Reducing the size of bezels has been a growing trend in phones and computers alike, and ASUS' latest Zenbooks are its latest attempts at shrinking the bezels on a laptop as much as possible. The Zenbook 14 UX431 and the Zenbook S13 UX392 are slightly different takes on the bezel-less display, with the latter being the more unique of the two.
The two models have a lot in common, with both offering up to an eighth-generation Intel Core i7 U-series processor, though the Zenbook 14 can come with a Core i3, while the S13 starts with a Core i5. Both also offer the option to include Nvidia's MX150 for graphics. Both also offer up to 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage.
The differences start becoming more visible in the display - or rather, what's around it. The Zenbook 14 offers a 14-inch Full HD display behind a glass panel, with bezels coming in at 6.5mm thick on each side, though the top bezel is slightly bigger to accommodate the camera. The Zenbook S13 comes with a slightly smaller panel at 13.9 inches, but it keeps the same resolution.
The big difference here lies in the bezels, which the S13 reduces to just 2.5mm on the sides, the world's smallest, according to ASUS. Even at the top and bottom, the black borders are minimal, with the exception of the camera housing. Rather than maintaining a larger bezel at the top or bottom, ASUS chose to create a sort of notch which protrudes from the top of the display. This also creates an easier method for opening the laptop, with the protrusion serving as a grip for your fingers. Sadly, despite the large notch, it doesn't seem to support Windows Hello facial recognition, with ASUS offering a fingerprint sensor built into the trackpad on both models.
Other differences include the ability to use your trackpad as a number pad on the Zenbook 14, an option that seems to be missing on the S13. The ports also differ between the two models, with the S13 offering two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C ports and one Type-A port that's also USB 3.1 Gen 2. The Zenbook 14 instead opts for a single Gen 2 Type-C port, one Gen 1 Type-A port, and a USB 2.0 port. The latter does offer HDMI connectivity, though, which isn't present on the S13.
Both the Zenbook 14 and S13 will be available in the coming months, but details on pricing and availability haven't been given.
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