The ASUS Zenbook S 13 suits customers looking for a high-performing, portable premium business laptop, and are willing to spend more. With a focus on quality graphics and processing power, it's also well-suited for intensive tasks like engineering, 3D modeling, and gaming. Conversely, the LG Ultra 16 is more budget-friendly and offers good performance for general use and multimedia, but may not match the ASUS in terms of build quality or power for demanding applications. 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
Good overall build quality
Best in class portability
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the LG Ultra 16
Excellent battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
7.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the LG Ultra 16 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 outshines the LG Ultra 16 for general use due to its higher RAM and a more powerful Intel CPU, OLED display with higher resolution, brightness, and color coverage, all contributing to a better visual experience, along with greater portability owing to its lighter weight and smaller dimensions.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 16 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook S13, with its superior CPU, RAM, and GPU, excels in handling complex engineering software and demanding design tasks, while also offering an excellent screen for fine-detail work. The LG Ultra 16, while still capable for engineering and design, prioritizes a balance between performance and portability, with a good keyboard and quieter operation, making it a versatile choice for users who move around frequently.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for content creation, while the LG Ultra 16 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
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for software development, while the LG Ultra 16 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
6.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13's superior screen quality for general use and engineering is due to its higher resolution, brightness, and wider color gamut coverage, offering crisp visuals and vibrant colors necessary for detailed work. However, its low refresh rate dims the experience for gaming and 3D applications, which require swift on-screen motion. The LG Ultra 16, while having fair screen characteristics that can handle everyday tasks and some design work, lacks the advanced color accuracy and resolution of the ASUS, making it less suitable for precision in engineering and less vibrant for general usage.
Battery
11.0 Hours
17.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The LG Ultra 16 has 17 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
16.0in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the LG Ultra 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
6.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the LG Ultra 16 costs $1,000.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and LG Ultra 16 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.
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How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the LG Ultra 16 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."
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the LG Ultra 16
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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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