ASUS Zenbook 3 (UX390) Review - The REAL Macbook Killer?

[@trapease]

that blue and gold is gorgeous

[@napilepas940]

better after u dbrand it

[@lexmatter]

+Napi Lepas dbrand sometimes ruins products, and I bet it would ruin this one too.

[@grrr1351]

+Alex Matta I can totally agree with that. This one looks horrible. It was so...... plain

[@samsung9159]

royal blue

[@lucasjohnson5871]

trapease looks better when it's in front of you.

[@Dave2D]

The Asus Zenbook 3 is packed with some really awesome hardware. It's cheaper than the 12" Macbook and it has more power to boot. Is it good enough for you guys?

[@utshavchaudhary5060]

Asus transformer 3 too plzz.. !!

[@YeansP]

Dave Lee I think it's a good laptop but not a good buy. I can get a cheaper thin and light laptop than this one. One thing for sure, this thing looks pretty sexy.

[@sangita6709]

Should i buy it for school?

[@YeansP]

Sangita Bansode you need to know what you are going to use it for. If you are doing the basic tasks and got the budget, yeah go for it. As Dave mentioned in the video, if you are planning on doing heavy tasks on this, look elsewhere.

[@mihirkumar8832]

I don't see why anyone would want this over the Razer Blade Stealth. Even that's a very good ultrabook for much cheaper, and you can plug in the core if you want gaming performance.

[@carl7417]

One USB port? This is the thing you should not copy from Apple.

[@arpitbharti6245]

12" Macbook has a headphone jack.

[@axelblaze566]

ok (._. )

[@jedi22300]

The acer swift 7 is much thinner than this. No excuse to not include more than one port.

[@axelblaze566]

jedi22300 I got an excuse! A huge ass battery.

[@jedi22300]

Axel Blaze How much space does one more type c port take??

[@mikejaxer]

I have no intention of ever buying a new laptop. I just love hearing Dave talk

[@johnnyryu9207]

Why all of sudden everyone is trying to be Apple? No native USB port/HDMI port is just a stupid move for an ultrabook. We don't need laptops that are super thin at the sacrifice of real productivity ( SD card slot, USB port, and HDMI port). At least be a Razer Blade Stealth, not a Apple Macbook.

[@BradsCollective]

Because Apple sells the most well known series of laptops. To make a windows computer of the same recognizable quality would maybe waver over usual macbook buyers. It's about what'll sell.

[@irenesleatherpants]

^

[@johnnyryu9207]

Brad's Animation Nation Very true. If that's the point then I would say ASUS has succeeded. At least it looks damn close to the Macbook while overpowering it.

[@moderndilettante6896]

technically you're missing the point of the laptop. these laptops are more for your average premium casual user. They're basically glorified type writers and people that buy these machines need nothing more.

[@johnnyryu9207]

LoL. "glorified typewriter" nice one :)

[@masterbeat04]

3:32 6700u? I thought kaby lake would go the 7xxx route.

[@Dave2D]

omg. i'm an idiot. it's a 7500U. sorry.

[@klyded8523]

It's ok just don't make that mistake again... J/K I was looking for a review of this laptop. Still prefer the MacBook tho.

[@masterbeat04]

Dave Lee All is well man. Now give me a laptop. JK hahaha. Awesome reviews as usual Dave. Cheers

[@robocopvn]

for me a brand new XPS 13 9360 with FULLHD, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD @ $1100 is a much better choice

[@draszi]

definitely

[@bolosantosi5398]

cop con full hd is still 1080p

[@elv3a424]

This is 11" right? Well, if you need something really portable this is a great option. Under normal circumstances an XPS 13 would be better though.

[@robocopvn]

Elias Westeren this is 12.5 inches. Same screen size as Macbook 12 and Razer Stealth Blade. Unless somebody really wants the super ultra-portable. I see no point choosing this over XPS 13 (size, weight, ports, battery) :D

[@ypyketo]

adding that XPS 13 is as portable as this

[@havif1071]

wow for the same price you could get razer stealth with same spec, more ports, higher resolution screen, much better webcam. And the asus's usb c is not even thunderbolt from what i've heard

[@Self98b]

A student? $1.599? Guys, what're you doing???

