Asus Zenbook
Asus Zenbook Asus

Here’s a piece of good news for Asus Zenbook fans. The guys over at The Verge have got their hands on a spec sheet, according to which Asus’ Zenbook Ultrabooks are in for a major resolution revolution soon.

The 11.6-inch Zenbook UX21A and the 13.3-inch UX31A came as direct replacements for the UX21 and UX31, but are now set to be revamped. Both will feature new Intel Ivy Bridge processors, as well as matte In-Plane Switching – IPS – displays with a full HD resolution of 1080p. Without the upgrades, the regular display offers 1366 x 768 pixels on UX21 and 1600 x 900 pixels on UX31.

In-Plane Switching technology in LCD panels allows for better viewing angles and richer colors, which makes it a notable upgrade for the Zenbooks. Wide viewing angles are a huge plus for highly portable devices such as Ultrabooks and tablets, and Asus’ Zenbooks will be the first Ultrabooks to feature ISP displays. Only a few laptops currently sport ISP technology. Generally business notebooks such as HP’s EliteBook 8760w come with this feature.

When it comes to resolution, the higher pixel resolution is worth noting as well, particularly for the 11.6-inch screen of the UX21A. While most laptops and Ultrabooks sport 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, higher pixel resolution for the Zenbooks will mean less scrolling and sharper visuals. Such full HD displays may not compare to Apple’s Retina display for the new iPad, but they do make Zenbooks stand out compared to other Ultrabooks. The UX21A with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels is expected to pose a strong challenge to Apple’s MacBook Air.

Both the UX21A and the UX31A will have backlit keyboards, as well as Intel’s Wireless Display (WiDi), allowing users to wirelessly stream HD media from laptops to HDTVs. Other expected features include the full range Ivy Bridge processors, up to 256GB of internal storage and up to 4GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000 card and a SATA III SSD, an SDXC card reader, a micro HDMI-out and two USB 3.0 ports. As for connectivity, the Zenbooks will have Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and Intel’s Wireless Display media streaming. In addition, The Verge further reports that a 512GB SSD option may be under way as well.

The prices for the upgraded UX21A and UX31A will likely start from $1050 and $1100, respectively. Asus did not announce an official release date, but the upgraded Zenbooks are expected to become available as soon as other Ivy Bridge laptops start shipping.

(reported by Alexandra Burlacu, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)

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