The ASUS Zenbook S 13 strikes a balance between performance and portability with its impressive screen, lighter weight, and longer battery life, suitable for general use and moderate engineering tasks. It's also generally less expensive than the Razer Blade 14. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 14 boasts stronger performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive gaming due to its more powerful processor and dedicated graphics card. However, it is heavier and slightly less portable, with a shorter battery life, reflecting its focus on high-performance tasks. The choice hinges on whether portability and cost savings are more important than high-end performance. 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 software development
Best in class portability
Very good battery life
Very good speakers
Advantages of the Razer Blade 14 (2023)
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
8.1/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
560.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Razer Blade 14 (2023) are both very good for general use, though the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is somewhat better.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 stands out for general use due to its strong CPU and ample RAM, delivering efficient performance for everyday tasks, while its OLED screen ensures high-quality visuals, and its lightweight design coupled with solid battery life makes it highly portable. Conversely, the Razer Blade 14, with its powerful CPU and capable GPU, is also fit for general use and gaming, but it balances performance with portability slightly less favorably due to a heavier build and a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
8.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is only fair.
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is considered very good for gaming and 3D because it comes with a Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of up to 240, whereas the ASUS Zenbook S 13, which is considered good for gaming and 3D, is equipped with an Intel i7-1355U Iris Xe GPU and has a 60 refresh rate. The Razer Blade's superior GPU and refresh rate significantly enhance the gaming and 3D experience by providing smoother visuals and the ability to handle more complex graphics demands.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) and ASUS Zenbook S 13 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Razer Blade 14 (2023) is somewhat better.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 excels in engineering and design with its high-resolution OLED screen, substantial RAM, and capable CPU, particularly suitable for tasks requiring color accuracy and multitasking. In contrast, the Razer Blade 14 (2023) stands out with its more powerful GPU and high-performance CPU, making it better for engineering design tasks that involve 3D rendering or GPU-intensive workloads, despite being slightly heavier and less portable.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
8.9/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
560.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 14 for software development, and content creation, while the Razer Blade 14 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, both the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Razer Blade 14 have displays with high resolution and brightness, making text, images, and videos clear and vibrant. Their wide color gamuts ensure that colors are accurate and consistent, which is essential for engineering and design tasks where precision is key. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates may result in less fluid motion and responsiveness compared to panels specifically designed for these purposes.
Battery
11.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 14 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
Very Good
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Razer Blade 14 (2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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
$2,400
$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 Razer Blade 14 (2023) costs $2,400.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook S 13 to be very good for software development, while the Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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.
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How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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."
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Razer Blade 14 (2023)
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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