Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA

Review: Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA

Conclusion

...the quad-core chip is severely throttled when the going gets tough, to the extent that the benefit of additional cores is almost entirely negated.

Asus has refreshed its super-sleek ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA laptop with the addition of a quad-core Intel Core i7-8550U processor.

Such an upgrade is to be expected, yet while it sounds a logical move, Asus's implementation leaves something to be desired. Albeit quick during light, regular workloads, the quad-core chip is severely throttled when the going gets tough, to the extent that the benefit of additional cores is almost entirely negated.

It is a surprise to see CPU frequency drop to as low as 1.3GHz on a machine at this price point, and the 2018 refresh has the feel of laziness about it. There's still no touchscreen option, the webcam remains terrible, and lots of bloatware detracts from the overall package.

This remains an eye-catching, ultra-portable laptop with a decent keyboard and trackpad, a nice 1080p display and dual Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, but it could have been much more. Competition in the premium Ultrabook space isn't letting up, and a simple CPU upgrade ultimately isn't enough for the ZenBook 3 Deluxe to challenge its rivals.

The Good		The Bad
Super-sleek chassis Decent keyboard and trackpad Fast light-load performance Dual Thunderbolt 3 Bundled Type-A and HDMI adapter		Severe throttling under heavy load No touchscreen option Still a poor quality webcam Battery life good but not great Lots of bloatware

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