UK Deal: Up your home security with this one-day sale on Arlo Pro 2 HD cams

Rely on the latest Arlo cams to keep an eye on on your home.

Arlo Pro 2 HD security cameras are reduced in price today at Amazon UK giving you a chance to make some significant savings while upgrading your home security. These cameras offer 1080p coverage of your home and even allow you to see what’s going on from your smartphone.

The second-gen Arlo Pro cameras works wirelessly or plugged in to power, are weather-resistant and outfitted with a rechargeable fast-charging battery. Each has two-way audio thanks to a built-in mic and speaker and you can even hook these cameras up to voice control systems like Alexa and Google Assistant. Your last 7 days of recordings are backed up by Arlo for free automatically and you can opt to back up your last 30 or 60 days’ worth of footage with a monthly subscription starting from £6.49.

The 2 Camera Kit, which comes with the necessary Base Station, is down to a record low price of £427.99 — that’s almost £150 off its usual price — and you can save even more if you buy the larger camera kits with the 4 Camera Kit offering over £200 off its last list price.

If you’re already invested in the Arlo system and just want to add a little more coverage, this deal is still for you as the individual add-on Cameras are also reduced in price to a new record low of £194.99.

For more UK deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter UK, sign up for the UK newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

See at Amazon UK

Sony Xperia XZ3 specifications

The phone arrives in October for $900 USD.

Sony’s latest phone looks very similar to its predecessor, but the Xperia XZ3 has some new tricks up its sleeve.

The Sony Xperia XZ3 has a curved OLED display, arrives in October for $900

As Sony does twice a year, it has updated its flagship Android phone, and the result is the Xperia XZ3. The hallmark features are what you’d expect from a purely iterative update, which comes six months after the overhauled design of the XZ2 line.

The star of the show is the new 6-inch OLED panel, which supports HDR and has a 2160×1080 resolution. The Gorilla Glass 5 curves Samsung-style to meet the new Series 7 aluminum body, and the bezels above and below the display are thinner than on the XZ2. Sony says the phone is just 5% bigger than the Xperia XZ2 but its screen provides 11% more viewing area.

Elsewhere, the design is largely unchanged from its predecessor, hewing closely to the organic, curved “Ambient Flow” language that has been divisive among Sony’s loyal followers. Internally, a larger 3330mAh battery is among the few spec improvements in then XZ3, which features the same 19MP MotionEye camera and 4K HDR capture as before. There is a new 13MP front-facing camera with a wider f/1.9 lens, if that interests you.

Sony’s improved the already-great S-Force front speakers on the XZ3, amping bass and treble response and increasing the overall volume by 20%. Expect a Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, along with Sony standards like IP68 water and dust resistance, plenty of audio codecs (and no headphone jack), the quirky Dynamic Vibration System, and Qi wireless charging.

Perhaps more interesting is that when the phone arrives on October 17 for $900, it will come with Android 9 Pie standard, along with a touch-sensitive side panel that facilitates a new quick settings menu called Side Sense. The Xperia XZ2 cost $800 when it debuted, but can be had for $700 today.

The Xperia XZ3 will be available for pre-order starting September 24, and will be sold at Amazon and Best Buy in the U.S. Pre-orders ship with a free pair of Sony’s unique Xperia Ear Duo headphones.

See at Sony

Grab RAVPower’s USB PD 5-port charging station for $20 today

This is an instant buy!

As part of a one-day sale, RAVPower is offering its USB PD 5-port charging hub for just $20.39, which is nearly 50% off its regular price. When it debuted earlier this year, it was priced at $46, and since then it’s only had a brief drop to $30 and has held steady at $40 ever since. It offers four USB ports and one USB-C PD port, making it a great accessory for your desk or nightstand to keep all of your devices charged.

Best of all? It’s small size and five-foot power cord make it a great travel companion as well so you aren’t hunting down outlets all over your hotel room.

There are built-in safeguards to prevent against overcharging, short-circuiting, overheating and more, and it has a maximum output of 60W total. The USB-C port can output 45W of power, which is enough to easily charge your MacBook, Windows PC, or even a Chromebook. RAVPower backs this with a lifetime warranty.

