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Asus' ZenBook 3 Deluxe takes on the MacBook Pro with a bigger display and more USB-C ports

Asus' ZenBook 3 Deluxe takes on the MacBook Pro with a bigger display and more USB-C ports

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Photo by Nick Statt

Asus unveiled its original ZenBook 3 back at Computex last year that looked like a Windows-powered MacBook, and now the company is ready to launch a slightly larger model that's more likely to target the new MacBook Pro. While the original ZenBook 3 features a 12.5-inch display with a single USB-C port (like the MacBook), the new ZenBook 3 Deluxe includes a 14-inch display inside a 13-inch chassis. Asus is using thin bezels on the display to squeeze this screen inside a smaller form factor, but the extra overall size means there’s also three USB-C ports. Two of those include Thunderbolt 3 support, and Asus is pairing them with Intel’s latest Core i7 Kaby Lake processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB SSD storage.

Just like the previous model, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe is using a 1920 x 1080 display. That might disappoint some looking for a higher resolution display found on the MacBook Pro and most other Windows-powered laptops, but it should help with battery life overall. Asus has tweaked the keyboard on the Deluxe, with 1.2mm of key travel, and the same glass precision trackpad is present with a special fingerprint reader integrated in the top right corner. At just 12.9mm thin and a weight of less than 3 pounds, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe is an impressive addition to Asus’ ZenBook 3 lineup, and yet another well-designed Windows alternative to Apple's new MacBook Pro. Asus plans to make the ZenBook 3 Deluxe available in May priced from $1,699.

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Photo by Nick Statt