ASUS ZenBook Deluxe 3 UX490UA Review: A Striking, Slim Ultrabook

To measure the ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490UA’s performance, we used a number of tests and benchmarks and compared it to a range of laptops, including systems with similar hardware, in addition to some ultra-light and premium notebooks. We change very few settings before testing, in an effort to ensure that the laptops performs at the same level for us that they will for readers who buy them. That said, many factors affect performance, so benchmark comparisons between notebooks are more of a guide rather than a guarantee.

The ATTO Disk benchmark gives a look at how the ASUS ZenPad 3’s NVMe PCI Express 512GB SSD performs with various transfer sizes.


The SSD seem improved over that in the 12.5-inch UX390. Maximum performance is similar, with read speeds about 1.7GB/sec and write speeds around 1.5GB/sec. But this larger model performs at that level more consistently, across a much larger range of transfer sizes. It’s good performance, but we’ve seen faster read speeds in laptops like the ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

We kicked off our general purpose benchmarks with SunSpider, a JavaScript benchmark, and then ran PCMark 8, which will give us a comprehensive look at the ZenBook’s capabilities in standard office productivity and home media tasks.

SunSpider Javascript Performance

SunSpider tests core Javascript performance in your browser, which means that different browsers, browser updates, and different operating systems can all have a big impact on scores. However, among the Windows 10-powered machines here, all things are relatively equal and Microsoft Edge is our browser of choice, since it is installed by default on all machines listed here.


The UX490UA performs exactly as we’d expect from a Kaby Lake ultrabook. It’s fast, particularly compared to most notebooks with older-generation processors.

PCMark 8 Full System Tests

We selected three tests from the PCMark 8 benchmark suite: Home, Storage and Work. Futuremark recently improved all three tests with PCMark 8 version 2 that offers a nice swath of mixed media workloads, from document editing, to video conferencing and editing. We selected the Open CL "Accelerated" options for both the Home and Work modules, which let's the benchmark take advantage of current generation integrate GPU engines to accelerate some aspects of processing.

Again we see just what we expect to from a Kaby Lake ultrabook. Performance is excellent for a low-wattage dual-core chip. Bottom line: there are no real surprises, and the minor differences you see between the ZenBook and other similar laptops are small enough that you’re not likely to notice any difference in day-to-day productivity work.