ASUS unveils ultrathin laptop

Models promote ASUS’ Transformer Book Chi convertible laptops series during a press conference at the Plaza Hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap

By Yoon Sung-won

Taiwanese laptop maker ASUS rolled out its new ultrathin and convertible laptop computers here Tuesday, aiming to expand its presence in the domestic market.

“Apple is not the only choice for you,” said ASUS’ country manager Ethan Sun during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. “Our legendary laptops are slimmer and have more battery capacity and expandability as a device. ASUS is also a good choice for you.”

The Taipei-based electronics company released new laptops, including a slim ultrabook and three two-in-one models which can be converted into tablet computers.

The convertible laptop series, dubbed “Transformer Book Chi,” was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2015 in Las Vegas in January.

These laptops have separable display and keyboard parts, connected by what the company calls a “smart magnetic hinge.”

The three convertible models ― T90, T100 and the flagship T300 ― use Intel’s Core M processor or Atom processor and have a fan-less design. The three have different screen sizes.

The 8.9-inch T90, which is the smallest and lightest, weighs 750 grams without the keyboard. The T300 has 12.5-inch full high-definition (FHD) screen and is 7.6 mm think.

The new ultrabook, named “ASUS ZenBook UX305,” has a 13.3-inch quad high-definition plus screen, weighs 1.2 kg and is 12.3 mm think. The display panel is capable of producing up to 3,200 x 1,800 screen resolution, which is 2.5 times larger than the FHD display.

Despite the new laptops with high-performance system specification and slick design, the company faces tough competition with larger venders such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Apple.

Korea’s laptop market has been dominated by Samsung Electronics, with more than 40 percent market share. In terms of the market segment for slimmer laptops, LG Electronics and Apple recorded 53.9 percent and 38.6 percent growth rate last year thanks to the robust sales of lightweight models LG Gram and MacBook Air, according to the market researcher International Data Corporation.

ASUS, the world’s third-largest laptop maker, remains between sixth and seventh place in the domestic market with about a 3 percent share, ASUS’ marketing manager Richard Kwak said.

Being aware of the competition, ASUS repeatedly compared the devices with those of its competitors.

“We have adopted a new design for ZenBook to show that we were not mimicking Apple’s MacBook Air. Compared with MacBook Air, our laptops provide a better typing experience,” Kwak said.

He also stressed that ASUS Transformer Book Chi is slimmer than Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 and supports more accurate finger touch.

Meanwhile, the company said it does not plan to release its latest smartphone Zenfone 2 in Korea. The handset was unveiled at the CES2015 and uses Google’s Android operating system and Intel’s Atom mobile processor.

“Our smartphones are likely to be launched here only after the laptop business grows to hold about a 10 percent market share in Korea,” Kwak said.