Asus Zenbook 3 UX390UA

The Zenbook 3 UX390UA is rather unique among ultraportables, as a sleek and ultra-compact laptop with Core U hardware, fast storage, lots of RAM and plenty of other solid traits. As expected, all these don't come cheap and a few compromises were made in order to create such a sleek and powerful computer. If you're fine with the few corners that were cut off, the Zenbook 3 could be an excellent pick for you, just make sure to read the article below to understand exactly where this machine shines and where it trails behind.

The Asus ZenBook 3 UX390UA is an extremely light laptop and one that doesn’t compromise performance or kill battery life as a result. It’s also more affordable than some of the alternatives, particularly in its entry-level spec. However, we’re not convinced about all the choices Asus has made. A single USB-C port won’t cut it for a lot of buyers, the ultra-slim keyboard isn’t great for long-form typing and the trackpad’s clicker mechanism has some real issues. The trackpad also seems a bit pointless when it’s reliability is mediocre, even if it’s down to Microsoft’s software. Its portability is just about unbeatable, but some of you may prefer the more accommodating style of the Dell XPS 13 or one of Asus’s cheaper ZenBook models

The ZenBook 3 has redefined the Ultrabook, with the lightest and thinnest Intel Core i-powered laptop on the planet. However, as you might expect, the compromises that are made when you shrink a laptop down are notable, but certainly not deal-breakers.

The 2.7-3.1GHz Intel Core i7-7500U is an excellent processor that can handle video and photo editing with relative ease. It’s only a dual-core chip and therefore takes longer than its quad-core brethren to perform intensive tasks such as video rendering, but for most daily computing tasks it feels snappy and responsive. There’s also a Core i5 version available for quite £400 less than this model and comes with 8GB of RAM instead of 16GB.