[@Tangylives]

Eating ramen for the rest of the semester obviously.

[@nicholaszammit8273]

Self98b spent 1200 and its been at me 5 years and counting. All my friends bought ~600 laptops and went through about 3 in the same timeframe because they were shit quality and broke.

[@Self98b]

Hey dude. Why buying a 600$ middle range laptop, while you can shop for the top laptop of 2013-2014? Looking up for refurbished models is also a good option. I'm complicating about the price because of devaluation of our currency. About quality you are right for 100%.

[@thumpertorque_]

+Nicholas Zammit Bought my Gateway NV79U for $600 in 2009, had the best specs for it's price at that time and I'm now typing on this.

[@user-xm6cl4jz5o]

I'm poor. Wish I could get a new laptop. My HDD on my current laptop always dies so if I don't backup my work it is gone. And the Wi-Fi driver died too.

[@eraserboy12345]

Probably one of the most beautiful laptops that I have ever seen. The navy blue looks stunning.

[@SicSemperBeats]

I never understood why all laptops have terrible cameras. Like why cant they put a phone camera on a thousand dollar device.

[@levortex2202]

Sic Semper Beats The Razer Blade has an ok camera

[@SicSemperBeats]

Le Vortex well that's cool. I thought it was only windows laptops. Until i bought a Macbook expecting a webcam like my iPhone camera, but nope those are trash too

[@zorgonfire]

A camera module in the mobile is at least 5 mm deep, the screen seems to be too thin for this. A 480p has smaller lens, so it's thinner.

[@ezas533]

Sic Semper Beats The Zenbook 3 and the MacBook both have really thin displays and just very little area to stick a webcam sensor into the display shell. I'm honestly surprised that they're at least able to stick a sensor into the shell.

[@SicSemperBeats]

Timothy Z yea that makes sense. Lol I only facetime from my Macbook anyways

[@ing-tangtawan]

one of the best laptop reviews out there, very detailed and easy to understand. Keep up the good work :)

[@jmiquelmb]

Goddammit Asus. Bad camera, no ports and expensive as hell. It's ok to copy Apple, but not the bad things

[@hermanlai6035]

did you even watch the video lmao this has a core i7 not "shitty i3"

[@hermanlai6035]

and refering to your"nothing in between" point. the zenbook 13 is pretty good for the price with a mx150 which is more powerful than the xps' graphics

[@towldllr4854]

Yeah, and ASUS needs to take a class in thermodynamics. I'm running an ASUS X202E with an i3-3217u with thermal pads. I have a tower fan pointed on its underside and keep it propped up on 4 1.5in props. Still reaches 85 C during youtube. This is with a thermal pad application. Garbage.

[@hermanlai6035]

the newer ones like the zenbook 13 have great thermal performance

[@heroajavus5652]

You’re still complaining that an insanely small laptop aka ultrabook with these specs has one port? If you want the best computer in an ultrabook, sorry m8. Never gonna happen. And if you’re really complaining about pricing on a laptop like this , maybe learn how pricing works too.

[@utai4571]

I want to thank you for providing not only a great review, but also the link to that wallpaper, from the very first second seeing it , i wanted it to be my new wallpaper on every device ! thanks !

[@applejuice-4706]

People use macbooks for the software...Its great to see windows getting the same quality hardware..

[@anonymous134y]

like 5 years ago, macbooks were bought purely for hardware because that was the only product worth the "apple" price. They really haven't changed since then. Why would they put an Intel M in the macbook 2016? That's a big fuck you to adobe editing users. All you saw in universities were macbooks, that ship has sailed really... Macbooks are phasing out in Uni. I remember everyone having them in freshman year, now it's all win10 ultrabooks. Everyone caught up and moved on. Apple still has the best app suite though. Win10 app suite is a piece of shit, slowly getting better though.

[@insainllama]

j gonger I don't know what school you go to but I'd say 80-85% of the laptops on my campus are MacBooks.

