Windows on ARM was announced by Microsoft 24 hours ago and some devices with this platform at the core have already popped up. I’m thinking of the ASUS NovaGO and the HP Envy x2 of course. While the Envy x2 is more of a tablet-laptop hybrid, the ASUS NovaGO is a real 2 in 1 notebook with a larger format. It also gets a real price tag.
The core draws here are the Snapdragon 835 CPU and LTE connectivity, plus the amazing 20+ hours of battery life. ASUS NovaGO is a 2 in 1 laptop, that runs on Windows 10 S and it can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro in the future. It can only run apps from the Windows Store, but if you do the upgrade all the .EXEs you need will be yours. As far as hardware goes, this machine packs a 13.3 inch Full HD LED screen, with a 178 degree view angle and 100% support for sRGB colors.
The screen to body ratio is 78% and the bezels are 8.9 mm in thickness. The Snapdragon 835 CPU is clocked at 2.6 GHz and there’s also the Adreno 540 GPU to take care of gaming. The product is on offer with 4, 6 or 8 GB of RAM, while the storage is 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB. On the connectivity front there’s the audio jack, 2 USB 3.1 ports (Type-A), a nano SIM card slot, microSD and HDMI.
ASUS NovaGo packs a backlit keyboard with a 1.4 mm travel and a glass covered touchpad, so it’s doesn’t sacrifice the usual premium experience of ASUS laptops. It also doesn’t skimp on security, since it has a fingerprint scanner. Plus, there’s 2 ASUS SonicMaster Premium speakers on board, a HD webcam, LTE, WiFi ac and a 52 Wh battery. It all weighs 1.39 kilograms and it’s available in Sky Grey.
The price is $599 for the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage version and $799 for the 8 GB RAM + 256 GB flash storage model. Expect a commercial debut in Q2 2018.
