Asus has refreshed its Zenbook Classic lineup of laptops with two new thinner, lighter, and more powerful models. Starting at $800 and $900, and now available for purchase, are the ZenBook 13 UX325 and ZenBook 14 UX425.
The biggest features of the Zenbook Laptops are two tweaks to the overall design. Asus claims the ZenBook 13 UX325 and ZenBook 14 UX425 are thinner and lighter than previous-generation models, now 13.9mm in thinness, and 2.62 pounds in weight.
Also new is an edge-to-edge keyboard. It now is more spacious and extends from one side of the chassis to the other, a change from the last generation island-style and centered keyboard.
Both laptops keep to a 90% screen to body ratio, mainly thanks to a compact four-sided Nano-Edge 450 nit display. The display is powered by a 1-watt IPS panel, which improves overall battery life. Asus promises that the laptops can last for up to 22 hours on a single charge, as tested in MobileMark 2014 Office productivity scenario.
Under the hood, the new Zenbooks come with Intel’s 10th Generation Ice Lake Core i5 and Intel Core i7 processors. That’s a significant jump from the 8th-generation processors on board last year’s models. There are options for 8GB of RAM, as well as 256GB of 512GB of storage.
As for connectivity, Asus claims that the Zenbook 13 and the Zenbook 14 are “unrivaled.” While both laptops are just 13.9mm thin, they still feature full-size HDMI and USB Type-A ports, two high-speed Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, and a microSD card reader.
When it comes to internet connectivity, meanwhile, both laptops support the Wi-Fi 6 standard. And, for security, there is a Windows Hello webcam standard onboard all configurations
Of course, there are also the signature Zenbook features onboard these models, too. The laptops come with Asus NumberPad 2.0, which is a dual-function touchpad with an integrated LED-illuminated, full-size numeric keypad. New for this year, users can also enjoy new support for Asus USB-C Easy Charge, for charging with power banks and in other situations where the bundled 65-watt charger is not available.
The ZenBook 13 UX325 and ZenBook 14 UX425 come in two color options, both of which are new. These include a glossy “Pine Grey” and a matte “Lilac Mist.” Both are available at Amazon, the Asus Store, and Newegg.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
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