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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is typically slightly less expensive than the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and offers a balance of good battery life and solid performance for general use, with high screen and build quality, and the benefit of a fanless, silent design for quiet environments. In contrast, the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo, which is often slightly more expensive, provides more storage, greater memory, and a higher performance processor ideal for more intensive engineering tasks, 3D and machine learning, as well as better capabilities for multitasking. Its OLED touchscreen is an advantage for creative tasks and it features a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals but has lower battery life, making it less suitable for prolonged use without access to power. Both laptops have build quality and solid performance for day-to-day activities, but the ASUS excels in scenarios demanding high performance and the MacBook Air in portability and efficiency. Choose according to your primary use, the importance of a touchscreen and overall longevity of use on a single charge. 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 15 (2023)
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.9
8.6
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
357.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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
7.6
8.5
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo surpasses the MacBook Air 15 in engineering and design due to its more powerful Intel i7 processor, greater RAM, and superior graphics capabilities, alongside a screen with higher color accuracy, which is crucial for design work. Conversely, the MacBook Air offers much better portability because of its lighter design, but its lesser RAM and Apple M2 chip, while still powerful, might lag behind in the most demanding tasks of engineering software, albeit with a high-quality display still suitable for design.
Content Creation
8.0
8.6
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for content creation, though the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo 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.
Screen Quality
7.8
8.6
15.3in
SIZE
14.5in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
357.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, both the MacBook Air and the ASUS ZenBook Pro offer displays with high resolution and brightness, ensuring crisp text and vibrant images. In engineering and design, they excel due to wide color gamuts, providing accurate colors essential for detailed work. However, for 3D applications and gaming, the lower refresh rates on both laptops make for less smooth visuals, which might detract from the experience where fluid motion is crucial.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo 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
Very Good
Good
15.3in
SIZE
14.5in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.6
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.7
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a built-in GPU that delivers fair performance for 3D applications within macOS but is limited by its lower screen refresh rate and the fact that many popular games are not supported on its operating system. In contrast, the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is equipped with a better-performing GPU and has a higher screen refresh rate, making it well-suited for gaming and 3D tasks on Windows 11, which supports a wider range of games.
Software Development
8.1
8.2
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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.
Cost
$1,299
$1,299
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo costs $1,299.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) | ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,299 | $1,299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2023 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | 12.7'' x 8.9'' x 0.77'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.3 lbs | 3.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.4" | 12.74" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 8.85" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 66.6 Wh | 76 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.3" | 14.5" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 2880 x 1800 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 501 nits | 357 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 9.6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Dominic Bayley | December 2022
"The Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is a well-tuned instrument for content creators, excelling at a range of general office tasks as well as tasks that require a little more grunt like encoding and 3D rendering. The big attraction is the laptop’s dual displays. They’re the best ones we’ve used in an Asus Zenbook Duo laptop to date with a spate of year-on-year improvements that make the visuals more striking and the cross-screen integration easier than ever before."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo
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.
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