Posted By Laura in Featured, For Teens, Review, Technology for baffled parents | 0 comments
Its a conversation I see a lot inmy online social circles; Im looking for a new laptop. It needs to handle all my work, but also needs to be light to carry around. Any suggestions?. Yes, yes I do. Just for you, heres the ASUS ZenBook 3 Review.
For bloggers and writers and photographers, its the same perennial issue [and yes, its no doubt the same for many others too] we need our tech to do our jobs, but we also need to not be chained to a big desk and gone are the days when were willing to compromise. We want the portable tech that just keeps up and says yes when we ask it if it can.
ASUS ZenBook 3 Review
So I was pretty excited to try out the newZenBook 3 from ASUS, which on the surface appears to promise me the answer to my laptop dreams; and I dont say that lightly. Oh no. Itsthe lightest and thinnest Intel Core i-powered laptop on the planet. Uh huh. Thats a pretty impressive claim, right? But keep a lid on that awed face for a while we all know those big grand promises can sometimes fall down in the details.
So before you even get to the insides, lets just come out right now and say that this laptop is probably the prettiest bit of tech Ive ever had the pleasure to handle.
No, really. The royalblueis professional enough to be acceptable in the office, but pretty enough to raise an admiring eyebrow too [it also comes in a gentle rose gold, and a more traditional but no less purty quartz grey]. And the gold edging is subtle but astonishingly effective and pleasing on the eye.
And no need to worry about the build quality of such a light bit of tech; The ZenBook 3is constructed from premium, aerospace-grade aluminium, lighter than standard laptop alloy, but 50% stronger. It actually weighs just 910g, and at just under 12mm thick, this is a full scale laptop which you can totally carry all day in a roomy handbag.
While were still on the outside, youll spot quite quickly that theres only one port available to plug all your extras into. Yup. ASUS have moved straight to the USB-C port only and theyre only giving you oneof them. Thisis great future-proofing, but is a bit ahead of my kit [Im still mostly on USB 2.0, to be honest] so Im managing connection-free until I get myself a Universal Dock. Its a small annoyance but actually its surprising how easy it is to get along without any connecting devices day-to-day, and its definitely MUCH more portable when all youre toting is the laptop.
Whats Inside? | ASUS ZenBook 3 Review
So flip the lid, and be prepared to oooh! all over again at the inside. Gold highlights on those keys and despite the small 12.5 stature, this is a proper big-sized keyboard with rectangular keys that are easier to type on than my little diddy Apple desktop keyboard.
Writers & Bloggers take not the ZenBook 3 is honestly a joy to type on.
Three thousandwords in, and Im still not missing a beat with that familiar little-keys-achey-fingers syndrome [yes, I know you now how that goes, blogger pals]. Plus theres still that gorgeous royal blue and gold thing going on, and the backlighting makes it totally useable in the darkest room [but importantly, a quickflick of the f2 switches it off for late night movie watching].
Top right of the trackpad theres a fingerprint scanner it works beautifully with Windows 10s Hello security platform [much better than the eye scanner which involves you waving your laptop at your face while you shout ever louder it IS me! It IS, damn you!- just like on your phone,touch your finger to the scanner and youre ready to go nigh-on instantly. I wasnt sure about the scanner being in the touchpad but Ive been using it for weeks, and havent had any issues at all.
I do find the left-click on the touch pad not always reliable Im happy to admit this could well be my personal cack-handedness, but it often requires a pause and a look before it works, and Ive tended toresort to a tap where possible. I do rely on a pen tablet most days, mind, somy trackpad technique probably needs some work.
ASUS ZenBook 3 Review? Lets talk technicals, please.
The Intel Core i5 is everything I need I have never before managed to successfully edit photographs and video while travelling with a laptop without a lot of teeth grinding, screwed-up-faced wincing, swearing and impatient huffing [and waiting]. But a quick install of Photoshop CC, and the ZenBook 3 handles full-sizephoto editing with ease. The dual-core chip shows itself up a little in the slower video editing but really, its a minimal price to pay. For average daily tasks its whizz-bang responsive,and jumps to do whatever you askwith a snap of its [invisible and therefore magic] fingers.
TheIntel HD Graphics 620 helps with the graphics work, of course, but do rememberthis is no gaming laptop and it simply wont work the latestCrysis[but if you get invaded by smaller people, rest assured that Minecraft works just fine]. However, on a press trip to the Brecon Beaconslast week the ZenBook 3 handled every single piece of work I threw at it after a long day of outdoor activities you do not feel like working. But nestled into a comfy sofa in front of a woodburner, with a glass of red at your side, the ZenBook 3 managed to make it as painless a task as it possibly could.
And on a sneaky midweek kid-free short break in Lille [look, the Eurostar is CHEAP. £39 each way! It has to be done, I tell you] it honestly meant I could work as necessary, stay in touch with the kids, and not lug a huge heavy laptop around in my backpack as we explored the city. Have I said yet how much I love this baby?
And while were talking working on the move, thedual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi is allegedly three times faster than the previous-generation 802.11n. I didnt measure it, but I know that in a 200yr old cottage with the thickest stone walls Ive ever seen, it was the only bit of tech to remain connected flawlessly all week. And the battery life is more than adequate how ASUS manage to get a battery which last for up to 9hrs to fit that itty bitty case is beyond me. But they did and while they were there, they added in a sprinkle of super-fast-charging magicso that you can charge toaround 60% capacity in 49 minutes.
In short, the ZenBook 3 is a properly thin, light laptop which sneaks an enormous amount of gumption inside its achingly-prettydesign.
It has its flaws thescreen only goes to 135º, which may not be quite wide enough of youre working on your lap [I rarely do, so its fine by me, but I watched my teen mutter over it just this week. TheCorning® Gorilla® Glass 4 might be super strong and super tough [for which Im grateful] but it is also super shiny its a fabulous screen indoors, but using it outside is an issue thanks to that reflective glass. You definitely need a shady spot.
If youre on the hunt of a thin, light workhorse that will really take you through your working week with a skip in its step, then I strongly recommend that the ZenBook 3 is definitely worth a looksee. Nothing else on the market right now comes that I can find close in terms of basic specs and ability and of course its just so darn pretty.
You can find out everything youre still wanting to know about the ZenBook 3 on the ASUS site here. The best prices I found were on John Lewis [which is always a good bet for purchasing tech thanks to their two year warranty] my model was the ZenBook 3 Intel Core i5 version, which iscurrently £1100. If you want to push for the seriously impressive Intel Core i7 upgrade then youre looking at an extra £400 or £350 if youre happy to take the rose gold version.
If youre looking for a laptop for your teenager, then maybe think about investing in a gaming laptop. No really even if they dont know theire CS:GO from their League of Legends, a gaming latop is a sound and practical choice to spend your money on. Click through to understand why.