Looking for a more portable way to charge your devices while on the go? Check out this 26800mAh portable battery with PD for just $52 today!

See at Amazon

HTC U12 Life hands-on: Last chance at life

The HTC U12 Life feels like it was created from scratch. In a vacuum. It’s a peculiar device that’s a little difficult to pin down. It doesn’t share all that much in common with its predecessor the U11 Life, and not so much with its namesake the U12 Plus either. It does away with HTC staples like Edge Sense and Sense Companion – coming with what HTC calls “Light Sense” instead – leaving it feeling a little hollow inside.

Editor’s Pick

Android smartphones with the best battery life (July 2018)

Some people might think that the most important feature in a smartphone is its display size. Others believe it comes down to a phone’s processor performance, or the amount of RAM, or how much storage …Compared to the U11 Life, the HTC U12 Life ditches the IP rating, reintroduces the 3.5mm headphone jack, swaps out the display technology, decreases the selfie camera resolution and bumps the screen size significantly. It’s weird.

Let’s get into this HTC U12 Life hands-on, because there’s a fair bit that needs unpacking here.

The HTC U12 Life is what HTC calls rocket science. Coming up with a flagship phone that has the latest and greatest, at a high price? A piece of cake. Coming up with a mid-tier device that cuts just the right corners, while keeping enough people happy to appeal to the masses and show true value? That’s what HTC says is the hardest job of all.

The HTC U12 Life is a peculiar device that’s a little difficult to pin down.

So what corners have HTC cut, and have they got it right? Well, the big surprise is actually what they’ve added, rather than subtracted.

Display

The HTC U12 Life display measures 6.0 inches on the diagonal, compared to the 5.2-inch panel found on the U11 Life. The U12 Life features a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel, as opposed to the U11 Life’s IPS LCD. It’s all about reduced energy consumption. Thanks to the different aspect ratio (from 16:9 to 18:9), the resolution increases slightly to 2,160 x 1,080 pixels, but due to the larger screen, the pixel density drops marginally from 423 ppi to 402 ppi.

There’s no notch here and HTC says it is committed to avoiding the notch in upcoming phones too. Bezels aren’t exactly huge but they’re not exactly small either, with the U12 Life screen occupying 83 percent of the device’s footprint. With less bezel in which to live, the fingerprint scanner has migrated to the back of the U12 Life.

Design

The liquid surface design language of the U11 Life is still sort of in effect here, but there looks to be a pinch of Pixel thrown in for good measure. The top portion of the U12 Life is the same fingerprinty mess you’d expect from a shiny glass-backed phone, but, as with the U11 Life, HTC has opted for acrylic here over something more expensive like Gorilla Glass. There are tiny pieces of metal in the acrylic unibody to create another mouthful of design: “optical spectrum hybrid deposition”. That sounds great and all, but about all I can tell you is that it’s shiny and nice. A materials scientist I am not.

The bottom two-thirds of the phone have been etched with “3D Ultra Stripes” for better grip and fewer fingerprints. The design change works as advertised and makes a great zip-like scratching sound for the fidget-inclined among us. The HTC U12 Life will come in Moonlight Blue and Twilight Purple. Both options change color depending on their environment and what they’re reflecting, shifting from bright blue and silver to deep navy and purple.

The bottom two-thirds of the phone have been etched with ‘3D Ultra Stripes’ for better grip and fewer fingerprints.

In case you were worried, there are no capacitive buttons here, probably due to the added cost rather than the added frustration. Whatever the cause, the U12 Life dodges that particular bullet.

Hardware

The reintroduction of the 3.5mm headphone jack represents another bullet dodged. HTC apparently now understands just how unpopular the decision to move to USB Type-C or wireless audio is for most people, and has wisely decided to bring it back. HTC confirmed that several other upcoming devices will follow suit, but no one was willing to guarantee it’ll be back to stay on all HTC phones.

The U12 Life adds a hybrid dual-SIM tray that you can add a microSD card to if you need additional storage, a nice upgrade from the U11 Life. You’ve also got stereo speakers and bundled headphones in the box, and of course, the usual Oreo audio codecs are supported. One point on the stereo speakers, which appear in the BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition layout of bottom-firing and earpiece: HTC doesn’t consider them to be worthy of the BoomSound label.

