Table of Contents
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Review Score
[review]
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Overview
The Asus ZenBook 3 is a top-tier ultraportable laptop. Asus makes dozens of more highly capable machines, but when the re’s one you’d find in a glass case, on a rotating pedestal, that is probably it. The Asus ZenBook range has always been – let’s put it politely – an homage to Apple’s MacBook Air. These days, though, that brand is no longer a byword for thin-and-light portability.
If the MacBook is the target, the ZenBook 3 certainly hits the mark. Look previous the brushed swirl on its aluminum alloy lid, and you can almost get the two laptops mixed up. The ZenBook 3 will be had in either pale Quartz Grey or Rose Gold. The ZenBook 3 isn’t a precise duplicate, although. It’s very slightly thinner overall than the MacBook.
Specifications
Processor: Intel Kaby Lake Core i7-7500U CPU
Memory: 16 GB LPDDR3 2133 MHz
Storage: 512 M.2 NVMe SSD (80 mm)
Screen: 12.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 px, IPS, non-touch, glossy
Operating system: Windows 10
Size: 296 mm or 11.66
Connectivity: Wireless AC (Intel AC 8260), Bluetooth 4.1, WiDi
Design
The Zenbook 3 is considered one of much top-notch in the world of laptops right now. In truth, it is better than the MacBook in some cases. Asus claims that the Zenbook three is thinner and lighter than a 12-inch MacBook, and it’s. The laptop measures a small 11.9mm in thickness and weighs in at merely 910 gram. It’s not merely about being mild or thin, although. The Zenbook three appears every bit as premium as the MacBook, to an area, that these unfamiliar with the scheme of materials can also genuinely confuse it with Apple’s laptop on first look.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Asus has also messed with its normal keyboard and trackpad style, and not with excellent results. The Asus ZenBook 3 keys are very simple, and the pad clicks subtle, almost to the point of non-existence. The keys on the UX390 are rectangular. Also these of you with bigger hands shouldn’t have a downside with them. The re’s a small LED on the power button that remains active all the time, which you may find annoying when watching movies in a dark room, and the keyboard’s back-lightning spreads to the speaker screens on top of the keys on both of my test units.
The trackpad sits beneath the keyboard, centered on the laptop’s width and never on the space key. It’s smooth and feels good to touch, but it felt rather plasticky to me, although is made from glass. It’s an Elan surface provided as a Microsoft Certified Touchpad with very few customization options, but it performed well in most cases, and I didn’t find the urge to tweak something in the settings.
Display
You may expect the highest-spec screen of any Asus ZenBook in the UX390UA, but it’s almost constant. Top brightness is excellent extremely at 370cd/m. Whereas the UX390UA has a glossy screen rather than a matte one like some of Asus’s cheaper ZenBooks, you’ll have the ability to use the laptop outdoors. The re’s no touchscreen and resolution is only full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels). The top cover of the screen is Gorilla Glass 4, so it should be relatively safe from scratches except you treat particularly roughly.
Audio and Graphics
Asus has also put extra work inside the speakers in partnership with Harman Kardon. Asus laptops have used branded speakers like these. However, the Asus ZenBook 3 UX390UA has a quad-driver array that gives the real benefits. There are two drivers above the keyboard and two on the underside. Those above the keyboard are easier, and the Asus ZenBook 3 effect to make kick drums sound punchier than most slim laptops. Unlike some large gaming laptops, the sound isn’t muggy-sounding both.
Don’t expect to play new games with the Asus ZenBook 3 UX390UA, although. That uses the integrated Intel HD 620 GPU that can only handle older titles. Isolation averages 24fps at 720p, minimum graphics, and Thief a pretty dismal 15.2fps, dropping to 6.2fps at 1080p. Stick to older or casual games.
Hardware and Performance
The Asus ZenBook 3 UX390 is scheduled to retail with Skylake Core i7-7500U and Core i5-7200U processors. We’re also honestly impressed with how the ZenBook 3 handles warmth. A laptop this small with a Core i7 isn’t going to be able to depend on pure passive cooling. However, its fans will not be annoying.
When it comes to, it’s best also to know that this laptop provides up to 16 GB of LPDDR3 memory for storage. Everything, however, the SSD is soldered on the motherboard. However, the storage will be changed with appropriate 80 mm sticks. I count on the bottom configNow, should you’re going to go for the Core i7 processor on this Zenbook you’ll most likely push it through some hard chores, like some photo/video editing, programming software and so on, and that is where the problem of throttling comes into play.Urations to ship with M.2 SATA SSDs, so that you may need to get inside and change these with a quicker option. Asus preloads the UX390UA with a handful of necessary utilities and a minimal quantity of bloatware. The laptop also comes with some third-party apps: Sweet Crush Soda Saga, TripAdvisor, Netflix, Flipboard, and a link to download PicsArt Photograph Studio from the Home windows Store. You may very well need a few of these. However, you might have simply as only put in them by yourself.
Battery Life
Ending off with one of the most vital elements, the Asus ZenBook 3 UX390UA has a 40Wh battery. The huge problem is the ZenBook 3 chews through its battery too fast, lasting a mere 6hrs 52minutes in our continuous video playback test. That’s nowhere near the MacBook’s 10hrs 12minutes the same test.
Configuration Option
![Asus ZenBook 3](https://www.compsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/59d80cf1ad7d6540a3e781fcd27f10f2-2-1024x480.png)
Image Source: wakuwakulabo.com
You have two options with the ZenBook: the $1,599 model with a Core i7-7500U chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB and $ 1,099 model with a Core i5-7200U processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Conclusion
The ZenBook 3’s beautiful design, light weight, and incredible thinness will lure you in. However, this laptop’s beauty is more than skin-deep. You may enjoy watching videos on the sharp and vibrant screen whereas listening to the highly effective audio system and crunching a large spreadsheet in one other window. Unfortunately, while you pack this 2-pound laptop in your bag, you’ll also need to bring an adapter for connecting peripherals and a power twine for charging when the device runs out of juice before the end of your workday.
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