The Apple MacBook Air offers excellent portability with its lightweight design and long battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go use and general tasks. The MacBook Air's display provides rich colors and sharp visuals, but it lacks a touchscreen which the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 has. The Zenbook Duo features a unique dual-screen setup and a larger battery, but is heavier which makes it less portable. It also has a higher storage capacity right out of the box. Both laptops are aimed at the lower midrange price segment, with the MacBook Air being slightly less expensive and the Zenbook Duo offering more screen real estate and storage for a bit more money. The Zenbook Duo may appeal more to those wanting a multi-tasking machine with touch capabilities and don't mind the extra weight, while the MacBook Air is ideal for users looking for a combination of performance, lightweight design, and long battery life within the Mac ecosystem. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
Good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14
The ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2022).
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.1/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
314.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) excels in general use with a high-quality screen, lightweight and thin design for better portability, a very good keyboard, and a silent operation, all supported by a strong CPU that provides 15 hours of battery life for typical usage.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
6.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is equipped with an M2 CPU and a 13.6-inch high-quality IPS screen, which makes it a strong choice for engineering and design tasks due to its impressive CPU performance and screen quality, alongside its silent operation and lighter weight enhancing portability. The ASUS Zenbook Duo 14, with its dual-screen design featuring touch capability, decent CPU, and ample storage, offers unique multitasking capabilities for design workflows, but is less portable and somewhat noisier under load.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 are both good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is somewhat better.
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
8.0/10
7.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 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
7.6/10
6.8/10
13.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
314.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air is renowned for its Retina display, which provides crisp visuals and vibrant colors suitable for tasks like browsing and productivity apps, enhanced by high resolution and brightness that lend to its general appeal and use in engineering and design. However, for 3D applications, it falls short due to a standard refresh rate that isn’t tailored for the demanding refresh requirements of 3D content. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14, while offering good screen quality with acceptable color accuracy for general use and tasks like CAD, similarly lacks the high refresh rates needed for smooth rendering in gaming and 3D modeling.
Battery
15.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 has 8.5 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
Excellent
Very Good
13.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$799
$999
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $799 and the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 costs $999.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) with its integrated GPU and MacOS is less suited for gaming as many popular games may not be compatible, while its screen refresh rate and GPU also provide only adequate performance for 3D tasks. Conversely, the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14's Intel Iris Xe graphics are fair for gaming within Windows' broader ecosystem, and its similar refresh rate makes it equally fair for 3D applications; however, neither are top choices for the most graphics-intensive tasks.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
"The Asus ZenBook Duo's second screen is like the Apple Touch Bar, but better. Most would agree that having two screens instead of one can really boost productivity and the ZenBook Duo is no different in this regard. It's tough going back to just one screen after becoming accustomed to spacious dual-screen setups. For a laptop form factor, however, users will have to accept some compromises. Firstly, weight is the most obvious drawback as the system is several hundred grams heavier than a regular ZenBook 14. Additionally, colors on the second screen will not be as vivid as the main display."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the ASUS Zenbook Duo 14
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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.
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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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.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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