There’s no official IP rating here – again likely due to cost (IP certification is an expensive business) – but HTC said the U12 Life is “splash-resistant,” compared to IP67 on last year’s U11 Life.

Specs

The HTC U12 Life is powered by the 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 mobile platform, not the rumored 660. I asked if the 660 was tested internally and was told it was not; the 660 showing up in benchmarks was a reporting error. HTC evidently prefers the energy efficiency of the octa-core 1.8GHz Snapdragon 636 over the additional performance of the 660. The U12 Life version going global comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, up from the 3GB and 32GB in the U11 Life. A 128GB variant will appear in Taiwan only.

The 636 brings with it the Adreno 509 GPU, X12 LTE modem for up to 600Mbps peak download and 150Mbps peak upload speeds (Cat. 11), and the Spectra 160 ISP. We were unable to get any camera samples during our HTC U12 Life hands-on time.

Powered by the 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 mobile platform, not the rumored 660.

Bluetooth 5, NFC, and a significantly larger 3,600 mAh battery with fast charging are also included. There’s no support for Qualcomm Quick Charge here, but HTC says the U12 Life battery will charge to 50 percent capacity in around 40 minutes.

Camera

The U12 Life adds a second camera on the back and a front-facing LED flash on the front. The primary camera is a 16MP 1/2.8″ sensor with f/2.0 aperture and an effective 25.5mm focal length. The secondary camera is a 5MP 1/5″ sensor with f/2.2 aperture lens with an effective 23.5mm focal length. The U12 Life camera supports 4K video at 30fps and FullHD video at 60fps. The U12 Life relies on EIS and PDAF.

Up front, the U12 Life camera is a 13MP 1/3″ sensor with an f/2.0 aperture lens at 26.5mm effective focal length. It has a front-facing LED flash and support for HDR and the usual beauty modes. We’ll have to get back to you on image quality in the full HTC U12 Life review.

The software experience is blissfully clean, but the combination of HTC Sense minus so many Sense features feels a little odd.

Software

The U12 Life software is what HTC is calling Light Sense. It does away with a few bloatware apps like the annoying News Republic, but also ditches Sense Companion and Edge Sense (HTC’s “squeezable sides” feature). In response to questions on the former, HTC said it didn’t add enough value and “Google Assistant is everywhere.” HTC essentially admitted development of Sense Companion has been abandoned completely, but “might” be picked up again in future. The omission of Edge Sense is a shame for those of us that like the feature, but for most people, it likely won’t be missed.

The device we used in our HTC U12 Life hands-on session is a global unit and HTC apparently doesn’t have an Android One version in the pipes. The company wouldn’t rule the possibility out entirely, but it seems unlikely. The software experience is blissfully clean, but the combination of HTC Sense minus so many Sense features feels a little odd. The HTC U12 Life runs on Android 8.1 Oreo.

Pricing and final thoughts

HTC has often been criticised for overpricing its handsets, and often for good reason. The HTC U12 Life price is 349 euros or 299 pounds, on a par with its predecessor in Europe. You’ll have to decide for yourself if this particular constellation of additions and subtractions from the base recipe is better or worse value than the original U11 Life.

The U12 Life feels a little confused in a field of laser-focused competition.

You can still get a 10 percent discount by signing up to HTC’s newsletter at htc.com but even in the low-300s the U12 Life has some very stiff competition in the likes of the Pocophone F1, the high-end variant of the Xiaomi Mi A2, the Zenfone 5Z, and several Honor devices. We’ll reserve judgment until the full HTC U12 Life review, but it has to be said that the U12 Life feels a little confused in a field of laser-focused competition. Perhaps HTC is right and this time it has perfected the mix – in which case the U11 Life must have been the confused device – but if HTC hasn’t gotten it right this time, we may not see another Life in the series next year.

The HTC U12 Life is due to hit shelves in late September or early October in European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

Polaroid’s updated OneStep instant camera adds some digital tricks

Polaroid Originals

Cameras that pump out prints at the touch of a button have enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years, with several companies launching a range of devices that offer a physical picture in a matter of minutes.

Polaroid Originals is one such outfit. The company this week launched the OneStep+, a smarter version of the OneStep 2 instant camera that it launched in 2017.

