T
he Asus ZenBook Flip 15 is a
great laptop for work,
entertainment, productivity
and even some light gaming; it
really can do it all. And it should,
given its north-of-four-figures list
price. It features genuine versatility
in interaction and use, and one of
the best screens on a Windows 10
laptop we’ve experienced.
Housed within the brushed-
metal body are a satisfying
keyboard and excellent touchpad.
The touchpad is also a second
screen that can be used to launch
tasks and shortcuts – Asus calls it
a ScreenPad. It’s a bit of a gimmick
but still useful, and fits with the
premium nature of this machine.
Meanwhile, the main screen is a
total joy: its 4K resolution provides
a roomy and crisp display for the
15-inch panel, and the touchscreen
functionality is excellent.
The flip screen is a great feature
we are really fond of in modern
2-in-1 laptops. It adds a whole new
dimension to how we can use these
already-excellent PCs, allowing us
to go from work or productive-task
machine, to sofa-bound browser in
a simple and satisfying motion.
There’s no Ethernet, but
otherwise the range of ports is as
expected: a few USBs, an HDMI, and
an SD card reader.Design
The Asus ZenBook Flip 15 is
expensive, but compared to
competitors such as the HP Spectre
x360, it’s pitched at about the right
price. It also makes it a great
contender for future sales: getting
this, with all its bells and whistles
for £1,000 or less would be a steal.
The exquisite brushed metal – US
Military grade quality allegedly
– makes for a solid machine, and
makes a nice change from the basic
black and silver designs we often
see in modern laptops. It feels like
it could survive a knock or two
– although we’d never want to riskdenting that beautiful casing. The
glorious 4K screen has an
impressive 90% screen-to-body
ratio thanks to the ultra-thin 4.5mm
bezels that surround the display. It’s
impressive stuff
The Zenbook Flip 15 tries to give
you everything plus its own toys
too, which means there’s a
competition for space – we found it
was easy to miss keys or hit the
wrong ones.
Elsewhere, the design
incorporates some impressive
audio for a laptop: the Harman
Kardon front-facing speakers
provide genuinely good sound. The
ports are neat and tidy too, running
along either side of the laptop and
offer a good, but not enormously
wide, set of options.
You get two USB-As; one USB-C;
one HDMI; one SD card reader; and
an audio jack. The glaring omission
here is the absence of an Ethernet
port. The Flip 15 would, seemingly,
not be affected too much byAsus ZenBook Flip 15
£1,500 | $1,500 http://www.asus.com
A capable and premium 2-in-1 laptop
Images : Techradar.com62 |^ |^ May 2020