Considering your needs, if top-notch portability and a high-quality display are priorities for you, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is a solid choice; it's lightweight, has an OLED screen, and a compact design. However, if raw performance, notably for gaming or demanding tasks, and a larger screen are more important, despite the increased weight and size, the Gigabyte A7, which has a powerful graphics card and processor, could be your go-to, all while being less expensive. If the budget is tight, the A7 offers good value for money, though the Zenbook will present a more luxurious feel and experience. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte A7
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
7.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 excels in general use due to its combination of a powerful CPU, ample RAM, high-quality OLED screen, remarkable portability, and long battery life. Conversely, the Gigabyte A7, while still good for general use, is heavier and less portable, with a lower battery life, but offers a larger screen and dedicated gaming-grade graphics that the ASUS lacks, making it more suitable for visually-intensive tasks despite its lesser portability and battery endurance.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.3/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A7 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.6/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for engineering and design because it has a high-performance CPU, ample RAM, integrated high-quality graphics, and an exceptional OLED screen offering vivid colors and contrasts, making it well-suited for precision tasks. In contrast, the Gigabyte A7, while good for such use, has a capable CPU and a discrete GPU which is better for tasks requiring advanced graphics, but it falls short in screen resolution and color accuracy, and it is also less portable due to its larger size and weight.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte A7 is good.
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
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte A7 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.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.3/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 likely boasts a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and brightness suitable for detailed work in engineering and general use; however, its screen may not refresh quickly enough for optimal gaming or 3D applications. The Gigabyte A7, while good enough for everyday tasks and engineering design with adequate resolution and color reproduction, may fall short for gaming due to a lower refresh rate. Both laptops' screens may not satisfy gamers or professionals in 3D fields who depend on quick screen refreshes to render smooth visuals, but they cater well to users focused on general computing and professional design work.
Battery
11.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 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
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,400
$940
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Gigabyte A7 costs $940.
"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."
"In terms of looks, the Gigabyte A7 X1 is certainly not a trendy, slim, and ultra-mobile gaming laptop. But it does what it's supposed to do, namely bringing games smoothly onto the screen, very well. Both the processor and the GeForce RTX 3070 are able to unleash their performance without restrictions thanks to the well-ventilated case. The Gigabyte A7 X1 brings modern games smoothly onto the screen and offers excellent maintenance options."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Gigabyte A7
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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