Asus Zenbook 3 Deluxe: above the high end

Construction

This part of the test could be summed up in one sentence as this new Zenbook incorporates the main aesthetic characteristics of the previous model: "the Zenbook 3 Deluxe is a Zenbook 3 in XL version, and that's about it". But we do not complain, far from it and we always enjoy discovering a luxurious ultraportable, particularly well built and well finished. The all-aluminum chassis always benefits from a brushed "circle" effect on the top and we also appreciate the slightly golden contours, which know how to be discreet. The screen hinge is quite flexible, almost a little too much. An observation that we were already making on the Zenbook 3.

However, this "Deluxe" iteration benefits from some improvements. In addition to the diagonal of its screen, which goes from 12.5 to 14 inches, the input area has generally been improved. The keyboard no longer occupies the entire width, but benefits from a slightly longer stroke, thus providing increased typing comfort. Long writing sessions are therefore quite enjoyable. Same speech for the touchpad, well integrated into the chassis and which sounds much less hollow than on the Zenbook 3.

The enlargement of the chassis of this Zenbook 3 Deluxe also makes it possible to place a little more supplied connectors. We now take advantage of three USB Type-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 3 compatible. As on the Zenbook 3, Asus puts in the box a mini USB Type-C hub, which adds a USB 3 Type-A port, an HDMI output and a USB Type-C port. A little more very appreciable.

On the heating and noise side, the balance is mixed and seems to vary enormously depending on the outside temperature. The last few weeks have been very hot, the laptop has regularly tended to emit a breath that could go up to 40 dB (A), but very randomly. Our last days of use have been quieter, however, with almost inaudible ventilation and an acceptable temperature. The area hosting the processor, however, tends to quickly raise the thermometer, with a hot spot of 48.4 ° C at the front and 46.8 ° C under the chassis.

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Screen

The Zenbook 3 Deluxe has a brilliant IPS panel of 14 inches in Full HD (1920 x 1080 px) in 16: 9 format and protected by Gorilla Glass 5. It is particularly well highlighted thanks to a frame of 7.46 mm. Some laptops do better on this point, with margins of less than 5 mm, but this optimization is rare on a 14 inch.

Our probe in any case reveals figures fairly close to those of the Zenbook 3 and we therefore end up with a fairly similar rendering. First of all, we welcome the very good contrast ratio of 1100: 1 which, coupled with a maximum brightness of 345 cd / m², provides very good readability for this panel.

Delta color E = 4.2 gamma 2.1 temperature 7550 K

The colorimetry is meanwhile good, but does not reach the level of the best ultraportables on the market. Delta E thus stands at 4.2. Recall that delta E represents the difference between the actual colors and the colors displayed and that it is considered excellent below 3. The temperature (7,550 K) is a bit far from the norm (6,500 K) and the rendering therefore draws slightly on the cold shades even if, with this figure, this is hardly noticed with the naked eye. The gamma curve is quite stable, but there is still a tendency to block the blacks a little.

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Performances

Our test version of the Zenbook 3 Deluxe is equipped with an Intel Core-i7 7500U processor, 16 GB of RAM in LPDDR3 and a 1 TB Samsung SSD. A very nice configuration, which gives hope for good performance. The presence of a Core i7 7500U (processor with two cores for frequencies ranging from 2.7 to 3.5 GHz) allows this ultraportable to be very versatile.

Our performance index, based on a series of benchmarks (file compression, audio and video conversion, photo editing, 3D calculation) is thus in the good average of ultraportables equipped with low consumption Core i7 and the overall performance is quite honorable. The presence of an SSD and 16 GB of RAM is a real plus for enjoying a powerful, fluid and very responsive working environment.

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Games

As is often the case with this type of laptop, there is no dedicated graphics card, so you have to rely on the Intel HD Graphics 620 iGPU to play. The latter is still not a miracle and it will be very difficult to properly run a recent game in 3D. On the other hand, this type of chip is sufficient for games more in the "independent / pixel-art" spirit. And that's good, the choice is not lacking on PC.

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Mobility / Autonomy

In terms of portability, the Zenbook 3 Deluxe is an excellent student, and it is very difficult to find a laptop PC in 14 inch format as thin and light. With a weight of only 1.1 kg and a thickness of 12.9 mm, it knows how to be discreet and fits very easily in a small bag. In addition, Asus delivers two carrying cases for purchase, one for the PC and one for the charger - a small charger for that matter.

On the autonomy side, the results are quite good for a 14 inch, since our video streaming playback test (Netflix in Chrome, brightness at 200 cd / m², headphones plugged in and backlight off) ran for 6 hours. A high figure, but which remains below what some ultraportables can offer in a more compact format, which go up to almost 10 hours. Here, we can therefore consider a small day of autonomy (between 7 and 8 hours), provided you play on energy saving and the level of brightness. This remains excellent for a 14 inch, especially since the recharge is very fast (1h30 to go from 5 to 100%).

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Audio

The Zenbook 3 Deluxe has a very convincing headphone output. The distortion rate is low (0.01%), but the output power could have been higher (1058 mVrms). The entire sound spectrum is also well reproduced.

The speakers are also pretty compelling for an ultraportable PC. The sound power delivered is quite high and the distortion remains low (2%). We also note a good presence of mediums and high-mediums.

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Conclusion

The Zenbook 3 Deluxe is undoubtedly the lightest and least bulky 14-inch laptop we have had in our hands. Asus has thus managed to transpose all the qualities of the Zenbook 3 (beautiful finishes, dreamy measurements, power and autonomy) in a slightly larger format. The screen size / chassis size ratio is particularly well optimized, so that it almost seems to be facing a 13 inch. It's a virtually flawless ultraportable.

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