Continuing our coverage of IFA 2017, ASUS has announced the release of two new 2-in-1s. First, the Zenbook Flip 14; ASUS touts this to be the worlds thinnest 2-in-1 laptop. And the Zenbook Flip 15, said to be the most powerful Zenbook Flip ever using the latest 8th Generation Intel Core processors.  Shawn Yen, ASUS’ Senior Product Director said on stage at IFA, “the major objective of this product is bringing the benefits and versatility of a 2-in-1, with the mobility of an ultrathin. Marry those two benefits together and empower user’s needs for graphics." And in comes the latest generation Zenbook Flips. 

Asus Zenbook Flip 14

The Zenbook Flip 14 UX461 is very thin and light for a convertible laptop measuring just 13.9mm(.55") thick and weighing 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs). The 8th generation CPU is a Core i7-8550U 4C/8T chip with a base processor frequency of 1.8GHz and a maximum turbo frequency of 4GHz. The Flip 14 can be configured with up to 16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 RAM and 1TB PCIe SSD for fast storage. It also includes a fingerprint reader and speakers tuned by Harmon Kardon. Additionally, the Flip 14 includes a discrete GPU, the NVIDIA MX150, which helps with graphically intensive tasks an onboard graphics solution may find problematic. Even with more powerful hardware inside, battery life is said to be up to 13 hours.

The chassis styling has changed a bit going away from the brushed aluminum look and going with more of a medium gloss flat finish instead. The Flip 14 has two color options in Icicle Gold and Slate Grey (pictured above). ASUS’ NanoEdge technology makes its way to the 14-inch 1080p display making it very thin. The result is a 13-inch footprint from a 14-inch laptop.  The Flip 14 will start at 799€ (~$900) and ASUS has not provided dates for availability. 

Asus Zenbook Flip 15

The ZenBook Flip 15 UX561 is a 15.6” 2-in-1 following similar themes to the 14, but instead is designed to be a larger, high performance laptop. The nod here goes to its use of the same i7-8550U 4C/8T 1.8GHz-4GHz processor and NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1050 graphics. Asus mentions it can be up to two times faster (Cinebench R15) than the previous generation UX560 which used an i7-6500U (dual-core with hyperthreading) from a previous generation. The GTX 1050 is a decent upgrade on the performance side and saves power over the GTX 950 used before. 

The Flip 15 can be configured with up to a 512GB SSD, a 2TB hard drive, and 16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 RAM. It also has precision stylus support, as well as Thunderbolt 3 ports for advanced peripheral attachment. The new 2-in-1 uses NanoEdge bezels and offers an optional 4K UHD resolution screen. There are also two color options here, Smoke Grey(pictured) and Pure Silver. The ZenBook Flip15 starts at 899€(~$1000), and like the Flip 14, we're still waiting on hear on when precisely it will hit the market.

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Source: ASUS

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  • Kakti - Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - link

    Very interested to see how these quad core U processors stack up to their dual core "U" predecessors and the more power hungry "HQ" mobile series.

    Speaking of which....has Intel said anything about Coffeelake HQ processors? I know they typically come out a few months after the U lineup - usually like January/February so we're still pretty far away. However, the chips usually are on the official timelines since many business grade laptops run them and need to be spec'd in advance.
  • Kakti - Thursday, August 31, 2017 - link

    And apparently these new quad U's are Kaby Lake Refresh, not Coffee Lake.

    Besides the obvious groans about multiple architectures, lithographies, etc sharing the 8000 series...making this a refresh instead of a brand new line or series seems like a massive marketing fail. They're doubling the core/thread counts of the U line...why would they not be plastering "new architecture, double speed OMGBBQ" all over? They double the cores and call it a refresh? Marketing fail like I've never seen before...well done Intel.
  • MrSpadge - Thursday, August 31, 2017 - link

    When they make small architectural tweaks and call it "a new architecture" people rightfully complain. And you suggest it's a fail that they don't call the same architecture new? That would be a downright lie.. not even marketing is that bold.

    These cpus are what the 700 series was to nVidias 600 series. A refresh of the same technology, but in different product configurations which benefit users.
  • HStewart - Thursday, August 31, 2017 - link

    Possibly Kaby Lake Refresh is Coffee Lake but for mobile. It does look like significant architecture changes happen. I expecting we are going to see a lot more systems with more cores coming especially in the mobile lines.

    The performance of these CPU's don't just look because of double the cores, better battery life appears to happen.
  • ddriver - Thursday, August 31, 2017 - link

    They will have benefits when you are plugged at home and it is winter :)

    In normal operating conditions they quickly clock down and you end up with a rather modest performance gain for sustained workloads. And sustained workloads are pretty much the only ones that merit and benefit from more cores.

    That's for 2 in 1 devices, thicker laptops might fare better due to better cooling and more power juce.
  • austinsguitar - Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - link

    dude i am SO STOKED for these 4 core 8 thread processors man...
  • zodiacfml - Saturday, September 2, 2017 - link

    Same. When are these things get to reviewed?
  • CoreyWat - Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - link

    Really Asus 1080p for ~$900 smh.
  • Kakti - Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - link

    I'm pretty sure that $900 is going towards the 2-in-1 hinges, NVidia MX150 and i7 procesor. Given the hardware and cooling abilities of an ultrabook, anything higher than 2160p would struggle terribly. 1080p gives great battery life and good framerates. That said, I do think that a 2160p screen should at least be an option since they have the MX150. Ultrabooks are all about sacrifices...have to give up something for the size and weight.
  • WorldWithoutMadness - Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - link

    Still no amd raven ridge models? Even teaser or leak?
    Confidence, wrong strategy or gimped laptops again?

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