Is there a better alternative?

Oddly enough, there aren’t many alternatives better than the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe, though it depends on exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re in the market for an extremely thin and light premium laptop and build quality is of paramount importance, the closest competitor is the HP Spectre 13. It’s thinner at just 0.41 inches and is just about the same weight. What’s more, when configured similarly, it comes in at $1,400. That’s significantly cheaper than the ZenBook 3 Deluxe, with the only significant difference being a slightly bigger screen.

　　If you’d be willing to carry a little extra weight, then the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon has demonstrated that it’s a good alternative. It’s not as stylish or slick as the ZenBook, but with powerful hardware and killer battery life, it’s an excellent business-class notebook at this same 14-inch size.

　　Another excellent option is the Dell XPS 13, which has gained its own eighth-generation refresh. It performs just as well as the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe while offering right around the same battery life. It’s not quite as thin or as light, but that brings some advantages in terms of keyboard and battery life. You’ll pay a little more at $1,700 ($1,600 on sale) for the same Core i7-8550U, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, but you’ll have to give up the touch display.

　　

How long will it last?

Well, chances are the ZenBook 3 Deluxe will last long enough to become outdated, particularly with the absolute latest and greatest mobile CPU — and that’s a good thing. The aluminum chassis will undoubtedly outlast the internal hardware, though its stylish design might not be as timeless as a simple black or silver laptop would. Make sure you really like that blue-and-gold design, this thing’s going to be around a while. Or pick up the grey version.

　　

Should you buy it?

Yep. Intuitive design and stellar build quality make the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe a killer laptop. By building on the success of the earlier version, improving on its shortcomings, and packing in the best mobile CPU around, Asus has gone above and beyond with the ZenBook 3 Deluxe.

　　At $1,700, it’s not cheap (although it’s currently on sale for $1,400, which is even more attractive), but you get what you paid for — a high-quality laptop that goes the extra mile to deliver an excellent mobile computing experience.