ASUS ZenBook S13 UX392FN Hands-on

In January at CES 2019, ASUS announced the new ZenBook S13 UX392FN boasting a premium CNC-milled aluminum design and an immersive screen with 97% screen-to-body ratio. We finally got our hands on one so check out our initial impressions below.

One of the things that this notebook is boasting is its premium build. And upon opening the box, you can immediately tell that it is. What will greet you is this aluminum lid with the ASUS signature Zen-inspired spun metal finish. Stamped in the middle is the reflective ASUS logo.

The chamfered edges feel edgy or sharp in the fingers. These chamfers are reflective, which is a nice touch and makes the whole device look more dynamic. However, I noticed that these parts are prone to fingerprints and smudges. It doesn’t look good when it accumulates so you’ll be forced to wipe it now and then.

The rest of the body is also made of aluminum, but the bottom is plastic which feels a bit off at first since you’re expecting metal. Found here are the four plastic nubs, the vent for air intake (the exhaust is at the back side at the hinge), and Harman-Kardon stereo speakers on the left and right-hand sides.

Looking at the left, we have two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C ports (both supports charging), and a microSD card reader.

On the right, we have the USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, the 3.5mm audio port, and LED for the power and battery.

The ports feel limited, so it’s a good thing ASUS included a USB-C dongle with a USB Type-C port for charging, full-size HDMI port, and another USB Type-A.

Open the lid, and you’ll see another feature that makes this notebook stand out – the 13.9-inch Full HD NanoEdge display. The bezels are just 2.5mm thick and translate to an impressive 97% screen-to-body ratio. Quality is excellent, has 100% sRGB color gamut and capable of producing 400nits of brightness. As for the HD webcam, it is placed on top along with the sensors.

Opening the lid also reveals the ZenBook S13’s unique design which is the ErgoLift which lifts the notebook’s back end to create an incline and provide three benefits: to improve typing position, to improve air circulation which helps in cooling, and to enhance audio.

Looking at the rest of the laptop, we have the full-size backlit keyboard with 1.4mm key travel. The key spacing is just right although we’re not a fan of the power button placed just above the backspace. Below the keyboard are the glass-covered precision touchpad and a fingerprint reader for extra security.

When it comes to its size, the ZenBooks S13 is portable and is just a bit wider than an A4-size paper, which is impressive for a notebook with a 13.9-inch screen. It’s also thin at 12.9mm and easy to lug around at 1.1kg. It even comes with a faux-leather carrying case to protect it from bumps and scratches, which is nice.

The ZenBook S13 unit we have on hand is powered by an Intel Core i7-8565U chipset, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of NVMe PCIe SSD. So far, we’re getting good performance, but we’ll discuss more of that in our full review instead.

ASUS ZenBook S13 UX392FN specs:

13.9-inch LED-backlit IPS FHD (1920 x 1080) NanoEdge display, 97% screen-to-body ratio
Intel Core i7-8565U 1.8GHz Quad-Core (up to 4.6GHZ, 8MB cache) / i5-8265U 1.6GHz (up to 3.9GHz, 6MB cache)
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU
8GB/16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM
256GB/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD
Windows 10 Home/Pro
HD Webcam
Wi-Fi 802.11ac gigabit-class
Bluetooth 5.0
1x 3.5mm audio port
2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C (supports fast charging)
1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A
1x MicroSD card reader
ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio (Harman Kardon)
20V DC, 65W output
100-240V AC, 50/60Hz input
1.29cm x 31.6cm x 19.5cm
1.1kg
Utopia Blue

The ASUS ZenBook S13 UX392FN-AB006T is priced at PHP 99,995USD 1,704INR 144,453EUR 1,623CNY 12,409.