Where's the best place to buy an ASUS ZenBook S?

Easily available on both sides of the Atlantic

The ASUS ZenBook S is, thankfully, readily available in both North America and Europe, and in both cases, Amazon is the single easiest place to pick one up.

In the U.S. you'll be paying $1,130 for the lowest priced version, while the same model clocks in at £900 in Europe.

Know the different configurations

There are two configurations you can buy on Amazon, and it's important to familiarize yourself with them before hitting the buy button as there are a few key differences:

• The cheaper, Core i5 model has a slower SATA SSD while the Core i7 model has the faster PCIe storage.
• The full HD display is non-touch. To get a touchscreen you have to step up to the 4K model.

Aside from these, the usual spec changes are found on the more expensive model, like a faster processor, more RAM, and more storage capacity. The more expensive model is also $1,400 on Amazon, compared to $1,130 for the more basic model, so that's also something to consider.

Prepare for the dongle life

While the inevitable switch to USB-C is still a work in progress, on the ZenBook S, you'll need to take into account its lack of legacy ports before you buy. ASUS tosses a USB-C Ethernet adapter in the box, but for any of your thumb drives, card readers, or external peripherals, you're going to need a dongle.

There are plenty of dongles and docks out there to choose from, all depending on how much you need to expand your connectivity. At the very simplest level, though, you can pick up an AmazonBasics USB-C to USB 3.1 adapter for just $8. It's cheap, supports fast data transfer, and is small enough to fit in any pocket in your laptop bag. Plus, you can keep your purchase in one place and maybe take advantage of that Amazon Prime free 2-day shipping.