The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is a more portable and lightweight option with a higher resolution OLED display, which is great for general use with fantastic screen colors and brightness. It has longer battery life and is less expensive. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 offers superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks due to its more powerful CPU and high-end dedicated graphics card. It has a higher refresh rate IPS screen, which is better for fast-motion gaming but is heavier and has shorter battery life. If portability and screen quality are your main concerns, go with the Zenbook S 13; if you need high performance for intensive tasks and gaming, choose the Aorus 15. 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 software development
Best in class portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 15
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
7.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
316.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 leads as a versatile choice due to its high-resolution OLED screen, larger RAM for multitasking, and lightweight design enhancing portability, whereas the Gigabyte Aorus 15, with a stronger CPU and dedicated graphics, is tailored more towards performance-intensive tasks but sacrifices some portability and has shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
8.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is better suited for the demands of gaming and 3D applications because it has a more powerful GPU and higher screen refresh rate compared to the ASUS Zenbook S 13. While both laptops may have quality screens and capable CPUs, the higher-end graphics card in the Aorus 15 and its ability to display more frames per second make it a preferable choice for these intensive tasks.
Software Development
8.3/10
7.6/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 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
8.0/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
316.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, both the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 offer crisp, high-resolution displays with ample brightness, making text and images sharp and easy to view. However, for engineering and design tasks, despite their excellent color coverage which allows for precise color work, their screens might not measure up due to resolution or panel quality. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, their poorer refresh rates will lead to less smooth visuals, which might hinder the gaming experience even though their other screen attributes are solid.
Battery
11.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 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
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,400
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 costs $1,500.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 and ASUS Zenbook S 13 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its high-quality OLED display, complemented by a powerful CPU and ample RAM for multitasking and intensive applications; however, with integrated graphics, it's less optimal for tasks that require advanced graphic processing. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 offers a robust CPU, considerable RAM, and a dedicated high-performance GPU that excels in graphic-intensive engineering tasks, paired with a quality screen; its larger size and weight make it less portable compared to the ASUS.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Gigabyte Aorus 15 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Gigabyte Aorus 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 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 Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a power-hungry gaming beast. The Aorus 15 is designed to run games at QHD and high to max settings. But it also cuts a good figure in other demanding applications such as video editing and rendering. This is made possible by the Core i7 12700H and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop inside the machine. A lightning-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD (1 TB) allows for short loading times."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Gigabyte Aorus 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.
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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