[@anonymous134y]

insainllama ***** My bad, i might be being a bit bias due to my course. I took a look around and saw all the arts people (mostly girls) that had macbooks. Like psych, soc and etc. I'm in my masters for physio now and all the programs are meant for windows so that's probably why. I am in the science wing where there are like no macbooks to be seen.

[@anonymous134y]

***** true i guess. macOS is really coming along. My personal opinion is that people don't buy macbooks for hardware like they use to. Before it was like the only Ultrabook you can buy and had the best build quality, now every company caught up and even surpassed Apple in this department. While their hardware isn't really getting any better, their software is every year. Mac app suite is amazing. Win10 app suite sucks, it is getting better slowly. Just an opinion.

[@FluffyPuppyKasey]

Yeah... no. Windows laptops have had more powerful hardware for the same price.

[@TechTestings]

Really like your down to earth type of style, you give your honest opinions without 'selling out'. The video editing is also top notch, I only hope I'd get close to your standards one day!

[@StefanAtzlinger]

As always fantastic video! I really love the "conclusion" part about your reviews. Could you make like a tutorial or something like a behind the scenes how you get those cool draw animations? Thx

[@bensmith9820]

I love your intro music man. It relaxes me so much and makes me enjoy your videos that bit more. It's the little things which makes you really underrated. :)

[@rezidentseagull5651]

Great review! It's a shame they went with only one USB-C port, but at least they included an adapter and made the port a Gen 2, 10Gb/s port. Personally, I think that if they went for a flat body design, instead of sloped one, they could have added a second Type-C port and still come out as an ultrathin and light productivity laptop

[@motopapsiofficial]

Your videos are so clear and neatly edited, good job man.

[@AdhelioReyhandro]

Hey, can you do a review of Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air?

[@420402033]

same, plz review it

[@GuardianLords]

Glad to see your channel is growing

[@ashikmahmud9131]

You are not early. You are on time!

[@chocolateegg7996]

been subscribed since 2,000 subs, channel and video quality is still amazing just like the first video I saw. GREAT JOB!

[@yapat05]

Loved the review. But I think I would prefer the Razer Blade. What do you think guys?

[@2moke2creen]

i5 Razer Blade Stealth with QHD display for ~$1000 is my choice.

[@nivbration]

They are completely different Class of Laptops. This is for someone who does some light tasks and wants a portable Laptop like a Writer of something like that.

[@electricmiragemedia]

Well, the razer blade stealth is only useful because of the TB3, assuming you have the eGPU. it's cheaper, faster, but very ugly. At this point the only ultrabook I'd recommend for all cases is the XPS 13

[@trishan17]

The Razer blade stealth has also been shown to be better in benchmarks than the ASUS and XPS 13. Add that in with the Core, the price and I would say the better buy is the Razer Blade Stealth.

[@khalimany]

Loving the new outro song Dave. Awesome reviews as always. Cheers!

[@MrDextroll]

mistake at 3:36 its 7700U not 6700, kaby lake tho

[@tjray7788]

I think it's 7500

[@lancelindlelee7256]

What does the hundreds digit anyway? I know thousands is the gen and letter is the variant but others I don;t know

[@jacobadams2393]

DAVE I LOVE THAT FIREWATCH BACKGROUND

[@emmanuelcastro8520]

Macbook or ASUS Zenbook... Razer Stealth it is

[@vainoner]

exactly.

[@EuropaUX]

Exactly what I did lol.

[@orion2089]

macbook, and if gaming just build pc

[@hungjaketranquang4365]

It's Dell XPS 13 for me

[@DaddySizeIt]

+bank denny Agreed but I'm not doing any competitive FPS gaming anymore so I'm using Skull Canyon. Laptop it really is tough to beat the build quality on the Macbooks.

[@DavidMiddleton101]

Exactly everything I needed to know in the most concise format. Brilliant job Dave!

[@KimionTM]

No more Laptop spinning? :c

[@anujsoni5256]

:U

[@bitconemaxi]

Great review! Found one of those rare great reviewers in youtube!

[@swishpronoob]

Do any laptops have an actually good webcam?

