ASUS kicked off Computex 2016 with the ZenBook 3, the latest iteration in its flagship ultraportable series. Weighing just two pounds and with a thickness of 11.9mm, the ZenBook 3 is lighter and thinner than the 12-inch MacBook, which comes in at 2.03 pounds and 12.3mm. ASUS' offering does all that while offering a processor that's twice as fast as the sixth-generation Core M line used in the MacBook, while fitting a larger 12.5-inch Full HD display.
Featuring a chassis constructed out of "aerospace-grade aluminum alloy," ASUS mentions that the ZenBook 3 is 40% stronger than traditional notebooks. Under the hood, the notebook is powered by a Core i7 CPU, and can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM. There's also a Thunderbolt 3 connector, and the ZenBook 3 offers a USB-C port for charging, as well as a fingerprint sensor with Windows Hello support.
The ZenBook 3 with a Core i7 CPU, 1TB PCIe SSD, and 16GB of RAM will be available for $1,999, and a variant with 512GB SSD will retail for $1,499 later this year. The entry-level model will offer a Core i5 CPU, 256GB SSD, and 4GB of RAM, and will be available for $999.
The notebook will be available in grey, blue, and gold color variants.