If you prioritize better performance and a higher-quality display, the ASUS Zenbook S 13, with its OLED screen and more powerful processor, is a preferable choice, especially for tasks like engineering or intensive multitasking. However, it comes at a higher price. The ASUS Vivobook 15, on the other hand, is a more budget-friendly option with a larger screen, suitable for general use like web browsing, document editing, and media consumption; but its performance and display quality are not as high as the Zenbook's. Lastly, the Zenbook is lighter and thus more portable than the Vivobook, making it easier to carry around. 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 for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class portability
Very good battery life
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook 15
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has no clear advantages over the ASUS Zenbook S 13.
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
6.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 stands out for general use with its more powerful CPU, greater RAM, high-quality OLED screen, lighter weight for better portability, and longer battery life. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook 15 offers lower performance due to its lesser CPU and RAM, and despite having a larger screen size, it falls short with an IPS panel and shorter battery life, though it may come at a more affordable price.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
5.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is poor.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is equipped with a more powerful GPU and a high-quality OLED screen, making it a better choice for gaming and 3D applications compared to the ASUS Vivobook 15, which has a less capable GPU and an IPS screen with lower resolution and color accuracy.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
6.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13, with a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a superior GPU, provides smoother and faster performance for demanding engineering tasks, along with a higher quality screen for detailed design work. Meanwhile, the ASUS Vivobook 15, while still capable, offers less power and screen fidelity, making it less suited for intensive engineering software, but it may be sufficient for lighter tasks and its typically lower price and adequate keyboard and speaker quality make it a budget-friendly option for everyday use.
Content Creation
8.5/10
6.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
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
6.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
6.3/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 touts a superior panel with higher resolution and brightness, ideal for crisp text and vivid images in everyday tasks, while its broader color gamut satisfies professionals in engineering and design by displaying more accurate colors. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 15 offers decent visual quality that's adequate for daily activities and non-color-critical work, but its more modest color range might not fully meet the demands of specialized design tasks. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D purposes due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less fluid motion compared to panels designed specifically for these high-frame-rate scenarios.
Battery
11.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook 15 has 6 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
Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and ASUS Vivobook 15 both have good build quality, though the ASUS Zenbook S 13 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$339
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the ASUS Vivobook 15 costs $339.
"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 Asus VivoBook 15 is a quiet office notebook with a strong screen. However, the VivoBook 15 still has room for improvement. Office and internet applications as well as simple games do not pose any major challenges for the VivoBook - this is ensured by the built-in combination of Ryzen 7 5700U APU and 16 GB of RAM. Heat and noise emissions are acceptable. But, the laptop has weaknesses that should not be present at this level: lack of keyboard lighting, a slow memory card reader, no fast USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt 4) with Power Delivery and DisplayPort. Battery runtimes can only be described as average."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the ASUS Vivobook 15
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.
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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