Asus launches two Zenbooks to rival Acer, Lenovo and Toshiba ultrabooks

Asus has become the latest manufacturer to unveil lightweight, high-performance ultrabooks, but the firm has opted to use a different product name to differentiate itself from Acer, Lenovo and Toshiba devices.

The Taiwanese manufacturer plans to launch two "Zenbooks" for sale online from 21 October, with prices starting at £849 for the 11in device.

First seen by V3 at Computex in May this year, the UX21 will come with an 11.6in HD display and be powered by an Intel Core i5 dual-core 1.6GHz processor together with 4GB of DDR3 RAM.

Other key features include a 128GB SSD, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports as well as micro HDMI and mini VGA ports.

Asus claims that the device will have five hours of battery life, similar to the 11in Apple MacBook Air. When power in the Zenbook reaches the five per cent mark, the device will automatically save files in progress to prevent data loss, the firm said.

The chassis has a thickness of 3mm at the front, 11mm at the rear and lacks an optical drive, which helps to bring the weight down to 1.1kg.

The V-shaped design has a copper fin design, which also aims to improve airflow and keep the device cool, Asus said.

Meanwhile, the UX31 Zenbook will come with largely the same specifications. Key differences include a larger 13.3in HD display, a beefier Intel Core i7 dual-core 1.8GHz processor and a touted seven hour battery life.

The UX31 will have the same thickness, but will be 200g heavier than the 11in Zenbook at 1.3kg. The device will retail at £999, making it cheaper than the Acer S3 and Lenovo's U300.

Both devices will also incorporate speakers from Bang & Olufsen to cater to the multimedia needs of users.

It remains to be seen whether the Zenbook branding will provide Asus with an advantage over its competitors or whether it will serve to confuse users. However, with the competitive pricing and high-end specifications, the UX devices could prove popular.