The growth of Microsoft's Surface line has forced Apple to rethink its product strategy, bringing new models to market that initially did not interest the company, such as the iPad Pro 2-in-1 device that is a direct competitor to the Surface Pro.
More recently, Microsoft launched the Surface Laptop, a more conventional laptop that takes the 2-in-1 approach, but comes with Windows 10 S and support for Windows 10 Pro, as well as a number of other improvements that Apple again seems to downplay.
And while Cupertino is ignoring the direction Microsoft is taking, Asus is a much more active player in this industry and today it started selling the ZenBook 3 Deluxe that was introduced earlier this year at Computex.
Essentially a rival to the Microsoft Surface Laptop and an alternative to the Apple MacBook, the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe comes with some seriously impressive specs, including the Intel Core i7 processors that are also available in Microsoft's models. You can equip the ZenBook with up to 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM and up to a 1TB SSD.
And compared to the Surface Laptop, you also get a USB Type-C port that provides support for a wide range of hardware, starting with displays and ending with storage.
Despite these specifications, the ZenBook 3 Deluxe weighs just 1.1 kilograms, making it Microsoft's lightest laptop.
As for pricing, the most affordable configuration costs $1,299, but pricing increases as you go for higher specs and more powerful hardware.
The Surface Laptop, on the other hand, starts at $999, but the top-of-the-line configuration goes up to $2,199 when equipped with the more powerful i7 processor, 16GB, and 512GB.
The device is currently available in the United States at major online retailers, including Amazon, and will be sold in more markets in the coming months.
