If prioritizing battery life and portability, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 stands out, with its lightweight design and extended battery usage. It's good for general use and has a high-quality OLED screen. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, despite being heavier, offers significantly better performance for 3D, machine learning, engineering tasks, and gaming due to its more powerful processor and dedicated graphics card. The Surface also has a touchscreen with a higher refresh rate, which is beneficial for interactive tasks and smoother visuals, but it comes at the cost of reduced battery life compared to the ASUS. Both have ample storage and memory, but the Surface includes more RAM, which can be essential for more demanding multitasking and professional applications. Choose the ASUS for everyday use and travel, or the Surface for more intensive computing needs and creative work. 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 overall display quality
Best in class portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
8.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and ASUS Zenbook S 13 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is somewhat better.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 with its high-resolution OLED screen and integrated Iris Xe graphics is well-suited for design work that requires color accuracy and energy efficiency, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, featuring a stronger Intel i7 with Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, is better equipped for engineering applications needing advanced computation and graphic processing. While the Zenbook offers extreme portability and silent operation, the Surface Laptop provides a flexible hinge for multiple use modes but is heavier and might produce more operating noise.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.9/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.4in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offer crisp visuals and ample brightness, making activities like browsing and video streaming pleasant, but their modest refresh rates limit gaming and 3D performance. Their screens showcase accurate colors across wide color gamuts, beneficial for professionals in engineering and design where detail and color precision are essential. However, gamers and 3D artists may find the lower refresh rates of these screens less than ideal, as smoother motion and quicker response times are key for these applications.
Battery
11.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 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
14.4in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good 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
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 with its lighter weight, exceptional screen quality, and longer battery life proves ideal for general use, focusing on portability and endurance without sacrificing performance, thanks to its capable CPU, ample RAM, and high-resolution OLED screen.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
8.3/10
8.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
32.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for software development.
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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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 new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
103,695
Recommendations made
22,468
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.