Ooh, shiny.
Yes, I got distracted by the look of the new Asus ZenBook 3. It’s a shiny metal – something I’m not used to at all with other laptops – and it has gold trim around the edges. Definitely different, definitely bold. And I definitely like it.
The ZenBook 3 is boasted as being the more powerful, thinner, lighter laptop as compared to Apple’s MacBook. Asus is taking on Apple in a big way. Although the feel of the laptop is a plus, I’m a little hesitant about the use itself. Can Asus compete? The specs sure sound strong, however, until I’m actually able to put a full day’s work into it, I’m going to hold off on a solid response. Asus claims the battery can last 9 hours – I’ve never experienced this in the past, so forgive me if I’m a bit reluctant to believe it. The MacBook also claims 9 hours, but many days I’m lucky to get 5.
I’m also not a fan of the one USB-C port. I like having the flexibility to plug in more than one thing to my laptop. However, if you ask me how many times I actually have more than one thing plugged in, the answer would be very rarely. So this can be solved with a simple dongle attachment. Not worth a check in the “con” colummn!
For a more powerful, thinner, lighter laptop, you can’t complain about the price. It starts at $300 less than the comparable MacBook, $999 for 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and an Intel Core i5 processor.
So the question is – will you give the underdog a chance?
The Details:
- Intel Core i5 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 256GB SSD
- 16:9 screen ratio
- 12.5 inch display
- 11.9mm thin
- 910g
- One USB-C (Thunderbolt) port
- 1 headphone jack
- 4 speakers
- 9 hour battery life
- Material: aluminum alloy (supposed to be 40% stronger than other laptops)
- Price: $999 USD