Here is a little bit more information regarding its new ZenBook 3 lineup, along with some more details on product specifications and how it places among the Dell XPS 13, MacBook and other competitive offers.
The ASUS ZenBook 3 UX390 features a 12.5-inch 1920x1080p edge-to-edge slim bezel display with 72 percent of NTSC color gamut, very similar to the Dell XPS 13. The display uses Gorilla Glass 4 and offers a 178-degree viewing angle.
ASUS ZenBook 3 UX390
Even though Intel is announcing new Kaby Lake chips at Computex, the device features a choice of Core i5 6200U Skylake CPU or Core i7 6500U Skylake CPU with up to 4GB of DDR3 LPDDR3 1866MHz memory on the Core i5 option and up to 16GB of LPDDR3 2133MHz memory on the Core i7 option. The 15W Skylake-U design choice will limit memory to 1.35v LPDDR3 instead of 1.2v DDR4, but performance should be made up for with the inclusion of up to a 1TB PCI-E 3.0 SSD featuring up to 1,700MB/s sequential read speeds.
Image credit: ASUS (via YouTube)
AnandTech tested Intel’s Skylake-U storage subsytem earlier this month and found that on-package CPU-to-chipset bandwidth (using Open Package DMI) is still limited to PCI-E 2.0 speeds, but that sustained writes are often difficult to get above 1,600MB/s).
Image credit: ASUS (via YouTube)
The device features a single USB Type-C port for charging and I/O connections, along with four Harmon Kardon powered speakers with a five-magnet system for loud, low-frequency sound without distortion. The device also supports the ASUS SonicMaster audio standard for precision hardware and software tuning.
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The company’s third-generation ZenBook 3 comes in a sleek 11.9mm thin profile (0.47 inches) that weighs just 910g (2.00lbs) and features a full-size backlit keyboard with a 19.8mm key pitch with 0.8mm key travel for a comfortable typing experience. For comparison, the ZenBook UX305CA from October 2015 comes in a 12.3mm thin profile and weighs 1.2g (2.65lbs), while some of the original ZenBooks including the UX21E, UX31E, UX21A and UX31A have a 17mm thin profile (0.67 inches) and weigh either 1.1kg (2.42lbs) or 1.3kg (2.87lbs). On the heavier end, the ZenBook UX303UA and UX303UB with Skylake chips approach 19.2mm (0.76 inches) and each weigh 1.45g (3.2lbs), while the ZenBook Pro UX501VW with Skylake has a 22mm profile (0.87 inches) and weighs 2.06g (4.54lbs).
ASUS will be offering three packages for the ZenBook 3 UX390 – the basic model starts at $999 for an Intel Core i5 6200U, 4GB of LPDDR3 1866MHz memory and a slightly slower 256GB M.2 SSD. The mid-tier model is priced at $1,499 and features an Intel Core i7 6500U, 16GB of LPDDR3 2133MHz memory and a 512GB PCI-E 3.0 x4 SSD. The premium model is priced at $1,999 and features an Intel Core i7 6500U, 16GB of LPDDR3 2133MHz memory and a 1TB PCI-E 3.0 x4 SSD. There is also an optional enterprise-grade fingerprint scanner available.
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To be honest, $500 is a lot to ask for a 500GB storage difference, but ASUS is hoping that the style will compete against Apple’s new MacBook lineup and Dell's edge-to-edge XPS 13 with InfinityDisplay and will give buyers another choice with aerospace-grade aluminum alloy and signature metal finish.