ASUS Zenbook Infinity UX301LA - just announced at Computex

AnandTech | ASUS Zenbook Infinity: Hands On with the Most Beautiful Notebook at Computex

what a stunner. Haswell will bring many new exciting ultrabooks!

• 2560x1440 IPS
• i7 Haswell ULT 28W
• Intel Iris 5100 Graphics (GT3e)
• Gorilla Glass 3 Exterior
• Windows 8.1

 

Fingerprint magnet, ahoy. Very sleek design, though! :thumbsup:

 

this is the new Zenbook for Haswell. i'm guessing all the current/old Zenbooks will be discontinued.

 

There is still a reported Zenbook Prime UX31LA

Asus Zenbook Touch UX31 LA Haswell Ultrabook Hands On - Computex 2013 - YouTube

 

that looks identical to the current zenbook prime, the only change being the haswell chip.

i think the Infinity will do really well since it's a great design with a killer screen. the gorilla glass will also help keep temps very low, as glass does not conduct heat like aluminum.

 

Its just a shame intel disabled dedicated graphics on ulv cpus :/

 

I'm sure the Infinity will be at a greater premium than the Prime by like $400-500 putting it close to $1700-1800..considering the 1440p, bigger SSD

Not sure if what you say about the glass keeping it cool is accurate. The heat has to go somewhere..Aluminum means the notebook will be warm to the touch, but in some sense is better for the internals.

Also, it's unclear when it will be released. I really want either the Prime or Infinity, but will depend on what they cost.

 

I'm all for this. It's basically exactly what I'm looking for as a successor to the Vaio Z, as long as it doesn't slip too late in the year. The mention of Windows 8.1 likely means we're talking August at the earliest.

 

Yes, asus seem to be holding back their slim haswell designs a little bit, maybe to avoid the chipset USB3 issue as ultrabooks do go to sleep a lot. Although the ULV cpus might be OK since their cpu and chipset is packed together so is a slightly different design.

 

the internals and body are of course still aluminum, but instead of having the aluminum being the last line of defense to your skin, the glass is instead. the heat from a warm/hot piece of aluminum will not be fully consumed by the glass. the glass may warm a slight bit, but nothing close to what the aluminum. in addition, heat will also be pushed through to the vents.

 

can you explain this issue? haven't heard of it, thanks.

 

Google "haswell usb 3 issue" without the quotes.

 

The heat has to go somewhere. This is all elementary physics: first (and to some extent second) law of thermodynamics

If glass does not take it and then emit it to the outside world, then it will stay inside the machine, and all of it will have to be pushed out by vents. So, CKtalon has a point here: glass can help only as an insulator, but as with any good insulator, it means that the heat would be stuck inside, which means it's more likely for a machine to overheat internally. Basically, it's better to have a laptop that's slightly warm to the touch, than a laptop that hangs or shuts itself down because it overheated (or dies completely).

Anyway, we are hoping that Haswell has thermals good enough that this is a non-issue, rather than assuming glass will help with the thermals.

 

Here's to hoping most the heat isn't generated by the screen.

 

I hope there will be a dedicated GPU removable ram and removable HDD like prime. I;m totally sold already then. Shame Iris 5100 is the max they can fit on 28w tdp chips, Th this trdoluyion though 3d performance is all that is needed nut it;s always nice to have the options too badd hd iris pro wont fit in a 28w rdo chip

 

Are you kidding me? I highly doubt that the Infinity will have all that user upgradeability since it is so thin and is considered premium (apparently nowadays premium = zero upgradeability by the user).

However, I do hope that they do a refresh of the 'radiant black' version of the Zenbook UX31A touch.

 

there's no dedicated GPU, the Iris 5100 is integrated.

 

I read somewhere that Gorilla Glass 3 was going to be used for the keyboard panel as well. It doesn't look like that in the photos though, so probably a moot point indeed

 

That black touch version is a BestBuy exclusive, isn't it?

 

Unfortunately, yes.

 

FYI, at
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...lightweight-high-res-options.html#post9263634
I wrote:

(start quote)
Great, I just wanted to post exactly the same thread topic. Let's agree that 1080p is clearly not enough on a 13,3", and let's also agree on omitting the Chromebook for lots of reasons. This leaves us with:
Toshiba Kirabook: 2560x1440 2.7 lbs (available not Haswell ATM)
Acer Aspire S7: 2560x1440 2.87 lbs Haswell
Asus Zenbook Infinity: 2500x1440 ? lbs Haswell
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus: 3200x1800 !! 3.1 lbs Haswell 12 hour battery
Tablet Hybrid: Samsung ATIV Q 3200x1800 ? lbs tablet with android

Check out Battle of the ultra-high-res laptops: Samsung Ativ Book 9 specs vs. the world | PCWorld
and Ultrabook Comparison « Ultrabook News and the Ultrabook Database for a start, but both sources are erroneous. E.g. the samsung is quoted to have 256GB as an option, elsewhere.

Here are some resources:
1. Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus Thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/722548-samsung-ativ-book-9-plus-haswell-new-6.html
2. Zenbook Infinity Thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...finity-ux301la-just-announced-computex-2.html
3. Acer Aspire: http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...s7-preview-best-new-ultrabook-discussion.html
(Be careful not to confuse the old S7 with the new S7.)
4. Kirabook: No Haswell upgrade annouced yet, so not thread so far.

Note that Windows 8.1 will fix many problems with scaling on high res. You should not use Win 8 on these Notebooks.

You also may want to check out Device list | Pixensity.com – Pixel Density

I would be gread if people interested in lightweight 13.3" high res (220 ppi+) Haswell ultrabooks were pointed to this thread, so they can collect information both here, and at the device-specific threads I linked to above.

