In brief: Asus is preparing to introduce what it claims will be the world’s lightest Copilot+ PC. The portable, the latest member of the company’s long-running Zenbook line, is said to be inspired by nature and minimalism, and affords an impressive 32 hours of battery life.
Asus is only teasing its new Zenbook at this time, so we’ll have to wait until its formal introduction at the Always Incredible launch event on January 7 to get the full scoop. Given the battery life claims, however, it is likely that this new Copilot+ PC will be powered by a Snapdragon X chip.
Qualcomm’s Arm-based platform is known to excel in terms of energy efficiency. In a recent Tom’s Hardware review, Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14s with a Snapdragon Elite X chip notched an impressive 21 hours in their battery test. While not quite the 24 hours that Lenovo promised, it is impressive nevertheless.
Speaking of battery life claims, it is not uncommon for real-world performance to fall short of manufacturer claims. As Tom’s correctly highlights, PC makers test their machines in controlled environments that often involve light tasks, few background processes running, and low screen brightness. In reality, users often have many tasks running in the background and don’t skimp on screen brightness, especially in brightly lit office environments or when working outdoors.
Again, Asus is keeping its cards close to the vest. As of writing, we don’t even know what size laptop we are going to get. If we had to guess, something in the 13-inch range feels about right, and would put Asus in contention with other lightweight laptop makers like LG and Fujitsu. Pricing is also a complete unknown at this time, so we’ll just have to wait and reserve final judgment until CES.
The Consumer Electronics Show kicks off on January 7 and runs through the 10th in Las Vegas. Media days, when most participants share their innovations for the coming year, will take place on January 5 and January 6.
