Dubai: If you are a Windows user and prefer a premium device to match the design of Apple’s iMac, your device has arrived.
The Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240IC is an excellent all-in-one desktop with plenty of processing power and ports to meet the needs of daily life.
It resembles iMac with the aluminium unibody design but Asus’ bezel is thick and there are brush Icicle Gold finish lines with Zen-inspired spun-metal detailing at the curved back which tapers to edges only 6mm thick.
The iMac competitor — Zen AiO Pro — is a precision-crafted artwork that will add grace and style to the living room without the bulky CPU.
The Zen AiO Pro looks amazing and its beauty is not just skin-deep. It has used cutting edge components from Intel and Nvidia and the 23.8-inch touchscreen device is powered by sixth-generation Skylake quad-core i7 (2.8GHz) processor coupled with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of hard disk space. It also houses a 128GB solid state drive for faster booting and weighs close to 8 kilos.
The integrated matching stand is sturdy and the display can be tilted with a single finger. The single titling hinge, modelled after the Chinese character 人 (ren), connected to the metal arm supports the display.
The dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 gaming-grade graphics with 2GB of video memory handles all the graphic-rich games and with no lags.
Round the back of the Zen include the latest 10Gbit/s USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, four USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port two HDMI-out ports, two-in-one card reader, headphone jack, power port, Ethernet port and Kensington security slot.
It does not have HDMI-in port and for every connection you need to turn the device. Asus should have thought of keeping the ports on the side for easy connectivity.
The first all-in-one PC with USB-C port is useful for charging laptops, smartphones and connecting to newer hard drives but cannot be used as a DisplayPort input.
Even though the display offers rich colours and details, the screen offers only up to 1920 x 1080 resolution and not 4K (3,840 by 2,160) compared to Apple’s Retina display (4,096 x 2,160).
Glare and fingerprints become major issues due to touchscreen display.
The plastic keyboard and the mouse spoil the premium device’s purpose. The full-fledged wireless keyboard with numeric pad is also flimsy but has scalloped keys that are comfortable to use. It is annoying that the optical mouse will only wake from sleep if you click either mouse button compared to other mouse like moving them. It’s easy to get accustomed to.
Asus has bundled a few of its own applications that while useful for some and a bloatware for some.
It is fitted with 2MP Intel RealSense 3D camera, compatible with Windows Hello, to log users in using their faces and without worrying about passwords, a new security feature built into Windows 10, and takes 3D photos. It is okay for video conferencing.
The Zen is equipped with a six-speaker (two 4W woofers and four 2W speakers to be precise) Asus SonicMaster Premium sound system that delivers 16W of rich and clear stereo sound though there is a bit of fuzz in the low end at maximum volume levels.
Listening to music or watching movies are a breeze on this big display that has a 100 per cent sRGB colour gamut, which ensures accurate colours that will make photos or videos look more vibrant.
Regarding connectivity, it has 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. It is priced at Dh6,500.
Pros
• Premium device
• Smart design
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port
• Gaming-class discrete graphics card
• Excellent specs
Cons
• Ports are inconveniently placed
• No HDMI-in port
• Mouse only wakes with button click
• Plastic mouse and keyboard
• No 4K display