(end quote)

 

Actually.. 1080p seems very sharp on my 13.3'' screen. More is nice (damn.. there are 1080p phones already), but I dont think there is a huge difference between them.

 

I would agree. I have see the Kirabook next to a 1080 and I don't see anything about it to justify the price difference. Maybe I am missing something or maybe apps to take advantage of that density just aren't available yet.

 

Anyone else disappointed to see the matte screen done away with? I really enjoyed the matte screen on the zenbook primes. I do not think I could buy another laptop without a matte screen now especially with an IPS screen.

 

No, last Dell monitors are light antiglare, which means all benefits. I have two matte screens (on my N56 and on my HP LP2475W) and the grainy screen is bad.

 

The 1-chip package Haswell does not have the problem.

The rest that do are fixable with a software patch.

Are you on a mission or something?

The latest Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook uses a discrete GPU.

Iris 5100 is actually GT3. GT3e is Iris Pro 5200.

 

Any word on the release date for this?

 

I've been stalking a bunch of web sites for release dates for this and ATIV Book 9 Plus, still no luck. I guess with this one we'll have to wait a bit longer.

 

Not sure how much something like this is to be trusted, but i7, 8gb, 256gb ssd model is listed at 1800€ and seems to become available in 3-5 weeks: Asus UX301LA-C4005H i7-4500 8G 256ssd 13.3 W8 - UX301LA-C4005H

 

Same model as above for 1670€ (all in Spain), and the version with 512GB SSD for 2022€:
— Asustek UX301LA-C4005H UX301LA-C4005H i7-4500 8G 256ssd 13.3 W8 catalogo Portátiles en tienda.manchanet.es
— Asustek UX301LA-DE002H UX301LA-DE002H i7-4558 8G 512G 13.3" W8 ordenadores Portátiles en tienda.manchanet.es

 

Good find, though those prices are exorbitant...

 

Yeah, US prices are probably going to be the same, but in USD. Europe does have ~20% VAT throughout. :/

 

Yes and then there is extra added on top too :/

 

I'm excited for this ultrabook, and I'm pretty sure I want it for grad school coming up this fall. The fact that its supposed to be released right before makes me concerned that I won't be able to get it before the beginning of school, or I get it and there aren't any reviews and it ends up being a flop.

 

Yeah, I was hoping it would come out before uni started again, but I'm started to doubt that it'll come out before the beginning of September... I've actually heard some sketchy rumours that it wouldn't come out until December! I don't think it'll be a flop though.

 

Emailed the danish pm and got back that the product will be released arround december (??)

 

I would hope that it would be released way before, closer to mid August in the States. My main concern are the temps it could reach while running on the Iris graphics, issues that current ultrabooks like the new vaio models seem to have issues with even with just the 4400.

 

The cache wont have a significant power impact really and is counted in the TDP of the chip.

 

This ultrabook looks good. I think they're really doing something stupid if they release it with 2k+ price tag. I would love to see it without touch(don't see the point), and without OS: Would easily pick this up if it get released before school starts.

 

Without OS I don't see from Asus, hopefully it will be a bit less.

 

Sucks that Intel is forcing touch screens on manufacturers if they want to use the name 'ultrabook' and have a haswell chip in it.

Sucks because that means no more matte screens. Just when laptop manufacturers seemed to FINALLY figure out that matte screens were better and what the consumer actually wanted, they go and pull this BS.

I don't even see why they did it. It isn't like they get a cut of the profits from the touch screen manufacturers, or from Microsoft for Windows (crap) 8.

Looks like I'll be skipping the Haswell cycle and waiting 6 months more for it's replacement. Maybe by then I'll be able to get a matte screen again with a current ULV processor.

 

This laptop is currently on my radar, along with the Ativ Book 9 Plus.

As far as everyone knows, is this laptop still scheduled for a Q3 release?

**Sent from my GALAXY NOTE II**

 

broadwell won't be out until mid-2015.

 

Yes, intel is slowing down the whole process, so haswell will be the only chip through all of next year. We may get a chipset refresh but that's about it.

 

The lack of thunderbolt is a serious shame for something of a device of this price bracket.
It'd be pretty much perfect otherwise.

 

Geez... this confusion needs to stop.
Intel (probably) will not launch the socketed LGA1150 version of Broadwell (its going to be 2013 Haswell -> 2014 Haswell Refresh -> 2015 Skylake for regular desktops). Everything else including mobile, 1P server and BGA desktops... Broadwell is on track for a 2014 launch. Ultrabooks will have Broadwell-U/Y in first half of 2014.

http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/...5245-1371766012793147-Ashraf-Eassa_origin.png
http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/...5245-1371765699396428-Ashraf-Eassa_origin.png

 

that's old info. broadwell has been delayed. there will be a haswell refresh in mid-2014 however:

DailyTech - Report: Intel Delays 14 nm Broadwell, Schedules Haswell Refresh for 2014

 

Thats a desktop LGA roadmap, nothing to do with the mobile U/Y-series roadmap I posted (which is very recent too). Intel might just skip desktop Broadwell and replace next year's desktop Haswell Refresh with desktop Skylake in 2015.
http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1519974/width/500/height/1000/flags/LL

Broadwell mobile is still on track for 2014 release (first semester for <15W chips).

 

Anyone have any idea when the ux31la will be released in the US? It was announced alongside the infinity at computex.

 

If intel delays the desktop the mobile will be delayed too since they both require the same silicon, in fact in some respects the mobile requires better silicon.