Looking very similar to the OneStep 2 and no doubt very familiar to anyone who grew up in the 70s when the unique design was at its peak, the new camera still churns out a print at the touch of a button, but this time lets you link it with your smartphone to offer “more ways to play,” as the company puts it.

Pairing the OneStep+ to the Polaroid Originals app via Bluetooth gives you access to six creative tools, including a remote-shutter setting so you can set the camera up and scuttle off to star in your own print. The app also gives you control over the manual settings of the OneStep+, enabling more experimental shooters to adjust things like shutter speed and aperture. Take note, though, there’s no display on the back of the camera, so you won’t know the result until it appears on the print. Yes, that’s supposed to be all part of the fun.

The new camera also lets you create double-exposure images and includes light-painting features, too. A slide on the top of the device lets you switch between the standard lens and a new one for portraits, with the latter allowing you to get closer to your subject without troubling the autofocus.

Polaroid One’s newest camera also sports a flash and a“long-lasting” rechargeable battery.

Compatible with the company’s i-Type instant film, the OneStep+ is available now for $160.

No longer Impossible

Formerly known as The Impossible Project, the Netherlands-based company switched its name to Polaroid Originals last year after Impossible’s biggest shareholder acquired the Polaroid brand. The company first came to our attention in 2008 when its small team of enthusiastic instant-photography fans stepped in to buy the last remaining Polaroid factory.

It started off by refurbishing and selling old instant cameras and making the accompanying film before adding its own cameras to its range of offerings.

As we mentioned at the top, new instant cameras from a range of makers continue to hit the market, allowing anyone to add a bit of analog fun to their photography. Digital Trends recently picked out the best ones available today.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best instant cameras of 2018
• Olympus PEN E-PL9 review
• The best portable photo printers of 2018
• The best budget-friendly GoPro alternatives that won’t leave you broke
• Photography 101: exposure, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO

Touchpad on the new Asus ZenBook Flip turns into an LED-illuminated NumberPad

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If a traditional laptop isn’t your cup of tea, Asus introduced two new ZenBook Flip 2-in-1s during the IFA 2018 convention in Berlin. Both are based on Intel’s new 8th-generation “Whiskey Lake” processors launched this week, while the larger 15.6-inch model adds a discrete GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics chip into the mix. Both also sport an interesting touchpad.

As with most 2-in-1s, the ZenBook Flip includes a nifty hinge enabling Laptop, Tent, Stand and Tablet modes “or anything in between.” Asus says it torture-tests this hinge via 20,000 open-close cycles to make sure your ZenBook Flip never stays locked in one position. This hinge also lifts and tilts the keyboard area when opened beyond 135 degrees for the ideal typing experience.

According to the specifications, the 13.3-inch model’s port complement depends on whether it includes a world-facing Full HD camera. If so, it offers two USB-C ports and an audio combo jack. If not, that list expands to two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, one HDMI port, and one audio combo jack. The list is somewhat different with the 15.6-inch model, as you’ll find one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, an SD card reader and an audio combo jack.

As with the other new ZenBooks introduced this week, the ZenBook Flip relies on Intel’s new Core i7-8565U and Core i5-8265U “Whiskey Lake” processors. On the 15.6-inch model, they’re joined by a discrete GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics chip, while the 13.3-inch model merely relies on integrated graphics.

In terms of storage, the 13.3-inch model includes 256GB or 512GB on a PCIe-based or SATA-based SSD. On the 15.6-inch model, you’ll see a larger selection of preconfigured units such as a 512GB PCIe SSD, a 2TB hard drive, or a SATA-based SSD with 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Finally, these new ZenBook Flip units include a Windows Precision Touchpad that can transform into a NumberPad. Simply touch the NumberPad icon on the touchpad and it transforms into an LED-illuminated keypad. This is offered on the company’s other new ZenBooks as well.

