The ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe ups the ante with a 14-inch display and more ports (Updated)
The ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe ups the ante with a 14-inch display and more ports (Updated)
Updated on 23 May 2017: The ZenBook 3 Deluxe (UX490) will be available to buy here from 26 May, with a starting price of S$2,198.
Originally published on 6 January 2017:
One of the more attractive MacBook alternatives on the market just got even better. The just-announced ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe retains the same elegant design as its predecessor, but it is now a far more functional machine with a bigger 14-inch display and three USB-C ports.
First announced at Computex 2016, the original ZenBook 3 was by no means a bad machine, but it still faced the same limitations that most MacBook owners know all too well with just a single USB-C port.
That’s changed now with the ZenBook 3 Deluxe, where two of the USB-C ports also support Thunderbolt 3. Of course, you’ll still need a dongle to interface with a USB Type-A device, but at least you can charge the notebook and plug in an external drive at the same time.
ASUS has equipped it with top-notch hardware as well, to the tune of a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor and up to 16GB of RAM. The base model comes with a Core i5 processor, and you can find the detailed specifications below:
- 14-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel matte display
- Intel Core i5-7200U (2.5GHz, 3MB L3 cache)
- 8GB DDR3 2,133MHz RAM
- 512GB SATA SSD
The larger 14-inch display still has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, but the impressive part is that ASUS has squeezed that display into the body of a 13-inch laptop, courtesy of the thin bezels. This is similar to what Dell did with the XPS 13, and it is really a wholly sensible choice because it does a lot for usability, portability, and aesthetics.
These extra features mean that the ZenBook 3 Deluxe is slightly thicker and heavier than the original, but it is a small price to pay for the added functionality. The increases in thickness and weight are small anyway – the ZenBook 3 weighs 910g and is 11.9mm thick, while the Deluxe tips the scales at 1.1kg and is 12.9mm thick.
Finally, the backlit keyboard has been tweaked slightly for a better experience. According to ASUS, there is now 1.2mm of key travel, compared to 0.8mm on the ZenBook 3. Shallow key travel distance was a weakness on the ZenBook 3 (as it is on many notebooks this size), so this change should improve the typing experience somewhat.
The ZenBook 3 Deluxe will be available to buy from 26 May starting at S$2,198, but the model with the Intel Core i7-7500U (2.7GHz, 4MB L3 cache) and 16GB of RAM will cost you S$2,698. From now till 30 June, you’ll also receive a free ASUS Mini Dock worth S$129 with every purchase.
