ASUS is a company that doesn’t shy away from the latest technology, and with the new ZenBook 3 UX490UA, they’ve updated one of their thinnest and lightest machines to include the latest Intel 8th Generation processors. It’s likely no surprise to any of our readers what this means, but for those who are just now dipping their toes into Intel's newest processors, this is Kaby Lake Refresh, which features the first ever quad-core ultramobile Core processor from Intel. ASUS in turn has packed Intel's latest processor into a small, lightweight chassis, with all of the features expected in a modern Ultrabook.

With the ASUS ZenBook 3, the company currently offers two models. The original ZenBook 3, which ASUS continues to offer, features a Core i7-7500U CPU, a dual-core hyperthreading-enabled CPU with a base of 2.7 GHz and boost of 3.5 GHz. Joining the family with the launch of Kaby Lake Refresh is a new model based around a Core i7-8550U CPU, which is the new quad-core with hyperthreading, running at a base frequency of 1.8 GHz and boosting up to 4.0 GHz. Relative to the 7500U model, the 8550U model's base frequency is a bit lower to accommodate the extra cores, but for workloads without as many threads, the 4.0 GHz top boost speed is a big jump over the 3.5 GHz top speed of the previous generation chip.

Today we're taking a look at the newer 8550U-based model. Given that it's a minor refresh of the existing ZenBook 3 design, a lot of the focus is going to be on the new CPU, and for good reason. While Intel's 8th generation Core lineup is unfortunately a bit of a mess (more on that in a bit), but it's a significant update at almost every level of Intel's product stack, thin & light ultrabooks included. Whereas all Intel 15 Watt CPUs before now have been dual-core designs, Kaby Lake Refresh bumps that up to a quad-core, which as we'll see makes for some rather potent performance boosts in even moderately threaded scenarios. This in turn is a rather significant development for Ultrabooks: the thin & light laptops have always been about tradeoffs – giving up performance and some ports for portability – however the release of a quad-core CPU suitable for these laptops means that Ultrabooks can now reach into performance tiers previously restricted to larger laptops.

Not that the ZenBook 3 is all about its CPU, of course. As mentioned previously, ASUS has not shied away from packing in all the latest tech either. The ZenBook 3 UX490UA features a 14-inch 1920x1080 IPS panel, with thin display bezels, allowing the laptop to be much more compact that older 14-inch models would be. They’ve outfitted the laptop with 16 GB of LPDDR3 memory, and 256 GB of SATA SSD, or 512 GB of PCIe 3.0 x 4 NVMe storage.

ASUS ZenBook 3 UX490UA
  Model Tested: Core i7-8550U, 512GB SSD, $1699
Processor Intel Core i7-7500U (2C/4T, 2.7-3.5 GHz 15W)

Intel Core i7-8550U (4C/8T, 1.8-4.0GHz, 15W)
Memory 16 GB Dual-Channel LPDDR3-2133
Graphics 7500U: Intel HD 620 (24 EUs, 300MHz-1.05GHz)
8550U: Intel UHD 620 (24 EUs, 300MHz-1.15GHz)
Display 14" 1920x1080 16:9 IPS
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Non-Touch
100% sRGB color
Storage 256GB SATA / 512GB NVMe
Networking 802.11ac, 2x2:2, 866Mbps Max, 2.4 and 5GHz
Bluetooth 4.1
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
Audio Quad-speakers
Harman Kardon Certified
Battery 46 Wh, 65 W AC Adapter USB-C Charging
Right Side USB-C w/Thunderbolt 3
USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) with Display and Power Delivery
Left Side 3.5mm Headset Jack
USB-C w/Thunderbolt 3
Dimensions 329 x 210 x 12.9 mm (12.95 x 8.279 x 0.51 inches)
Weight 1.1 kg / 2.42 lbs
Cameras VGA Web Cam
Pricing Core i7-7500U $1579 USD
Core i7-8550U $1699 USD

Some laptops are still debating whether to offer USB-C, but ASUS has gone all-in with two Thunderbolt 3-equipped USB-C ports and a further standard USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) port. All three USB-C ports offer upstream charging, while the Thunderbolt ports add TB3 data speeds, dual 4K display output, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) data transfer capabilities to the mix. Wireless connectivity is provided by an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 adapter. This is one of the most reliable ones available, and offers excellent 2x2:2 performance, but also MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 4.1.

ASUS has even found room for a fingerprint reader, which allows Windows Hello login.

Although ASUS lists a 256 GB model, it doesn't appear to be for sale anywhere at the moment.

