When Asus launched the ZenBook 3 last year in May, it was pegged to be lighter, thinner and faster than the MacBook Pro. Now, the tech giant has taken the CES 2017 stage to unveil the ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA that adds more processing power and ports.
For starters, the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe has a larger 14-inch display with a full-HD (1920x1080 pixels) resolution. The laptop sports really thin bezels, but the overall increase in form factor allowed them to add more ports. There are three USB Type-C ports, two of which support Thunderbolt 3. It is powered by the latest Intel Core i7-7500U Kaby Lake processor paired with up to 16GB of RAM. The Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe offers up to 1TB of PCIe SSD storage.
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The keyboard has 1.2mm of key travel, and has integrated a fingerprint reader on the right edge for enabling Windows Hello. The trackpad also takes up wide space, making room for resting the palm while typing. The Asus ZenBook 3 weighs just 1.3kg and is 12.9mm thin. The Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe also has a larger battery than the predecessor, along with four Harmon Kardon speakers for improved audio. The Taiwanese multinational plans to make it available in May for $1,699 (roughly Rs. 115,300).
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Asus has used the CES platform to launch a host of important things. The big highlight was the new ZenFone AR smartphone - the first to come with 8GB RAM, and also the first to be both Tango and DayDream enabled. As for specifications, the Asus ZenFone AR sports a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED QHD display, a Snapdragon 821 SoC, up to 256GB of inbuilt storage, a 3300mAh battery, a 23-megapixel Sony IMX318 rear module with TriTech+ autofocus system, and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Furthermore, Asus also announced the ZenFone 3 Zoom, which is being promoted as "built for photography."
Disclosure: CES travel and accommodation for a Gadgets 360 correspondent were sponsored by Asus.
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