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Updated January 12, 2024·
If budget is a primary concern and you're looking for a cost-effective solution, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) might be the better option as it comes at a lower price point. However, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 typically offers more powerful performance capabilities, which can be important if you're running demanding applications for engineering or 3D modeling. The MacBook Pro, while offering solid performance, excels with its ecosystem integration, especially if you use other Apple devices, and is also well-suited for creative professionals involved in video and music production. In terms of portability, the Zenbook S 13 is often favored for its lighter weight and smaller form factor, making it more convenient for frequent travel. Nonetheless, if long battery life is crucial for your daily activities, the MacBook Pro typically offers more hours of usage between charges. Choose the ASUS Zenbook S 13 if power and portability top your list and you're willing to invest more, or go for the MacBook Pro if you prefer a balance of performance, battery life, and a more synergistic experience with Apple products at a lower cost. 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 for software development
- Very good overall display quality
- Best in class portability
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
- Best in class overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.6
7.8
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
477.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers a high-quality OLED screen, is lightweight and thus more portable, and provides ample storage and RAM which makes it excellent for general use. The Apple MacBook Pro 16, while also good for general use, excels in screen brightness, speaker quality, and build quality, but it is heavier and might be less convenient to carry around.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers a powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a high-resolution OLED screen suitable for detailed engineering and design work, while being lighter and therefore more portable than the Apple MacBook Pro 16. In contrast, the MacBook Pro includes a dedicated GPU which may be preferable for certain engineering tasks requiring graphical computing power, and it has superior build quality, keyboard, and speakers, making it a robust choice for long-term intense workloads despite its heavier form factor.
Screen Quality
8.1
7.8
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
477.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and MacBook Pro 16 have high resolutions and brightness, providing crisp and clear visuals, but the Zenbook's display may lack the color accuracy and superior viewing angles of the MacBook's. Engineering and design professionals would find both laptops competent as they cover a wide range of colors within DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB gamuts, essential for precise color work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which means less fluid motion and slower response times compared to displays designed specifically for those high-refresh-rate needs.
Portability
Best in Class
Good
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
10.0
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
$496
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) costs $496.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.4
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
8.5
8.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook S 13 to be very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) is good.
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.
Battery
11.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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.
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How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook S 13 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,400 | $496 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | October 1, 2019 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.7'' x 8.5'' x 0.46'' | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.64'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.2 lbs | 4.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.66" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.52" | 9.68" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1355U | Intel i7-9750H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11 Hours | 12 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 63 Wh | 100 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 3072 x 1920 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 365 nits | 477 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.5/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720P | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 4 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 3 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook S 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | May 2023
"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."
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
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.
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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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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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