Ivy Bridge Zenbook Prime Ultrabooks hit Aussie market
- — 27 June, 2012 11:46
The much sought-after ASUS Zenbook Prime Ultrabooks appear to have finally hit the Australian market. The first models to show up on many online stores are the UX31A-R4005V and the UX31A-R4003X. Both are 13.3in models that command prices from $1500 to $2000, so they're defintely not cheap, but they do possess many features that currently make them stand-outs in the Ultrabook field.
First and foremost, these Ultrabooks are the first to appear with Full HD, 1920x1080-resolution, LED-backlit, IPS screens, which offer not just a better video-watching experience, but a lot more screen real estate for productivity applications, and better viewing angles.
The laptops are also thin — MacBook Air-like in their thinness — and constructed out of aluminium to be strong and rigid, not to mention light at around 1.3kg. They have a backlit keyboard and a large touchpad and they include USB 3.0, micro HDMI and SD card ports. Better wireless performance is also present, with both units sporting an Intel, dual-band Wi-Fi adapter that can also connect to Wi-Di devices.
The UX31A-R4005V is based on Intel's third generation Core i5-3317U processor with integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, and it also features 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM and a 128GB solid state drive (SSD). This configuration was found on Digital Star's Web site for a price of $1589, with the Web site claiming that the units will be available from today.
The UX31A-R4003X is based on Intel's third generation Core i7-3517U CPU, also with 4GB of RAM and integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, but it uses a larger 256GB SSD. We found it on Computer Alliance's Web site for $1995, with a note saying that it should have arrived yesterday (26 June).
This week's availability of the new Zenbooks is contrary to a release by ASUS a few weeks ago, which claimed that the new models would be released in the coming months.
Comments
Joy
1
I will be waiting for the Aussie price release, maybe the next following. Most of the comp shop were selling over price recently, just because they got them on hand. New zenbook prime hasn't yet come to the leading stores such as JB or Harvey Norman.
John
2
Austin Computers In Perth WA have the New Zenbook in stock. :)