Review: Asus ZenBook 3 Gives You a Windows PC in a MacBook Avatar
Asus has given us a device that’s close to the quality of a MacBook but has its own set of issues.
Asus gave its Zenfone mobile series a design overhaul in 2016, and they’ve done something similar with its ZenBook laptop range as well. The third iteration of ZenBook gets a size-zero figure that’s got its own set of pluses and minuses.
Apple started this trend with the MacBooks, and Windows counterparts are still trying to find their own niche in this space. Priced at Rs 1,47,990, the Asus ZenBook 3 doesn’t come cheap either. And it is never easy to say if consumers would be willing to pay a big price just for the sake of portability.
Pros:
- Ultra-portable design
- High-quality display
- Performs without any glitches
- Slick trackpad and keyboard
Cons:
- No standard USB ports
- Display without touchscreen
- Hard to justify pricing
What’s Good?
Asus ZenBook 3 is heavily inspired by the MacBook 12-inch variant. Be it the design or the dimensions (well, almost), it would be hard to deny the similarities here, but its nothing to nitpick about though.
Add to that, you get a 12.5-inch ZenBook 3 that weighs 910 grams, making it easy to carry around in a pouch. This is a notebook that epitomises 2016, when portable evolved to greater heights.
The ZenBook 3 is a cross between a notebook and a netbook, giving it the perfect credentials for it be considered an ultra-portable computing device. There’s also a fingerprint reader on the trackpad, which can be used to unlock the system.
The full-HD 1920x1080 pixels quality of the display is good enough for most of you, especially for watching movies. Even the crispness of content on the 12.5-inch screen is worth its weight, which we know is feather-light.
In addition to the display, Asus has done a commendable job with the chiclet keyboard on the ZenBook 3. There’s hardly any gap between typing the intended text/word, and with the backlight option, you can use the laptop even in pitch darkness.
Asus has made no compromise with the hardware that comes with the ZenBook 3. So you have Intel Core i7, 8 and 16GB of RAM with up to 512GB SSD storage support. USB Type C is the standard, and the only port available on the ZenBook 3, which is entrusted with charging duties and basic matters (more on that later).
With a powerful armoury under its belt, the ZenBook 3 gives you results in an instant. At one point, we had over 30 tabs open in Chrome, along with music playing in the background. It doesn’t get better than this.
What’s Bad?
While offering a laptop that costing a bomb, Asus has made the grave mistake of missing out on a touchscreen display. It is also worth pointing out that the reflective nature of the display makes it hard to use the ZenBook 3 in broad daylight.
Cutting down the size of the laptop also directly affects the availability of standard ports. You only get USB Type C port with the ZenBook 3, and for the rest, there’s an adapter (hopefully, bundled) that lets you connect USB pendrives to the notebook.
It’s also unfair for this powerful notebook to be deprived of a high-end graphics card. With its display, gaming would have been a must-try experience, sigh. And finally, the battery life on the ZenBook 3 is average at best. We never managed to get over 5 hours out of the device, with the display on mid-level brightness and WiFi switched on.
This machine doesn’t deliver owing ironically to the powerful hardware innards, which directly hits the efficiency of the system. Sometimes its better to mix it up, instead of going for the kill. And sadly, Asus has chosen to go for the kill.
2016 has been the year where we got the cheapest as well as the ridiculously high priced Windows laptop. The Asus ZenBook 3 falls in the latter category, along with HP, Dell and Lenovo’s offerings. These brands feel that if people are willing to spend big on MacBooks, they’ll do so for Windows as well.
Why Buy It?
Asus ZenBook 3 is the Windows clone of the 12-inch MacBook. This is a ultra-portable machine, with top-end hardware that comes with a heavy price tag. The display comes devoid of touchscreen support, there are no built-in USB ports, and the battery life is average at best.
For Rs 1,47,900 Asus has given us a device that’s close to the quality of a MacBook but has its own set of issues that make it a pricey proposition.
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