If portability is important to you and you prefer a longer-lasting battery, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with its lighter design and significantly longer battery life would be a good choice; however, it commands a higher price. On the other hand, the ASUS Zenbook 14X, while slightly heavier, offers a larger and higher resolution OLED display that is better for color-sensitive work and a more powerful processor with more RAM, making it well-suited for more demanding tasks like 3D rendering or engineering software at a lower cost but with shorter battery life. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14X
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.3/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
491.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14X for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the MacBook Pro 13 and ASUS Zenbook 14X both offer high-resolution displays with great brightness and clarity, ensuring texts and images look sharp and vibrant. In engineering and design, both laptops offer displays with wide color gamuts, providing accurate color reproduction critical for design work. However, for 3D applications, both laptops fall short as they likely have standard refresh rates, which are less optimal for the fluidity and responsiveness needed in 3D rendering and gaming.
Battery
20.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14X has 5.5 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 Pro 13 (2020) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$777
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) has a price of $1,249 and the ASUS Zenbook 14X costs $777.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and ASUS Zenbook 14X are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) is valued for general use thanks to its powerful Apple M1 CPU, ample RAM, high-quality IPS screen, superior battery life, and lightweight design for portability. Conversely, the ASUS Zenbook 14X stands out with its high-resolution OLED display, more RAM, robust CPU, and larger storage, making it well suited for general use but with a tradeoff in battery life and a bit more weight.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.5/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14X and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) offers fair performance for 3D due to its Apple M1 integrated GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, but its MacOS may limit gaming options, as many popular games don't run on Macs. Conversely, the ASUS Zenbook 14X, while also providing fair performance for gaming and 3D with its Nvidia MX550 discrete GPU and higher refresh rate screen, has a more robust CPU and overall better screen quality suitable for such tasks on Windows, which supports a broader range of games.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.7/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 14X and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) 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
7.8/10
7.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
7.8/10
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and ASUS Zenbook 14X are both 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and ASUS Zenbook 14X both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and the ASUS Zenbook 14X compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"With the Zenbook 14X, Asus has a 14-incher in its range that is - mostly - a joy to use. First, there is the colorful OLED panel with 3K resolution that displays the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. The Zenbook is also at the forefront in terms of workmanship, input devices and connections with 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports and a generous keyboard layout. A pleasure to use, the Zenbook 14X is a solid, very well-built subnotebook that sits well on the table. A runtime of five hours, however, is below average for a high-end subnotebook nowadays. The OLED screensaver causes increased power consumption when in idle mode."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) or the ASUS Zenbook 14X
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
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.