Zenbook — BrandWiki

Zenbook

Overview

ASUS Zenbook

class	skin-invert-image
developer	Asus
manufacturer	Asus
type	Ultrabook, Thin and light laptop, AI PC, Copilot+ PC
cpu	Intel, AMD, Qualcomm Snapdragon
graphics	Unified Memory Architecture
release date	2011
os	Windows

Asus Zenbook is a line of consumer-oriented high-end notebook computers produced by Asus. The first Zenbooks were released in October 2011 as Ultrabooks, and the original range of products has since been expanded to models ranging from smaller and power efficient notebooks to high-end and larger laptops with additions like discrete graphics processing units. As of 2025, the Asus Zenbook A serves as the company's flagship notebook computer.[1][2]

The series is positioned by Asus as part of the thin-and-light segment within the premium consumer market. Asus designed the Zenbooks with brushed aluminium chassis and high rigidity, rather than plastic, the usual laptop construction material. A pattern of concentric circles on the lids is said to represent ripples in water and reflect the "zen philosophy" that designers wanted to portray when creating the laptops. Asus has also described its design approach as influenced by reductionism, aiming to simplify form while retaining functionality. As of 2024 there are various series including the standard Zenbook, extra slim and light Zenbook S, performance-oriented Zenbook Pro with dedicated graphics cards, convertible Zenbook Flip, dual screen Zenbook Duo, foldable tablet Zenbook Fold and portable Zenbook A.[1]

History

First Zenbooks

In 2009 Asus released the UX50V, a 15-inch laptop that was focused on energy efficiency and had a thin profile. The laptop was rated poorly by reviewers as it under-performed and had mediocre battery life, despite the installed energy efficient hardware. Although not branded as one, it bore the same "UX" product code as many of the later Zenbooks and was an early foray into the ultraportable market. Asus unveiled the UX21 ultra-thin notebook at Computex 2011;[4] later in October 2011, the UX21 (and a larger version, UX31) were made official under the Zenbook name. The Zenbook line began as Ultrabooks, designed to provide performance in a portable form factor. Sales in the U.S. began on October 12 starting at $999.[5] The bodies of the Zenbooks are made of aluminium, chosen for its light weight, strength, vibration dampening, appearance and acoustic properties. Both the bodies and lids are CNC milled and brushed for appearance. Reviewers have noted the resulting superior rigidity and complimented the appearance of the Zenbook range.[6] The Zenbook name was proposed by Asus chairman Jonney Shih to reflect the "zen philosophy" applied to the design. The chief designer, Loewy Chen, had wanted to incorporate design elements from luxury watches into his products for a long time. Zenbooks were the first opportunity to put this into practice, the crossover being achieved, he said, by "the unfolding of the laptop from the side recalling the elegance of minute and hour hand movements". The reference to watches is also reflected in the marketing of Zenbooks; Asus published design sketches overlaying an open Zenbook on a watch face, and video advertisements feature similar imagery. The concentric circles on the lid of Zenbooks[7][8] were intended to look like ripples in water and to reflect "philosophical ideas such as the infinite nature of Zen thinking and self-improvement".

In April 2012, Asus announced a second generation Zenbook, branded as Zenbook Prime, upgraded to run on Intel's new Ivy Bridge-based CPUs.[9] Shortly after it also introduced two lower-cost Zenbooks, as the UX32.[10]

To preserve space, some Zenbooks use two PCBs connected by a communications ribbon so it can have ports on both sides of the device, with a heatsink and fan centred between them.

Recent history

In 2015, ASUS introduced the Zenbook Pro series, featuring models with discrete graphics.[11] The following year, the Zenbook Flip series was launched as a convertible 2-in-1 line.[12]

In 2017, Asus debuted ScreenPad with the Zenbook Pro 15 UX580. The ScreenPad replaces the regular touchpad with a colour capactive touchscreen display.[13] This technology was then in 2019 included in the Zenbook 13 (UX334), Zenbook 14 (UX434) and Zenbook 15 (UX534) and offered optionally on the lower end lineup of VivoBook S laptops.[14][15] In 2018, ASUS expanded the Zenbook line with the Zenbook S series, emphasizing slim-and-light designs, and introduced the Zenbook Pro 15 (UX580) with the industry-first ScreenPad, which replaces the conventional touchpad with a colour capacitive touchscreen display.[16]

Features and technology

The ASUS Zenbook series integrates several design elements and technologies, contributing to its performance, user experience, and appearance. These include materials research, display development, hinge mechanisms, and input features.

