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a 2-inch OLED display that can display system information such as temperature, voltage, clock speed or custom graphics. Disclaimer: The author is in Taipei on the invite of Asus India
