There’s a saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – but not for Asus. The ZenBook 3 is the Taiwanese electronics firm’s latest 12.5 inch MacBook-killing Ultrabook. It doesn’t just so much imitate as it does completely destroy Apple’s ultrathin laptop in specs and price.
Weighing in at a scant 2 pounds and 11.9mm (0.46-inches) thick, it’s both thinner and lighter than 0.51-inches (13.1mm) and 2.03 pounds (0.92kg) Apple MacBook. And while Apple had to sacrifice key travel and performance components to make its laptop as thin as possible, Asus says nay to all of that and goes with the full might of Intel Core i7 processors and a lower price to boot.
Design
If you’ve seen a Rose Gold MacBook before, this particularly colored ZenBook should look awfully familiar. Both machines share an almost identical silhouette, that said there are some distinct differences if you look closely enough.
For one thing the ZenBook 3 is thinner, but it’s also a bit wider and not as deep thanks to its 16:9 screen ratio as opposed to the 16:10 Apple MacBook. Asus has also reversed the position of its ports, moving the charging/data USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port to the right and headset jack on the left.
The ZenBook’s distinctive spun metal finish makes a return and you’ll also find a radial pattern concealing two of the laptop’s four speakers – the other two are located on the machine’s underside.
The model 3 also takes Asus’ diamond cut chamfered edges to the nth degree. You’ll find the chamfered edge starts on the inside at the top of the screen lid, it rolls onto the outside as it makes its way to the hinge.
MacBook imitations aside, the ZenBook 3 is a sharp little Ultrabook. It features an all-metal body, but Asus used a specially blended form of aerospace-grade aluminum alloy, which it claims to be 40 percent stronger than the material used in other Ultrabooks.
Specs
Aesthetics aren’t what really set the ZenBook 3 apart, it’s hard core specs that do. Despite also being thinner and lighter than the ZenBook UX305, this ultra-slim system is a powerhouse starting with Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 256GB SSD for $999 (about £687, AU$1,379).
Users can also get a richly specced machine with an added Core i7 processor, 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM and an added fingerprint scanner built into the corner of the touchpad for $1,999 (about £1,374, AU$2,760).
While, other notebooks this thin have often gone with Intel Core M-series chips, Asus managed to get away with Core I-series CPUs thanks to integrating a newly developed 3mm fan. The 12.5-inch display has also been fitted with a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for extra durability, though, screen resolution is limited to Full HD only.
Asus claims users can expect nine hours of usage and they should be able to top off an empty machine back to 60% in 49 minutes thanks to fast charging through the USB-C port.
Early verdict
The Asus ZenBook 3 sounds like a winner on paper. How can you go wrong with Intel Core I-series power in a two-pound laptop? I’m chiefly wary of battery life and how much Asus really managed to squeeze into such a thin design and it’s something I look forward to finding out in my full review.
Additional reporting and photography by Lucy Wang
Source: techradar.com
Top Brands
Apparantly- Only 1 USB Port. Tut Tut
It's like they're never learning their lesson, I bet the battery life will be average and I really hope I'm wrong. But why don't they understand that I (as an average user) don't care about 200gr less but I do care about battery life. I need an all day thing, I don't care about it being the thinnest or lightest. It's a trend that I really dislike but I hope this laptop will prove me wrong.
I bought an iPhone 6S+ for the longer battery life over the Note 4.
hahahaha non starter….OSX is a laugh….
I find it hard to believe that anyone could actually care, let alone notice that it is all of five hundredths of an inch thinner and three hundredths of a pound lighter than a Macbook (or than anything else for that matter)!
In other respects, it sounds like a winner but I cannot get over that ridiculous superficiality.
not apples fault?
how is that at all true? apple are responsible for their CPU offerings in their products, not the consumer…
Well everyone has different needs. I want a laptop as light and thin as possible to carry it everyday in my bag, and I don't care if it doesn't last 9 hours. 16GB of ram on it? I'll wait for deeper reviews but it looks like a winner to me.
I have two Macs for work and they both run Windows 10. In features and flexibility, Mac OS is really being left behind by Microsoft. OSX does do somethings better like sound management, virtual desktops, etc but so does W10 with snap windows, OneDrive settings sync between devices, a far more useful task bar and file explorer, etc.
“… chiefly wary …”? Awkward!
Unfortunately for ASUS, there's more to a notebook experience than specs. The fact that it runs Windows 10 makes it a non-starter.
thats true. If it doesnt tick the long battery box, its a mobile device with limitations..Minimum 9 hours batter for a pro device is a must nowdays.
Why does it matter if I have an Android or iPhone device ? I can't do what I need to on these.
Why compare with the MacBook? The Zenbook 3 serves a different purpose which is more akin to the Air or Pro usage, depending on the specs you chose.
If you care about all day battery life, are you currently using an iPhone or an Android that has 2x the battery life?
Also note this can run an i7. The M processor in the MacBook is really pathetic (not Apple's fault, the processor is just not very powerful).
Has anyone wiped off Windows 10 and loaded Ubuntu instead? How's the support for al the hardware e.g. graphics, ssd, power mgmt, video cam, sound, etc?