Asus ZenBook 3 is a serious threat to the MacBook with a 11.9mm thin body

Prepare to start hating your laptop, as Asus has just unveiled the ZenBook 3. The company is calling it "the world's most prestigious laptop" and it certainly looks the part judging from the photos.

The hardware is packed in an 11.9mm aerospace-grade aluminum alloy chassis, which weighs just 910 grams. With a 12.5" 1080p screen, the ZenBook 3 is the company's highest screen-to-body ratio of its laptop line-up with 82%. It's also covered in Gorilla Glass 4 for extra protection.

Asus accents that the ZenBook 3 is thinner and lighter than the MacBook Air and the MacBook. You can spec up the ZenBook 3 with an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of 2133MHz RAM and 1TB PCIe SSD. The battery is 40Wh Li-polymer and can last up to 9 hours of moderate usage. ASUS says it can be fast charged via the USB type-C port to 60% in 49 minutes.

Sadly, due to the thinness of the device, that's the only port you're getting in addition to the 3.5mm combo audio jack. Asus offers a USB-C Universal Dock which has a USB-type-C and a USB port, an HDMI, VGA, RJ45 and a 3-in-1 SD card reader as an option.

Asus ZenBook 3 official photos

Finally, the keyboard is LED backlit and the large touchpad has a fingerprint sensor on the top right corner. The laptop should offer exceptional audio quality thanks to its quad-speaker Harman Kardon setup.

All of this comes at a base price of $1,499 for the Core i5 model with 512GB SSD, whereas the Core i7 version with 1TB of SSD retails for $1,999. Color options include Royal Blue, Quartz Grey and the obligatory Rose Gold.

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