[@seangehrke3133]

swishpronoob no

[@elijah_9392]

Razer has great cameras

[@jordihoven2349]

except for the horrid placement, Dell XPS has em.

[@MrDextroll]

the latest msi GT had a nice 720p webcam

[@senagangbe5804]

its not great its ok but still one of the best

[@abhijeetrathore7016]

this is the class that the KZbinrs need to maintain! keep it up! must subscribe!

[@Camiscee]

basically a macbook with a worse screen and a better processor

[@sprint702]

And windows

[@crazymarf]

And a different look. And cheaper. And better ram. And a better screen (it's not only about resolutions). But ya, it's similiar, yet considerably better for a better price.

[@Camiscee]

crazymarf i still wont consider it because of the lack of ports.

[@crazymarf]

CaradenM agreed, i'm not gonna buy it either, it has no gpu and one port. I want it so bad though lol.

[@Camiscee]

crazymarf i would consider it if it had 2 usb ports lol, so close asus.

[@quantummath]

Dave Lee! Excellent review brother

[@royalbleach1452]

I couldn't find the skins for it on Dbrands website

[@Rahul-ym9uh]

Your reviews are honestly some of the best out there. Cheers!

[@EuropaUX]

I wanted this so badly, didn't release and well I went for the Blade stealth.

[@Phoenix_1991]

im going to buy the stealth tomorrow. how is it so far? been vood?

[@christianglerupsrensen429]

Lucky bastard. I want the Stealth so bad, but those bastards haven't started the sale yet here in Europa >_>

[@EuropaUX]

Yep pretty good quality and with a killing perfomance for what ultrabooks are. Definitely the Ultimate Ultrabook.

[@EA9471]

Good choice! Blade stealth is way better

[@Phoenix_1991]

Christian Glerup Sørensen I live in Europe too (The Netherlands), but I found one second hand with a 4K screen for 900 euros. Going to buy it in Amsterdam in a couple of hours. The seller said he bought it in America.

[@PSYCHOV3N0M]

I first discovered your channel last week. I've been a subscriber since. I enjoy your reviews. Keep up the good work!

[@MrCanal2012]

How come he doesn't do a lot of smartphones and other tech? If you wanna see more categories, thumb this up to make it visible

[@tommyyhli]

I have been waiting for this! Thanks!

[@kirangouds]

Is it compatible with Razor core or any external GPU??

[@emmanuelcastro8520]

Did you watch the video?..

[@moderndilettante6896]

I'm going to evade the pretentious fuck approach that Eman took and tell you that it isn't, Razer core requires a straight thunderbolt 3 port which this laptop doesn't posses.

[@tjray7788]

+Unuquantum I

[@hassanjamil1099]

no its not compatible because it doesnt have thunderbolt 3 support

[@aldemaraburto7410]

c:

[@GlobalHinduAV]

Great Sum up of the Zenbook 3. Short. Precise. Neutral. Thank you for your efforts.

[@adamfoster3217]

yes, a macbook that runs windows, is much more powerful, and has a better Keyboard!

[@elijah_9392]

with a processor that is up to date

[@mj6725]

M3 will be burnt up

[@adamfoster3217]

what do you mean? the zenbook is cheaper anyway, so it's a better deal all around

[@adamfoster3217]

it's still a better deal despite the battery life. on a 12 inch screen 1080p is fine and you get extra power. battery can be solved with an battery bank, which admittedly is annoying to carry around. you're right about neither being a good deal though :)

[@RobertRobi]

now lower resolution is ok... this is just an example how people will defend the brand they like, even it is evident the "better" specs (only the CPU) are the only thing better, on paper, than macbook. And as we all know, Apple can do better performance products with worse specs

[@Absolute_Unit135]

Holy crap your video editing is so nice that I watch these videos even though I’m not in the market for this laptop haha. Seriously, nice job👍🏿

[@MahmoodMuhenned]

Macbook better build quality, better trackpad, better screen, better speaker and better battery life (most important better os) 🆗 thanks i will stick with apple

[@brettschneider8521]

Mahmood Muhenned have fun "steak"

[@brettschneider8521]

With Apple

[@MahmoodMuhenned]

Brett Schneider hold on... this happened cause the damn keyboard

[@thelastbreed3680]

Better hard drive space?and price?..