Price and availability of the two new ZenBook Flips is unknown. For the full list of specifications, check out the table below:

UX362
UX562

Screen size:
13.3 inches
15.6 inches

Resolution:
1,920 x 1,080
3,840 x 2,160
1,920 x 1,080

Processor:
Core i7-8565U
Core i5-8265U

Graphics:
Integrated
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

Memory:
8GB or 16GB
LPDDR3 @ 2,133MHz
16GB
DDR4 @ 2,400MHz

Storage:
256GB or 512GB PCIe SSD
256GB or 512GB SATA SSD
512GB PCIe SSD
256GB or 512GB SATA SSD
2TB SATA hard drive

Camera:
HD infrared webcam
FHD world-facing camera (optional)

Connectivity:
Wireless AC
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports:
No world-facing camera:
2x USB-C (5Gbps)
1x USB-A (450Mbps)
1x HDMI
1x Audio combo jackWith world-facing camera:
2x USB-C (5Gbps)
1x Audio combo jack
1x USB-C (5Gbps)
1x USB-A (5Gbps)
1x USB-A (450Mbps)
1x HDMI
1x SD card reader
1x Audio combo jack

Battery:
50WHr
57WHr
86WHr (SSD only)

Size (inches):
12.00 x 7.71 x 0.66
14.05 x 8.89 x 0.822

Weight:
2.86 pounds
4.18 pounds

Editors’ Recommendations

• Asus taps into Intel’s new ‘Whiskey Lake’ CPUs to power its latest ZenBooks
• Asus claims ‘world’s thinnest’ title with its new Zephyrus S gaming laptop
• Dell’s new Inspiron 2-in-1 PCs, premium Inspiron 2-in-1 Chromebook debut at IFA
• New Asus ZenBook S promises up to 20 hours of life without a Snapdragon chip
• Asus gets ‘tough’ on gamers using two TUF Gaming FX laptops built for abuse

Touchpad on the new Asus ZenBook Flip turns into an LED-illuminated NumberPad

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1 of 4

If a traditional laptop isn’t your cup of tea, Asus introduced two new ZenBook Flip 2-in-1s during the IFA 2018 convention in Berlin. Both are based on Intel’s new 8th-generation “Whiskey Lake” processors launched this week, while the larger 15.6-inch model adds a discrete GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics chip into the mix. Both also sport an interesting touchpad.

As with most 2-in-1s, the ZenBook Flip includes a nifty hinge enabling Laptop, Tent, Stand and Tablet modes “or anything in between.” Asus says it torture-tests this hinge via 20,000 open-close cycles to make sure your ZenBook Flip never stays locked in one position. This hinge also lifts and tilts the keyboard area when opened beyond 135 degrees for the ideal typing experience.

According to the specifications, the 13.3-inch model’s port complement depends on whether it includes a world-facing Full HD camera. If so, it offers two USB-C ports and an audio combo jack. If not, that list expands to two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, one HDMI port, and one audio combo jack. The list is somewhat different with the 15.6-inch model, as you’ll find one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, an SD card reader and an audio combo jack.

As with the other new ZenBooks introduced this week, the ZenBook Flip relies on Intel’s new Core i7-8565U and Core i5-8265U “Whiskey Lake” processors. On the 15.6-inch model, they’re joined by a discrete GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics chip, while the 13.3-inch model merely relies on integrated graphics.

In terms of storage, the 13.3-inch model includes 256GB or 512GB on a PCIe-based or SATA-based SSD. On the 15.6-inch model, you’ll see a larger selection of preconfigured units such as a 512GB PCIe SSD, a 2TB hard drive, or a SATA-based SSD with 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Finally, these new ZenBook Flip units include a Windows Precision Touchpad that can transform into a NumberPad. Simply touch the NumberPad icon on the touchpad and it transforms into an LED-illuminated keypad. This is offered on the company’s other new ZenBooks as well.