ASUS packs all of this into a laptop that’s only 1.1 kg / 2.42 lbs, and 12.9 mm / 0.51 inches thick. It’s available in both a striking Royal Blue, or a Quartz Gray finish on the “aerospace-grade aluminum alloy” which ASUS says is 50% stronger than the standard aluminum alloy.

Let’s dig into the design and see how they did.

Design
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  • aeronatis - Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - link

    I believe they prefer to implement LPDDR to be able to reach long battery runtime during sleep. With standart DDR, any sleeping computer is pretty much out of juice overnight whereas laptops with LPDDR can sleep for days.
  • DanNeely - Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - link

    I've been able to sleep Dell Latitudes used by my previous employer over the weekend since the 2008(?) models; AFAIK all of them used standard DDR2/3 not low power sorts.
  • hybrid2d4x4 - Thursday, November 23, 2017 - link

    Overnight? That's a pretty major exaggeration. I had a Acer 3830TG (Sandy bridge, 4GB DDR3) that lasted >3 weeks in sleep. And before anyone says it, I always "powercfg -h off" on a new system/OS install.
  • wolrah - Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - link

    @labrats5 Who said anything about LPDDR3?

    @Jimios basically I'm looking for a powerful, portable machine on which to run VMs and do development. It'll never run games or even Windows so an nVidia or AMD GPU is just wasted silicon, wasted power, and annoying driver problems. I'd rather just use the Intel GPU that's built in to the processor and has great Linux support, but basically every proper workstation laptop forces a Quadro on you.

    If I want to avoid the GPU I'm stuck looking at the thinner models. I don't really care about thin, I think my 2008-era Macbook Pro (the one right before unibody, that was basically an evolution of the Powerbook G4 design) was perfect as far as size/weight goes.
  • Jimios - Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - link

    Can't the dGPU be completely disabled through BIOS/EFI or something? I haven't owned a non-Apple laptop recently so I honestly don't know.

    As for your use case (multiple VMs, etc.), I understand, but I don't think there would be too much demand for what you're asking. A laptop with your description wouldn't sell well to justify the development and marketing cost, IMO. Laptops like the article we're commenting on are mass market devices.

    Also, typically with "workstation laptops" companies aim at CAD/CAM engineers and creative professionals. Which is sad, and I understand your frustration.
  • DanNeely - Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - link

    As a developer currently using a Yoga with 16GB of ram, while I'd rather have a big laptop with a 45W CPU and 32GB of ram; if I could only have 1 I'd go for the ram multiple VMs or copies o Visual studio and a bunch of loaded browsers max out 16GB more often than I'm CPU limited.
  • wolrah - Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - link

    "Can't the dGPU be completely disabled through BIOS/EFI or something? I haven't owned a non-Apple laptop recently so I honestly don't know."

    I have yet to encounter a dual-GPU laptop where all the video ports were wired through the onboard GPU. Usually at least one of the external ports and sometimes the internal display is wired through the dedicated component, requiring that part to be enabled for those ports to work.

    On my current Asus with a GT650M the HDMI port is wired through the nVidia chip so if I want to use an external monitor I have to either use VGA (yuck) or deal with the disaster that is nVidia Optimus. Even under Windows it's annoying, under Linux it's a mess.
  • linuxgeex - Thursday, November 23, 2017 - link

    I've felt the same as you for the last decade, but you'd be surprised these days. AMD GPUs are quite well supported out of the box on open drivers, within 6mo of launch, and generally you can get them up on launch day using recent kernel/Mesa releases. I'll be getting an AMD 2500u based laptop this time around. Probably the Acer Swift.
  • timecop1818 - Thursday, November 23, 2017 - link

    > basically I'm looking for a powerful, portable machine on which to run VMs and do development. It'll never run games or even Windows so an nVidia or AMD GPU is just wasted silicon, wasted power, and annoying driver problems. I'd rather just use the Intel GPU that's built in to the processor and has great Linux support, but basically every proper workstation laptop forces a Quadro on you.

    you had me until "never runs Windows", lol.

    nice troll, bro, nice troll.

    also, accelerated graphics support in lunix. ha ha ha ha ha.

    thanks for the laugh.
  • IGTrading - Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - link

    It will be lovely to watch AMD Ryzen Mobile mop the floor with this 1700 USD waste of money.

    For this much money, I would expect way better performance, but luckily HP Envy x360z with Ryzen Mobile is just 600 USD.

    There's nothing in ASUS' new Zen that's worth the extra 1000 USD they're asking.

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