Computex 2016 | Asus unveils Zenbook 3 Ultrabook starting at $1000 USD

Asus opened its press conference with a bang by announcing a direct competitor to the Apple MacBook Air series. The Zenbook 3 will be equipped with the following core specifications:

• 12.5-inch display with Gorilla Glass 4; 72 percent NTSC color space coverage
• Up to Intel Core i7 CPUs
• Up to 16 GB RAM
• Up to 1 TB PCIe x4 NVMe SSD
• 11.9 mm thick
• 910 g

Other notable features include a special aluminum chassis that Asus claims to be up to 50 percent sturdier than competitors with Royal Blue, Rose Gold, and Quartz Gray color options. The Core ix class of processor options will also give the Zenbook 3 a noticeable edge over the MacBook 12 where only Core M processors are available. The display will reportedly have a very high screen-to-body ratio of 82 percent for an even smaller footprint.

As for the thin form factor, Asus is boasting its unique 3 mm fan design that allows for ULV Core i7 Skylake processor options while providing a battery life of up to 9 hours. The manufacturer is also promising a charge time from 0 to 60 percent in just 49 minutes via the USB Type-C port that doubles for data transfers and video outputs. Unfortunately, it was not disclosed if this same port would also sport Thunderbolt 3 or if it will simply be a standard USB Type-C port as in the recently revealed Transformer 3 series.

Outside of its core specifications, both Windows Hello and a fingerprint sensor will be supported. The keyboard will be backlit and the touchpad will include handwriting recognition.

The Zenbook 3 will start at $1000 USD with an Intel Core i5 CPU, 4 GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD. Higher-end SKUs will be available up to the $2000 price range as well. No word yet on exact launch dates.

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