ASUS revealed their new Xenbook, with its new ScreenPad and NanoEdge bezels, which give this laptop an 83% screen-to-body ratio.  You will be able to get a variety of models, including a 4k alternative for those who can't stand 1080p anymore. 

Inside you will find a processor of up to an i9-8950HK, 16GB of DDR4-2400, a GTX 1050 Ti and a 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD.  The 15.6" screen is PANTONE vaildated with guaranteed Delta-E colour difference of less than 2.0 for the 4K display model and less than 3.0 for the 1080p, as well as 100% Adobe RGB and 132% sRGB coverage. 

The ScreenPad is a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, replacing a standard touchpad with support for up to to four finger gestures.  As it is more capable than the run of the mill touchpad, ASUS included a configureable menu at the top of the ScreenPad, which can perform a variety of tricks.  If you are using a compatible Microsoft Office product the menu will offer you various ribbon commands, or you can control your YouTube and Spotify sessions.  If you prefer you can also use it as a secondary monitor or use the ASUS Sync app to display and control your smartphone.

This adds up to a powerful little machine, with a reported MSRP of $2300.   Now have some PR …

Fremont, California, June 5, 2018 — ASUS today announced the new ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad (UX580), a high-performance professional-grade laptop that innovates how the touchpad is used. The ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad is built for demanding professionals who value power, top-end specifications, and innovation in an elegant design. The ZenBook Pro 15 provides compelling performance thanks to up to an 8th generation Intel Core i9 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti discrete graphics, ultra-fast PCI Express-based storage, high-speed 2400MHz DDR4 RAM, 802.11ac Wave 2 gigabit-class Wi-Fi and Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C ports. The ZenBook 15 Pro with ScreenPad also features a built-in fingerprint reader for fast, convenient and secure one-touch Windows Hello login.

The ZenBook 15 Pro with ScreenPad’s beautiful up to 4K display provides professional-level visuals covering 100% of the Adobe RGB color space and 132% of sRGB, and providing guaranteed color accuracy with a Delta-E (ΔE) color difference of less than 2.0. The ZenBook 15 Pro with ScreenPad also features ASUS’ ultra-slim NanoEdge bezels for an immersive 83% screen-to-body ratio.

The ZenBook Pro 15 features an innovative new ScreenPad designed for powerful control resulting in increased functionality and efficiency, with a configurable toolbar and app launcher, while also retaining the ability to function as an extended display.

Despite the additional hardware and complexity in design, the ZenBook Pro with ScreenPad retains the same dimensions as the previous generation while also packing an incredible-sounding audio experience certified by Harmon Kardon.

All-powerful and all-conquering
The ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad is built for discerning professionals who need portability without sacrificing performance or style. At the core of the ZenBook Pro 15 is up to an 8th-generation Intel Core i9-8950HQ hexa-core processor, capable of boosting its frequency up to 4.5GHz and providing almost 30% faster performance than the previous generation. In concert with the hexa-core processor are a blistering fast up to 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD and up to 16GB of high-performance 2400MHz DDR4 RAM to provide compelling performance previously unseen for thin and light laptops effortless loading or transferring large files, datasets, and game levels.

The ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad delivers incredible graphics horsepower with the use of an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti discrete graphics processor with 4GB of GDDR5 memory. Graphics-intensive and GPU-accelerated task such as 3d-rendering, 4K UHD video playback, smooth 1080p gaming performance make the ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad a media powerhouse enjoyed by designers, developers, and gamers alike.

Touchpad innovation with ScreenPad
Touchpads have long been a staple of laptops since their introduction in 1992 but since then, besides better accuracy and accompanying gesture-based software support, there just hasn’t been much innovation. This has led ASUS to develop the ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad, containing a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display that is more responsive and is adaptable to a variety of tasks, while retaining support for Microsoft Precision Touchpad (PTP) and up to four finger gestures.

The ScreenPad has a configurable toolbar at the top that can be dragged down to access the app launcher, which is also configurable with any installed application. ASUS has built-in support for popular professional applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and an included calendar app that syncs to a Windows calendar account. ASUS has also included support for popular apps such as YouTube and Spotify, while including a built-in music player, NumKey, and Calculator. Finally, the ScreenPad can mirror a smartphone with the use of the ASUS Sync app and can also work in screen extender mode, seen as an additional display by Microsoft Windows and allowing any windows to be dragged over to it such as chat windows, social media accounts, email, or anything else!

ASUS is also announcing plans to release a ScreenPad SDK to encourage community development by the end of 2018. Spectacular and validated display and audio

The ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad’s touchscreen display is truly spectacular to behold and features another first for ASUS, the first PANTONE validated display, and it comes with guaranteed Delta-E (ΔE) color difference of less than 2.0 for the 4K display model and less than 3.0 for the 1080p display model. And 100% Adobe RGB and 132% sRGB coverage, the ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad is capable of delivering incredibly accurate and natural looking colors for creative content professionals. At four times the numbers of pixels of Full HD display, the ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad’s up to 4K display sports a pixel density of 282ppi, delivering ultra-sharp and stunning visual performance showcasing all the finest details at any angle thanks to its 178° wide-view technology. The touchscreen also supports the optional ASUS Pen.
The ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad delivers an amazing audio experience thanks to its Harmon Kardon-certified ASUS SonicMaster audio technology. The speakers enable the ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad to have a very broad frequency range that is 1.4x louder and 1.6x wider than the previous generation ZenBook Pro UX550, delivering high-volume capabilities with a rich depth compared to notebooks of similar size.

Cutting edge connectivity
In a world full of technology, there’s nothing more frustrating than being one cable or adapter away from being able to quickly transfer files or share your screen. From ultra-fast Thunderbolt 3, to both USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Gen 2 date transfer formats, the ZenBook Pro 15 UX580 offers users a comprehensive set of connectivity options through its USB Type-C and Type-A ports. It even has a full-sized HDMI port that allows it to be conveniently connected to TVs and projectors using widely available HDMI cables. Its Thunderbolt 3 ports allow up to two 4K 60Hz displays, while also supporting external graphics solutions such as the ASUS XG Station Pro, allowing users to upgrade graphics capability without having to modify or replace the laptop.
With faster-than-wired speeds of up to 1734Mbps — up to 12X faster than 802.11n — the dual-band 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi in ZenBook Pro 15 with ScreenPad allows smooth streaming of 4K UHD online videos, with greater range and more stable network connections.