The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers more storage space and higher memory, making it suitable for intensive tasks and multitasking, yet it is slightly heavier, which may affect portability. The Apple MacBook Air comes with much less storage and less RAM but provides a larger screen and longer battery life, which can be ideal for media consumption and general use. It has a superior keyboard and speakers but falls short of the ASUS in terms of performance for 3D, machine learning, or engineering work. Choose the ASUS if your priority is performance, or the MacBook Air if your preference leans towards a larger display, longer battery life, and better user interface elements like the keyboard and speakers. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook S 13
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Best in class portability
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
7.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.6/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 outperforms the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) for engineering and design due to a more powerful Intel i7 processor, larger RAM, and high-end GPU suitable for demanding applications, alongside an OLED screen for vivid colors and higher resolution.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 have high-resolution displays that offer sharp and clear visuals suitable for both general use and demanding engineering tasks, where detailed image accuracy is critical. Their screens also cover a wide range of colors, providing designers with the ability to see their work in vibrant and true-to-life tones. However, for gaming and 3D applications that require quick image changes, neither laptop is ideal as they lack high refresh rates, making them less smooth for fast-paced visuals.
Battery
11.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Best in Class
Very Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.3in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$1,299
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) costs $1,299.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is better suited for gaming and 3D tasks than the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) because it runs Windows, which supports more popular games, and it has a dedicated GPU which is more capable for these tasks. Both laptops have similar screen refresh rates and high-quality displays, but the GPU is more essential for gaming performance, and Apple's MacBook Air has limitations in available game titles due to its operating system.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.3/10
8.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
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How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) compare to other laptops
"The Asus Zenbook S 13 is the slimmest OLED ultrabook worldwide struggles with annoying fans. The new Zenbook S 13 leaves us with mixed feelings, particularly since last year's model was so good. Asus has completely reworked the device, making the laptop noticeably slimmer. The result also looks good and the case makes a great impression, particularly also in terms of the stability. The new plasma ceramic surface feels great, and there are no problems with fingerprints. In addition, it now includes some of the known connections such as an HDMI port and a regular USB-A connection, which is a good achievement in such a slim device."
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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