[@anonymous134y]

surfacebook 2015 kills any macbook 2015/2016 in every scenario... It's rated #1 laptop of 2016 across the board memory speed ssd speed gpu (only ultrabook with desktop based gpu) cpu (fastest cpu of any ultrabook) battery (lasts a whole school day plus the evening keyboard (rated best keyboard/trackpad of 2016) touch screen, can be used as a tablet, surface pen comes in so handy especially for school and work camera - quality and built in infrared for hello multiple ports Macbook 2016 comes with the shittiest CPU series, Intel M. Terrible performance. All those Apple artsy fartsy people wouldn't be able to edit their videos in adobe on that thing... Microsoft usually doesn't get anything right nowadays, the surface book is the best ultrabook of today even though it came out a year ago.

[@lucasjohnson5871]

out of the dozen laptops I have owned, this zenbook3 (blue) is by far, my favorite! they knocked it out the park with this laptop!

[@jo3hadad]

mehhhhhhh................surface pro 4 is waaaaaaaaaaay cheaper and more useful for a university student

[@oguzaranay]

Based on your review, I decided to buy it as I will use it in my research in my PhD program in computer science, it's about optimization and graph mining. Thank you for your effort.

[@irun_mon]

Too damn expensive!

[@phillipsam2869]

absolutely love your notebook animations :)

[@personalaccount4360]

The look is dope af. But everything else about it sucks lol.

[@locallion1218]

Uh wut?

[@firejoey2204]

special_K exactly what I'm thinking 😂😂

[@yangkenggoh368]

Benjamin Ochakovsky

[@daviddokubo3448]

this and austin evans have become my favourite tech channels

[@derzulya]

Macbook is already dead, no need for a new killer.

[@arians3316]

omg you guys so fast. anyway ive been waiting for this review dave! D2D FTW!

[@jamescarlyle2630]

Windows is best for desktop PC. Apple is best for laptops. Google is best for phones.

[@coffeeblak86]

trash

[@brozoski]

Pixel is rubbish.

[@lexmatter]

Windows is best for PC's and Laptops, Apple is best for iOS Devices, and Google is best for VR.

[@lexmatter]

+Alex Matta (NOT PC VR)

[@anonymous134y]

surfacebook 2015 kills any macbook 2015/2016 in every scenario... It's rated #1 laptop of 2016 across the board memory speed ssd speed gpu (only ultrabook with desktop based gpu) cpu (fastest cpu of any ultrabook) battery (lasts a whole school day plus the evening keyboard (rated best keyboard/trackpad of 2016) touch screen, can be used as a tablet, surface pen comes in so handy especially for school and work camera - quality and built in infrared for hello multiple ports Macbook 2016 comes with the shittiest CPU series, Intel M. Terrible performance. All those Apple artsy fartsy people wouldn't be able to edit their videos in adobe on that thing... Microsoft usually doesn't get anything right nowadays, the surface book is the best ultrabook of today even though it came out a year ago.

[@RussellSmith-nv2je]

Thanks for a thorough review Dave. I enjoy your presentation style.

[@asasasasas20]

Thanks for the information for the produce, I really like the way you present it.

[@safbeafbe]

Great video Dave! I'm loving the organisation of your videos. Thanks for the amazing content, keep it up!

[@cogigo]

That was a suprisingly quality review. Subbed!

[@CompleteDiscreteWolf]

The siren sound in the music at 0:58 scared the crap out of me. Being hit by hard storms right now.

[@vinzman888]

Nice review, Dave. Loving your soundtrack too. Cheers! 🍻

[@BAdventures]

Good honest review 👍

[@Gustavoutnfra]

Wonderful video with a super analysis. Thanks a lot !!!!!! Greetings from Argentina !!!

[@desdosul]

This is probably the best review I´ve ever seen. Congratulations.