Price and availability of the two new ZenBook Flips is unknown. For the full list of specifications, check out the table below:

UX362
UX562

Screen size:
13.3 inches
15.6 inches

Resolution:
1,920 x 1,080
3,840 x 2,160
1,920 x 1,080

Processor:
Core i7-8565U
Core i5-8265U

Graphics:
Integrated
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

Memory:
8GB or 16GB
LPDDR3 @ 2,133MHz
16GB
DDR4 @ 2,400MHz

Storage:
256GB or 512GB PCIe SSD
256GB or 512GB SATA SSD
512GB PCIe SSD
256GB or 512GB SATA SSD
2TB SATA hard drive

Camera:
HD infrared webcam
FHD world-facing camera (optional)

Connectivity:
Wireless AC
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports:
No world-facing camera:
2x USB-C (5Gbps)
1x USB-A (450Mbps)
1x HDMI
1x Audio combo jackWith world-facing camera:
2x USB-C (5Gbps)
1x Audio combo jack
1x USB-C (5Gbps)
1x USB-A (5Gbps)
1x USB-A (450Mbps)
1x HDMI
1x SD card reader
1x Audio combo jack

Battery:
50WHr
57WHr
86WHr (SSD only)

Size (inches):
12.00 x 7.71 x 0.66
14.05 x 8.89 x 0.822

Weight:
2.86 pounds
4.18 pounds

Editors’ Recommendations

• Asus taps into Intel’s new ‘Whiskey Lake’ CPUs to power its latest ZenBooks
• Asus claims ‘world’s thinnest’ title with its new Zephyrus S gaming laptop
• Dell’s new Inspiron 2-in-1 PCs, premium Inspiron 2-in-1 Chromebook debut at IFA
• New Asus ZenBook S promises up to 20 hours of life without a Snapdragon chip
• Asus gets ‘tough’ on gamers using two TUF Gaming FX laptops built for abuse

New Asus ZenBook S promises up to 20 hours of life without a Snapdragon chip

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In addition to revealing three new “vanilla” ZenBooks, Asus also introduced the latest ZenBook S model (UX391UA) during the IFA 2018 convention in Berlin. Like the other models, this version will ship in variants based on two eighth-generation Intel “Whiskey Lake” processors that made their debut this week. But unlike the other models, the new ZenBook S promises up to 20 hours of use on a single charge.

For starters, Intel’s new Core i7-8565U chip replaces the Core i7-8550U released in August 2017. It’s a four-core chip with a base speed of 1.8GHz, a maximum speed of 4.5GHz, and a power draw of 15 watts. The other CPU installed in this ZenBook, the Core i5-8265U, replaces the Core i5-8250U that was also released last year. This is a four-core chip with a base speed of 1.6GHz, a maximum speed of 3.9GHz, and a power draw of 15 watts.

With this model, you’ll find a 13.3-inch screen sporting a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution on a standard touchscreen, or a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution on a standard touchscreen, or an anti-glare non-touch display. They’re backed by Intel’s integrated graphics and either 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR3 system memory clocked at 2,133MHz. This model does not offer discrete graphics.

“For outstanding ergonomics, ZenBook S incorporates the new ErgoLift hinge mechanism, an innovative design that raises and tilts the keyboard by 5.5 degrees — the optimum angle for comfortable typing,” the company says. “With a maximum opening angle of 145 degrees, ZenBook S opens wider than most laptops too, so users have more freedom to choose the best screen angle. And when ZenBook S is closed, the ErgoLift mechanism is completely hidden, so it doesn’t affect the sleek profile.”

For storage, the new ZenBook S provides 512GB or 1TB on a PCI Express 3.0 x4 SSD, or 256GB on a PCI Express 3.0 x2 SSD. This storage is complemented by two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB-C port at 5Gbps, and one audio combo jack. Wireless connectivity consists of Bluetooth 5.0 and Wireless AC.

Asus notes that the ZenBook S weighs a mere 2.31 pounds and measures just 0.50 inches thin. It’s based on an all-metal unibody finished with a Deep Dive Blue color and diamond-cut Rose Gold edge highlights (Asus has a Burgundy Red version too). The company says this two-tone finish is based on a two-phase anodizing process “normally reserved for jewelry or luxury timepieces.”

But don’t let its pretty face fool you: The ZenBook S meets the MIL-STD 810G standard for toughness. The company says it also sports an “uprated” cooling design, allowing it to run 41 degrees cooler than the previous ZenBook S generation.

