Why it matters to you
The Asus Zenbook 3 Deluxe UX490 is great for customers looking for an elegant, powerful, and slim laptop with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.
Update: Added news that the ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490 is now available for purchase, along with some additional design details.
During the CES 2017 tech convention in January, Asus teased the ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490 notebook as part of its “Zennovation” lineup. It’s an enhanced version of the original ZenBook 3 sporting a 14-inch screen. It measures just 0.50 inches thin and not only packs a new seventh-generation Kaby Lake processor from Intel but also sports two Type-C ports supporting Thunderbolt 3 at the full 40Gb/s.
The super-thin notebook is listed on the Asus website as the ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA. There will be two models once the laptop hits the market: one with an Intel Core i5-7200U processor and one with an Intel Core i7-7500U chip. Asus has just announced that the Core i7 version is now available for purchase at a retail price of $1,699. Both machines feature Windows 10 Pro visually powered by Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 620 component.
Here are the hardware specs for both Intel processors:
Core i5-7200U
Core i7-7500U
Launch date:
Q3 of 2016
Q3 of 2016
Process node:
14nm
14nm
Number of cores:
2
2
Number of threads:
4
4
Base speed:
2.50GHz
2.70GHz
Boost clock speed:
3.10GHz
3.50GHz
Cache:
3MB
4MB
Maximum power draw:
15 watts
15 watts
Integrated graphics:
Intel HD Graphics 620
Intel HD Graphics 620
Graphics base speed:
300MHz
300MHz
Graphics boost speed:
1,000MHz
1,050MHz
Max resolution:
4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
Now here are the specs for the UX490UA laptop:
Screen size:
14 inches
Screen resolution:
1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz
Color gamut:
72 percent NTSC
100 percent sRGB
Viewing angles:
178 degrees
Contrast ratio:
1,000:1
Memory:
8GB or 16GB LPDDR3 @ 2,133MHz
Storage:
512GB or 1TB PCI Express Gen3 x4 SSD
256GB SATA 3 SSD
Connectivity:
Wireless AC
Bluetooth 4.1
Ports:
1x SD card reader
2x USB 3.1 Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 at 40Gb/s (one on each side)
1x Microphone/headphone jack
Battery:
46 watt-hour lithium-polymer
Keyboard:
Illuminated chicklet-style
Webcam:
VGA camera
Color:
Navy Blue or Silver
Size:
12.95 x 8.50 x 0.50 inches
Weight:
2.42 pounds
Keeping this laptop cool is a new thermal design that includes a liquid-crystal-polymer fan impeller measuring just 0.3mm thin, and a copper-alloy heat pipe with walls measuring 0.1mm thick. Overall, the cooling system measures just 3mm high, enabling Asus to keep the laptop super-thin while efficiently pulling heat away from the Intel processor. The warm air is “gently” ejected from the inside through hidden vents in the hinge.
Other notable features not listed in the hardware specs include an Asus SonicMaster Premium quad-speaker audio system, a special four-channel smart amplifier, an all-aluminum chassis, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection measuring 0.55mm thin on the display, and ultra-narrow bezels measuring 7.46mm wide on each side with a 77-percent screen-to-body ratio. There’s also a fingerprint scanner embedded in the touchpad for jumping into Windows 10 Pro with just a touch, and the touchpad supports the usual multi-touch gestures along with handwriting support.
“The perfect curves of the all-aluminum chassis are carved from a single block of metal that then goes through a 40-step process to create the iconic ultra-fine spun-metal finish with its lustrous, silky sheen,” the product page states. “A complex two-phase anodizing process is then used to create the elegant golden diamond-cut edges and unique golden Asus lid logo.”
As indicated above, Asus is now shipping the Core i7 version of the ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490 from a variety of retailers including Amazon, Newegg, the Asus store, and others. The available model includes a seventh-generation Core i7-7500U processor, 16GB of LPDR3-2133MHz RAM, and a 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD. Asus is throwing in USB Type-C to Type-A and USB Type-C to HDMI dongles.
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