The early laptops didn't really deserve to call themselves laptops. Chunky, heavy and with the kind of radiating heat that gave your thighs a healthy glow, they were hardly built for dropping on your lap and shooting off a quick memo to Jenkins in accounts. 

But Asus' new ZenBook S laptop is the lightweight slate of metal that early 90s business execs dreamed of. 

Unveiled at Computex in Taipei on Tuesday, the metal unibody ZenBook weighs in at 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) and measures 12.9mm thick (0.5 inches). It's been tested to meet military-grade durability standards, and comes in colours "inspired by the magical moment at dawn when the golden rays of the sun first illuminate the ink-blue sky." If that's your thing. 

Aside from the lightweight "ultraportable" design, the standout for the ZenBook S is its ErgoLift hinge. When you open it up, the screen pushes the keyboard up on a 5.5° tilt to make it easier to type when the laptop is actually on your lap or on a table. Close it up and that hinge disappears to give you a slim body that'll slip into your bag. 

It's a small feature, but nifty for people who want to use their laptop on the go or anywhere other than a perfectly flat table. And it's a feature that helped Asus snag the Best Choice Golden Award at Computex this year. 

Inside, the ZenBook S is packing some pretty premium specs in that thin body, including a 13.3-inch 4K display, Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD on the top-of-the-line model. 

• 12.9mm thick, 1kg weight
  
• 13.3-inch touchscreen display up to 4K resolution
  
• Up to Intel Core i7 processor
  
• Up to 16GB RAM 
  
• Up to 1TB SSD storage
  
• ErgoLift hinge creates 5.5° keyboard tilt
  
• 3 x USB-C connections with dual Thunderbolt 3
  
• Up to 13.5 hour battery life
  
• Meets military MIL-STD-810G durability standards
  
• Available in Deep Dive Blue or Burgundy Red
  

Be sure to check out our complete coverage from Computex 2018.