ASUS targets Microsoft & Apple at Computex

ASUS has announced a number of new products at Computex, but 3 of them clearly have Microsoft and Apple in their line of sight. Despite the clone appearance, there is definitely some innovation going on here as well.

Transformer 3 Pro (Surface Pro 4)

With a $999 starting price (includes the backlit keyboard cover and active stylus), it does a lot of the same as the Surface Pro 4, it even has an infrared camera for Windows Hello. The pen tech looks to be different and no eraser at the back.. The display is slightly larger (12.6") and offers a small bump in resolution as well (2880x1920). The chassis is aluminium and weighs about the same as a SP4. The SSD is PCIe x4 up to 1 TB, up to 16 GB 2133 RAM and the CPU is up to a Core i7 U-series (Skylake). Unlike the Surface Pro 4, the T3P comes with a Thunderbolt 3 port, so you can use an external GPU (as seen in the picture above).

Transformer 3 (iPad Pro 12.9)

Clearly with the iPad Pro in it's sight, this device offers similar specifications to the Transformer 3 Pro, but it loses the kickstand, up to 8 GB RAM, up to 512 GB SSD and uses a Kabylake Core processor (likely Core M?). Keeping Thunderbolt 3 still allows for an external GPU and other docks. It's also thinner and lighter than the iPad Pro (slightly). Like the iPad Pro, it even has 4 Harmon Kardon speakers. There is an optional keyboard cover/stand for the device and active stylus. The infrared camera is dropped in place of a fingerprint sensor for Windows Hello. Prices will start at $799.

ZenBook 3 (MacBook 2016)

If there was any device here that really stands out for going above and beyond it's target, it's this. Thinner, lighter and more powerful. It uses a U series processor (that's right, no Core M in here) and although it still has a single USB-C port, ASUS will be including a multi-adapter in the box. To accommodate the U series processor, ASUS has designed an extremely discrete fan for this chassis. To improve the battery life, the display resolution is not as high as the MB, coming in at 1920x1080. It also has an optional built in fingerprint scanner for Windows Hello. The keyboard is said to be better than the one on the MacBook which used those rubbish butterfly switches. The ZenBook 3 starts at $999 for the Core i5 model, 4 GB 1866 RAM and a 256 GB SSD. $1499 for a Core i7 model with a 512 GB PCIe x4 SSD and 16 GB 2133 RAM. $1999 for a Core i7 model with a 1 TB PCIe x4 SSD and 16 GB 2133 RAM.

It's good to see other manufacturers taking a stab at the high-end market. In regards to design, these products obviously flatter the originals (Surface/iPad/MacBook) in terms of the look. For people looking to for Apple-like hardware without Apple software, these are going to be compelling options.

It's interesting to compare the different options in the market to see what sacrifices companies are willing to make to best balance their own devices.

If their Zenbook is like their Zenpad that I have it'll be garbage. Hopefully, they do a better job this time around.