ASUS UX21 ultra-thin laptop unveiled at Computex

MacBook Air rivals are growing in number at an alarming rate. Whereas offerings from Samsung and the like all differ slightly in terms of looks and style, ASUS’ new ultra-thin has seemingly carved itself from the exact same mould. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Apple should blush in appreciation when it sees this: the ASUS UX21.

The UX21 is, as you’d expect, startlingly thin. Its thickest point is just 17mm and it weighs a feathery 1.1kg thanks to being made almost entirely of a lightweight aluminium-alloy. ASUS clearly knows its got a battle on its hands in order to woo customers away from Apple’s miniature machine, so it’s ensured that the specs are up to scratch, too; the processor options go up to Intel’s speedy Core i7.

Thanks to some clever proprietary ASUS tech, the UX21 can resume from sleep in just three seconds – a state which it can stay in for up to a week without losing any battery. There are a couple of USB 3.0 ports, a full-size metal keyboard and glass multi-touch trackpad, but that’s all we know at the moment thanks to ASUS being slightly coy.

What we do know is that the UX21 is set to launch in September. Is this the MacBook Air rival you’ve been waiting for? Let us know on the Gadget Helpline Twitter feed.