Ceraluminum™

Ceraluminum™ is a patented material developed by ASUS and used in the Zenbook series. According to the company, its development involved several years of refinement in color, texture, porosity, and hardness, resulting in a smudge-resistant surface.The material combines ceramic-like hardness with metallic flexibility, allowing for thin and durable laptop designs.It has also been compared to applications in fields such as aerospace and watchmaking.[25][26][27]

Dual-screen design

The ASUS Zenbook DUO features a dual-screen design with a detachable Bluetooth keyboard and built-in kickstand. It supports multiple modes of use, including:

The secondary screen is designed to support multitasking and professional creative workflows.[28][29]

Dual Screen Mode: extending the workspace across two displays for multitasking.
Desktop Mode: both screens positioned upright with the keyboard detached.
Sharing Mode: arranged side-by-side for reading or presentations.

ASUS Lumina OLED

ASUS Lumina OLED is a branding used by ASUS for a category of OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) laptop displays, available in series such as Zenbook, Vivobook, and ProArt. These displays are characterized by high color accuracy, deep blacks, high contrast ratios, and fast response times. They also include features intended to reduce eye strain and extend display lifespan.[30]

Hinges

EasyLift™ hinge: The EasyLift hinge on the Zenbook A14 is designed to allow one-finger opening while maintaining a stable screen position.[31]
ErgoLift hinge: The ASUS ErgoLift hinge is a design used in several laptop series, including the Zenbook and Vivobook lines. The mechanism tilts the keyboard when the lid is opened, creating an angled typing position. It also allows additional airflow beneath the chassis for cooling and provides more space for downward-facing speakers.[32][33]

Input features

Smart Gesture Touchpad: ASUS Smart Gesture is a touchpad feature available on ASUS laptops, including the ProArt, Zenbook, and Vivobook series. It supports one-finger scrolling as well as controls for volume, brightness, and video playback.[34][35]Smart gesture touchpad.jpg
NumberPad: The NumberPad is a feature available on certain ASUS laptops, particularly compact models without a physical numeric keypad. It integrates an illuminated numeric keypad into the touchpad. When activated, LED lights display the layout of a standard numeric keypad for data entry, and when deactivated, the touchpad functions normally for cursor control.[36][37]

Full I/O ports

ASUS Zenbook models include a range of I/O ports within a slim chassis, such as USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, HDMI, and audio jacks. This allows connection to external devices without the need for additional adapters.[38][39]

Reception and criticism

The first official ZenBooks, the ZenBook UX21E and UX31E drew comparisons to the MacBook Air and it was regarded as an "excellent rival" by CNET reviewer Andrew Hoyle. Other aspects of the laptops that reviewers liked were the Bang and Olufsen speakers, fast boot times due to Asus' BIOS design and the speed of general tasks within the operating system resulting from the SSD and Sandy Bridge processors.[130] However, the screens drew criticism for their poor contrast ratio, colour accuracy and less than perfect viewing angle, although they were praised for their brightness and the sharpness of the UX31's screen.[130] Reviewers also noted the shallow key-press of the metal keyboard and lack of backlighting, a feature that Asus did not have time to implement before shipping.[130]

ZenBooks have been generally well received due to their chassis design and appearance as well as the high quality screens used in later models. However, the touchpad software was found to be erratic, particularly on the early models and some of the models received criticism for their high prices. Some models (such as the UX32) suffer from lockdown when the lithium polymer battery cell gets drained or discharged below its recommended threshold, for example if the device is left on and unattended. The result is that the charger will fail to recharge the battery even when plugged in, leaving the machine in a near-complete unresponsive off-state. The machine can often be revived by pressing the power-on key for 10 seconds, whereupon it will start recharging.

Earlier models

The new screens on the ZenBook Prime were highly praised by reviewers when considering brightness, contrast ratio, viewing angle and colour accuracy, the improvements over previous models being put down to the switch from TN to IPS displays. The keyboard also garnered praise for the increased backlighting and improved key travel while the Intel Wi-Fi controller was found to perform better than the Qualcomm used in the first generation of Zenbooks. The Zenbook Primes still received some criticism: the latest version of the touchpad was acknowledged as an improvement over the original Zenbooks, but still irritating, and the sound quality was found to be worse than that with the first generation. Despite these issues, the overall reaction was positive: the UX31A was called "today's best ultrabook" and "the best ultrabook out there" at the time of release.

The ZenBook UX32VD was well received for similar reasons to the Zenbook Prime. The screen, chassis and keyboard again garnered praise although the inclusion of a discrete GPU was noted as a major selling point. The hybrid drive attracted criticism for its slow performance and the same touchpad issues that the Zenbook Prime had were still present.[131][132] SLR Lounge criticised the slow hybrid drive and 4 GB of RAM, but suggested replacing them as the option is available, noting that it was an option not often offered on ultrabooks.