A new era of notebook is coming. When the most powerful smartphones arrived on the market, it was already spoken as if we carried the computer in our pocket. And is that the processing capacities are quite high in the most current models. So, said and done: these processors will be the heart of the future batch of notebooks to hit the market. And one of the first we will see is the ASUS NovaGo.
Taiwanese ASUS already has experience in being one of the first to launch new platforms. And this time he does it with a laptop that promise to be connected at all times; very easy to use (based on Windows) and with an autonomy out of the ordinary in the portable sector.
ASUS NovaGo: the first of the 'Always Connected PCs' platform
ASUS already found its goose that laid the golden eggs when the first ones appeared netbooks - anyone remember those ASUS Eee PC 701? -. And it wants to do the same with Microsoft's "Always Connected PCs" platform. This platform will try offer equipment in a market that increasingly demands more portability and more work autonomy away from home or the office.
And this is where the ASUS NovaGo comes in, a laptop that gets a 13,3-inch screen; LED-backlit and reaching a maximum resolution of 1.920 x 1.080 pixels. Also, this panel It is foldable becoming a whole tablets to use and with the possibility of using a stylus. In addition, its weight is 1,39 kilograms and offers a 1,49-centimeter thick chassis - to give you an idea: Apple's MacBook weighs 920 grams and its thickness is 1,31 centimeters.
Also, if you take a look at its external design, the physical buttons for volume control or on / off, are very much in the style of a mobile: on one side and not invading the main keyboard. Of course, the keyboard will be comfortable to use and on the trackpad we will have a fingerprint reader to unlock the equipment with greater security.
Mobile heart with laptop design
Samsung or Apple already gave us clues where the market was heading. Apple with its iPhone or iPad with processors so powerful that they achieve better performance than laptops; Samsung added a base to its high-end mobiles that when connected to a monitor become a common computer.
Well, continuing with these ideas, ASUS integrates a mobile processor into its NovaGo: Snapdragon 835 (The same one used by mobiles such as the OnePlus 5, Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Why this processor? Because it provides power and energy efficiency. Also, this chip can be added a RAM memory of up to 8 GB and a Flash storage space of up to 256 GB.
Connections at the height and autonomy of mobile
We are talking about a laptop and not a mobile. Therefore, the physical connections must be up to the task. In this case, the ASUS NovaGo will have HDMI output as well as two USB 3.1 ports (type A) - perhaps they could have included a USB-C - and a MicroSD cards up to 256 GB at most.
However, the most interesting thing comes from the hand of wireless connections. This ASUS laptop will have WiFi ac MIMO 2 × 2 for greater coverage and speed; will not have Bluetooth connection (?) and a 4G LTE modem (Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 modem (Gigabit LTE with DL: 1Gbps, UL: 150Mbps; 4 × 4 MIMO)). The ASUS NovaGo will be able to work with NanoSIM cards (via the microSD slot) or with eSIM cards.
Finally, if we talk about the heart of mobile and mobile technology with a laptop chassis, the battery could not disappoint. And in this case it is promise up to 22 hours of autonomy on a single charge; we will see in real tests to what extent it is true.
Operating system, availability and price
This ASUS NovaGo will come with Windows 10 S pre-installed. This platform is a very light version of Windows 10, so surely we will not have all the applications available. What's more, this operating system was born with the idea of dealing with Chromebooks. Now, according to the page of the Taiwanese, this laptop can be updated for free to Windows 10 Pro.
The bad news is that when it appears in the first of 2018 it will do so in some markets that do not include Spain. It will do it in: United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, China and Taiwan. And the prices will be $ 599 (504 euros to change) for the version with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of space. While the top of the range (8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of space) will amount to 799 dollars (673 euros).