Choosing between the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 depends on your priorities. If price is a major factor and you need a machine for general use with longer battery life, go for the MacBook Air, which is also silent due to its fanless design. However, if you require a laptop with more storage, a higher resolution touchscreen display, and better performance for engineering tasks or 3D/machine learning applications, despite the higher cost, the Zenbook Flip S13 stands out. Both are lightweight and have good portability, but keep in mind, the MacBook is somewhat more cost-effective with longer battery life, while the Zenbook offers a more versatile display and better multitasking with more RAM. 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 Apple MacBook Air (2022)
Very good for software development
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13
The ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2022).
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.6/10
7.9/10
13.6in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
372.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air offers a high-resolution display with bright, accurate colors, making it great for everyday tasks and professional design work that requires attention to color detail. The ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 also provides a vivid and sharp display suitable for daily use and disciplines like engineering, where color accuracy is crucial for precise design visualization. However, both laptops have screens with standard refresh rates, which may not be ideal for 3D applications or gaming where smoother motion and quicker screen updates are necessary for optimal experience.
Battery
15.0 Hours
10.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 has 10.5 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 costs $1,400.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 are both good for general use.
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.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
6.3/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 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.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
7.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 are both good for engineering and design.
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
7.9/10
7.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 are both 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
8.0/10
7.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 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.
Portability
Excellent
Excellent
13.6in
SIZE
13.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 both have excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 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 S 13 Flip is an ultra-sleek 2-in-1 convertible. A gorgeous OLED screen and lightweight magnesium chassis make this convertible a traveller’s dream. Its SSD isn’t fast, but it won’t hold you back in everyday use. Its battery life also isn’t class leading, but it’s hardly off the pace. Overall, the Zenbook S 13 Flip OLED holds its head high in the premium convertible category and is a smaller alternative to the Spectre x360 13.5 and the Yoga 9i Gen 7."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the ASUS Zenbook Flip S13
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.
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.