Taiwan’s ASUS has announced a new Windows 10-based ZenBook 3 that seems to have one major target – to kill the Apple MacBook and MacBook Air lineup. The question is will it succeed?
Here are the key features of the new ASUS ZenBook 3 that will probably make you want to have one from the volumes that the company is set to pump into the market.
Sleek design
Rather than come in with simple tweaks to the design, ASUS went for wholesale changes. The ZenBook 3 features an aerospace-grade aluminum alloy that is shaped into an 11.9mm chassis. Speaking of chassis, the device has been trimmed to a weight of just 910g, but you will still get a decent battery unit as well as USB Type-C. The laptop can be bought in Rose Gold, Royal Blue or Quartz Grey.
Intel chipset on board
The new ASUS ZenBook 3 comes in several variants that pack different Intel-made low energy dual-core chips ranging from Core i5 to Core i7. There is no doubt that these chips are powerful enough to give the device solid performance no matter what.
In addition to the low energy Intel chipsets, you still get up to 16GB of RAM, but this is only on the premium model. The lower end model packs a RAM of 4GB. This also means that there are some huge differences in pricing, depending on the configuration you get, but expect the base model to be no less than $800.
Decent storage options
The amount of storage availed on the ZenBook 3 will not disappoint you in any case. The base model has 256GB, which should be enough for most people. However, if you feel this isn’t doing you any good, you can upgrade to as much as 1TB of storage, but of course, there is a cost, similar to the case of upgrading to higher RAM.
Excellent sound and display
If you love listening to audio files right from your laptop, you will love the ZenBook 3 thanks to the fact that speaker expert Harmon Kardon was at the heart of the device’s audio system. The system features four speakers that are much better than what you find on most portable laptops. In addition, you get a 12.5-inch Full HD screen that is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4, ensuring that the display doesn’t easily catch scratches or break in case of accidental drops.
You also get a fingerprint scanner that works pretty fast.
With these features, there is no doubt that the ASUS ZenBook 3 is here to compete with the elites. However, there is no easy sail in this market – a market that boasts the likes of Acer’s Aspire S 13, Huawei MateBook, Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Samsung Galaxy TabPro S and so on.