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ZenBook 3 vs. MacBook specs review & comparison: Asus unveils a laptop thinner and lighter than the Apple MacBook

Jackie Villegas June 01, 2016 08:03 PM EST

Asus has announced a new laptop that may be a worthy competitor of Apple's thinnest and lightest offering.

The Asus ZenBook 3, unveiled during the Zenvolution press event at Computex 2016 on Monday, May 30, is thinner and lighter than the latest MacBook, Apple's thinnest and lightest laptop. But the ZenBook 3 features a fingerprint scanner and runs Windows 10.

Promotional image for the new Asus ZenBook 3 | Asus

As reported by The Verge, Asus' unveiling of the ZenBook 3 compared the new offering directly with the Apple MacBook and the Apple MacBook Air, with Asus chairman Jonney Shih calling the ZenBook 3 "the best of both" the MacBook and the MacBook Air.

Shih also called the new ultra-thin Asus device "the world's most prestigious laptop."

According to the head of the Chinese tech giant, the ZenBook 3 weighs less than Apple's lightest and newest MacBook and that it is powered by a processor that is "two times faster than MacBook."

The ZenBook 3 is a slim 11.9 mm, thinner indeed than the new MacBook's 13.1 mm chassis. And while the ZenBook 3 weighs but 0.91 kg, the MacBook weighs in at 0.92 kg.

Under the ZenBook's lid are a 12.5-inch display, a glass trackpad, and a fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support that enables users to log in without having to type a password.

In comparison, the latest MacBook has a 12-inch Retina display, an edge-to-edge keyboard, and a pressure-sensitive Force Touch trackpad.

While the MacBook is powered by a 1.2 GHz Core m5 processor, the ZenBook 3 runs on an Intel Core i7 processor.

Neither the ZenBook 3 nor the MacBook has much room for ports and peripherals. The MacBook still only comes with a single USB-C port while the ZenBook 3 has a USB Type-C port and a 3.5 mm headphone port.

According to Asus, the ZenBook 3 packs up to 9 hours of battery life. Meanwhile, the latest MacBook allows for 10 hours of wireless web browsing and 11 hours of iTunes movie watching.

The Asus ZenBook ships in three different color variants: Quartz Grey, Royal Blue, and Rose Gold.

The new MacBook, which was unveiled in April, comes in Silver, Gold, Space Grey, and the all-new Rose Gold.

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