[@eldojacob5070]

Great video Dave..Noticed some refinements in video and it looked pretty great. :)

[@Chanchanlala]

people never mention one of the most important in laptop is how easy we access the fan because it needs yearly dust cleaning (after 1 year warranty), both macbook and zenbook are great machine architecture easy to clean the fan too, well done

[@bingchilling233]

when ever i watch ur videos it so soothing

[@antonv.]

Probably it will be my next laptop

[@shantamkhandeshwar6630]

Your videos are great! I really wish even more success for you! Keep the good things coming!😊

[@Gazziza29]

Great review as always Dave!! Did anyone else catch the Engadget review where the guy tried to snap the thing in half and complained that it made a cracking noise and had poor build quality? Lol

[@TaeFace93]

I quite like the aesthetic of this one. Great review as always.

[@crispinespeleta2545]

woah nice this video is better somehow from your other ones because you presented it in a new table hehe

[@mikayel18ify]

THX FOR REVEIW I WAS WAITING FOR THIS

[@raoteck]

Dave ,, very nice review .. i like your approach and style .. keep it up dude..

[@wag11112]

Amazing review very professional and detailed

[@redcard3875]

As always, excellent review.

[@brianamoako]

You deserve way more credit, Thanks Dave

[@rishabharora8011]

love your videos bro... keep it up👌👌

[@regisfranciozi8498]

I enjoyed your review, helpful and concise.

[@tralent]

First video for a new subscriber! :)

[@warakanda7356]

China brands devices are now very reliable and pretty cheap, worth having them indeed. Maybe they should upgrade the quality then it could compete with the more premier brands. Anyway, I had used them, it's really really awesome. A very simple short and clear review, tq bro.

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

I'm looking for something to replace a MBP for a customer that hates OS X. Great review. This is a serious option. Thx!

[@vandisk4gb]

Nice review mate!

[@ezas533]

This review helped in my decision to pick up the i5-7200u model. Switched from a MacBook m3-6y30 and the ASUS is miles ahead in terms of performance.

[@YashBaleri]

love your vids man!

[@Mariam-py9zr]

I just purchased this product for a little over 1K on Amazon. I'm happy with the product. No gaming for me, so its not a concern. Definitely a speedy machine. I'm getting used to the laptop size. I love the weight. It's so small and light that sometimes I forget where it is. The blue color is easy to blend in with my environment, so I may need to purchase a colorful slip for it! Overall... 2 days in... its an A.

[@shivanshujain6102]

Subscribed.. You have a very cool attitude and simple conclusions... appreciated.. thus subscribed.. Thums up buddy👍

[@Techonsapevole]

Nice review, can you make a backstage video about how you do recordings and video editing? I like your animated drawings, how you make them? I'd like to see a your review of the Xiaomi Notebook Air

[@JamesSamsonFromAlaska]

Referring to 5:19 . So the $1599 ASUS Laptop is good as a Chromebook with extra power? You can build a computer 6x the power of that price

[@pizza88]

amazing review! keep it up

[@Megabeans]

If you guys want a more budget option that has the IPS 1080p display, 1tb disk, 8gb ram and the same i7 cpu then go for the ASUS X556UA. I know it's plastic but you'll be saving up on a lot more and you'll also get more ports.

[@SYD9737]

Awesome video 😊💓

Hope you will get to review the Zenbook 3 Deluxe UX490UA variant which has many of the negatives of this one fixed 👍

[@jatinderbir7371]

Awesome video 👍🏽

[@THEWILLY417]

Wow the blue color is so nice, wish the tech industry would produce more than just black, silver, gold and rose gold...

[@bonalimbong5898]

really like your review!

[@kevinbrouwers9381]

I really like your reviews, I am currently looking for the ultra-book your reviews play a huge role in my decision. With a large purchase like an ultra-book I want to make sure I wont regret it. Often it's not possible to check out the product in the store but your videos give me enough insight to the feel and specific questions you wont find in spec sheets, like typing experience and keyboard flex. Also your videos are super chill and fantastically edited. ps. could you review Acer Aspire S13?

[@joshnoel2967]

ur vids r well put together