The Asus ZenBook S (UX391) will arrive in different configurations; the release date and price are not yet known. Here are the full specifications:

• Screen size: 13.3 inches
• Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160 or 1,920 x 1,080
• Processor: Core i7-8565U or Core i5-8265U
• Graphics: UHD 620 Graphics
• Memory: 8GB or 16GB LPDDR3 @ 2,133MHz
• Storage: 256GB to 1TB
• Camera: HD webcam
• Connectivity: Wireless AC, Bluetooth 5.0
• Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3, 1x USB-C, 1x Audio combo jack
• Battery: 50WHr
• Size (inches): 12.24 x 8.38 x 0.50
• Weight: Up to 2.31 pounds

Editors’ Recommendations

• Asus taps into Intel’s new ‘Whiskey Lake’ CPUs to power its latest ZenBooks
• Touchpad on the new Asus ZenBook Flip turns into an LED-illuminated NumberPad
• Dell’s new Inspiron 2-in-1 PCs, premium Inspiron 2-in-1 Chromebook debut at IFA
• Dell’s refresh of the XPS 13 2-in-1 series dips its toes into Intel’s Amber Lake
• Asus ZenBook S vs. Dell XPS 13

New Asus ZenBook S promises up to 20 hours of life without a Snapdragon chip

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In addition to revealing three new “vanilla” ZenBooks, Asus also introduced the latest ZenBook S model (UX391UA) during the IFA 2018 convention in Berlin. Like the other models, this version will ship in variants based on two eighth-generation Intel “Whiskey Lake” processors that made their debut this week. But unlike the other models, the new ZenBook S promises up to 20 hours of use on a single charge.

For starters, Intel’s new Core i7-8565U chip replaces the Core i7-8550U released in August 2017. It’s a four-core chip with a base speed of 1.8GHz, a maximum speed of 4.5GHz, and a power draw of 15 watts. The other CPU installed in this ZenBook, the Core i5-8265U, replaces the Core i5-8250U that was also released last year. This is a four-core chip with a base speed of 1.6GHz, a maximum speed of 3.9GHz, and a power draw of 15 watts.

With this model, you’ll find a 13.3-inch screen sporting a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution on a standard touchscreen, or a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution on a standard touchscreen, or an anti-glare non-touch display. They’re backed by Intel’s integrated graphics and either 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR3 system memory clocked at 2,133MHz. This model does not offer discrete graphics.

“For outstanding ergonomics, ZenBook S incorporates the new ErgoLift hinge mechanism, an innovative design that raises and tilts the keyboard by 5.5 degrees — the optimum angle for comfortable typing,” the company says. “With a maximum opening angle of 145 degrees, ZenBook S opens wider than most laptops too, so users have more freedom to choose the best screen angle. And when ZenBook S is closed, the ErgoLift mechanism is completely hidden, so it doesn’t affect the sleek profile.”

For storage, the new ZenBook S provides 512GB or 1TB on a PCI Express 3.0 x4 SSD, or 256GB on a PCI Express 3.0 x2 SSD. This storage is complemented by two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB-C port at 5Gbps, and one audio combo jack. Wireless connectivity consists of Bluetooth 5.0 and Wireless AC.

Asus notes that the ZenBook S weighs a mere 2.31 pounds and measures just 0.50 inches thin. It’s based on an all-metal unibody finished with a Deep Dive Blue color and diamond-cut Rose Gold edge highlights (Asus has a Burgundy Red version too). The company says this two-tone finish is based on a two-phase anodizing process “normally reserved for jewelry or luxury timepieces.”

But don’t let its pretty face fool you: The ZenBook S meets the MIL-STD 810G standard for toughness. The company says it also sports an “uprated” cooling design, allowing it to run 41 degrees cooler than the previous ZenBook S generation.

The Asus ZenBook S (UX391) will arrive in different configurations; the release date and price are not yet known. Here are the full specifications:

• Screen size: 13.3 inches
• Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160 or 1,920 x 1,080
• Processor: Core i7-8565U or Core i5-8265U
• Graphics: UHD 620 Graphics
• Memory: 8GB or 16GB LPDDR3 @ 2,133MHz
• Storage: 256GB to 1TB
• Camera: HD webcam
• Connectivity: Wireless AC, Bluetooth 5.0
• Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3, 1x USB-C, 1x Audio combo jack
• Battery: 50WHr
• Size (inches): 12.24 x 8.38 x 0.50
• Weight: Up to 2.31 pounds

Editors’ Recommendations

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