Taking advantage of the Computex show taking place in Taiwan, Asus is releasing a slew of laptop PCs designed for work, gaming or creation with one thing in common: artificial intelligence operated by Microsoft’s Copilot.
If we hadn’t already understood it well, this year’s fight in the PC market is no longer really being played out in the field of CPUs and GPUs but in that of NPUs. These neural processors carry out the heavy task of animating the artificial intelligence embodied mainly by Microsoft’s Copilot directly on the PC and without the help of servers hosted on the other side of the planet. Featured are processors from AMD with Ryzen AI or Qualcomm with its Snapdragon X Elite which powers the famous Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft’s new label for AI-oriented computers. A state of mind that we find throughout the new range of PCs unveiled by Asus during the 2024 edition of Computex, a trade show dedicated to PCs and components, which is currently being held in Taipei (Taiwan), the city where The brand’s headquarters are also located.
Asus presents AI-powered PCs for creatives
Mixing creativity and artificial intelligence is sometimes a slippery slope. Apple paid the price last month with its iPad Pro. But Asus knew how to avoid the trap. There is no question here of replacing artists with AI but rather of helping them in their production and saving them time. This is the goal of the three new ProArt P16, PX13 and PZ13 laptops, the model that intrigues us the most. The reason: it is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Elite X. The PZ13 is actually a hybrid with a detachable keyboard, a bit like Microsoft’s Surface Pro. It promises good autonomy and inevitably includes the featured Copilot key on its keyboard. The PX13 looks like a large tablet with a keyboard that tilts 360°. It is powered by AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX HX 370 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 4070 GPU. Finally, the high-end is embodied by the P16, a large format laptop PC equipped with a 16-inch screen also equipped with a Ryzen AI 9. Available next August, these three PCs are accompanied by apps taking advantage of AI such as StoryCube to help videographers better navigate their rush and MuseTree, an AI app assistance with graphic creation. Prices start from 1299 euros for the PZ13, from 2399 for the PX13 and from 2599 euros for the P16.
The Asus Zenbook comes in large format
Asus is also releasing a new series of its flagship Zenbook range, its ultraportable family. On the program, an astonishing 16-inch model. It is also armed with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor for AI and Copilot with its dedicated key. But what surprises the most is its weight (1.5 kg) for a thinness of 11 mm. A great achievement, especially since the design benefits from a lot of attention with a hood with a very resistant and elegant coating called Ceraluminium by the brand. This new Zenbook S16 will also be available from next August starting at 1,999 euros.
Asus adds Snapdragon to Vivobook
If Asus has refreshed its current range of Vivobook, its consumer laptops (S14, S15 and S16) with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor in order to boost them with Microsoft’s AI functions, we note the arrival of a new Vivobook S15, the brand’s first Copilot+ PC model equipped with the Snapdragon X Elite SoC, the famous ARM chip from Qualcomm. Equipped with a 15.6-inch Oled 3K screen, this laptop is 14.7 mm thick and weighs 1.42 kg. Asus promises 18 hours of battery life and, of course, all the AI niceties offered by Copilot. This Vivobook S15 will join the Asus range from mid-June for a price starting at 1299 euros depending on the configurations.
Asus has also reviewed and expanded its TUF range, its gaming PCs. Two new models join the family, one with a 14-inch panel and the other with a 16-inch panel. both benefit from the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor supported on the graphics side by the Nvidia GPU
GeForce RTX 4070. They will be available in mid-July from July 15 from 2199 euros.