14 DAY TRIAL // After some reports previously stated that Asus's position as the first notebook maker to ever release an Ultrabook was seriously threatened by HP, the Taiwanese company responded by announcing that the ultra-slim UX21 laptop will become available later in September.
Intel defined the Ultrabook as a laptop that combines high performance, excellent responsiveness and security in a slim and elegant chassis.
All of these are paired together by Asus with some impressive hardware specifications as the UX21 is available with a wide range of Intel Sandy Bridge processors.
As a result, users can choose from quite a few low-voltage CPU models, starting with the not-yet-released 1.7GHz Core i5-2557M and going up to the 1.8GHz Core i7-2677M.
All of these processors have a TDP of 17W, dual processing cores, 3 or 4 MB of Level 3 cache memory and support both the Hyper-Threading and the Turbo Boost technologies.
The fast Intel CPUs can be paired with 64GB or 128GB SATA 6Gbps solid state drives, and Asus claims that the notebook can resume from a sleep state in just two seconds.
Around the edges of the UX21, users will find one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port, a mini-DisplayPort as well as a mini-HDMI connector. The UX21 display measures 11.6-inch is diagonal and is LED back-lit.
The components are housed inside a thin and light anodized aluminum uni-body chassis that measures no more than 17mm at its thickest point, while the aluminum keyboard and glass touchpad were designed to accentuate the style of the unit.
The Asus UX21 ultra-thin notebook is expected to debut in September 2011 with a recommended price that will start bellow the $1000 mark.
Apart from Asus and HP, Acer has also recently expressed its plans of releasing an Ultrabook in December of this year. (via Nordic Hardware)