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What we think
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Updated June 22, 2024·
For a balance of performance and portability with a stunning OLED display, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is ideal, especially for creative tasks and general use, though it's pricier and not suited for gaming. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6, with its touchscreen and higher refresh rate, offers a more tactile and responsive experience, making it great for everyday tasks and business use, and it's slightly more affordable. However, it falls short in gaming and intensive tasks due to its less powerful GPU and smaller storage. Consider the ASUS for its superior display and performance capabilities if those are your priorities, but if you value touch interaction and a more budget-friendly option, the Surface Laptop 6 is a solid choice. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
- The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has no clear advantages over the ASUS Zenbook S 13.
Key differences
General Use
8.6
7.7
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.5
7.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
7.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
7.8
13.3in
SIZE
13.5in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has a better screen for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
11.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has 9 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
13.5in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,400
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.6
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and ASUS Zenbook S 13 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.
Build Quality
7.6
7.4
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook S 13 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,400 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | June 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.7'' x 8.5'' x 0.46'' | 12.1'' x 8.8'' x 0.66'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.2 lbs | 3.04 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.66" | 12.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.52" | 8.78" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1355U | Intel Core Ultra 7 135H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 63 Wh | 47 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 13.5" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 2256 x 1504 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 365 nits | 400 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.5/10 | 8.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook S 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | May 2023
"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."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
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.
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