The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) costs more and offers higher build quality, better heat management, and longer battery life, making it suitable for intensive tasks and professionals needing performance and reliability. With its Apple M1 Pro chip, it excels in general use, engineering applications, and has enough GPU power for 3D tasks, though not optimal for gaming. The MacBook also boasts a higher-quality display and speaker system, along with a better webcam and keyboard.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X is less expensive, and while it has a solid OLED screen excellent for general use and media, its performance, battery life, and overall build quality are lower than the MacBook Pro. It's more portable, but its Intel and Nvidia MX550 combination isn't as powerful, especially for engineering or 3D tasks. It will manage general tasks well and has a decent keyboard, but its speakers, webcam, and heat management are not as strong as the MacBook's. 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 Pro 14 (2021)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14X
The ASUS Zenbook 14X has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers superior battery life, screen quality, and a higher score in keyboard quality, speaker quality, and heat management, making it very good for general use compared to the good rating of the ASUS Zenbook 14X, which has a shorter battery life and slightly lower quality in the somewhat important factors. Both have comparable CPU, RAM, and storage, but given the MacBook's better portability and overall higher quality of important features, it gains an edge for general use.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
8.3/10
7.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
9.2/10
8.3/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14X for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the MacBook Pro's display is top-notch due to its high resolution and exceptional brightness, making text sharp and images vivid, while the Zenbook's display, though slightly less superior, still offers very good clarity and brightness for everyday tasks. In engineering and design, the MacBook Pro stands out with accurate and wide color coverage thanks to its high DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB gamuts, which ensure that designers see true-to-life colors, whereas the Zenbook, albeit very capable, falls a bit short compared to the MacBook. When it comes to 3D work, both devices may not be ideal since their screen refresh rates aren't the highest, which is crucial for smooth motion during high-speed rendering or gaming, even though they both have decent resolution and panel types that provide good image quality for less refresh-dependent tasks.
Battery
13.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 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 14 (2021) 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
$1,905
$777
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the ASUS Zenbook 14X costs $777.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
8.2/10
7.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) to be very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is favored for engineering and design because of its superior main processor and integrated GPU capable of handling demanding tasks, coupled with a high-quality Mini LED screen that offers exceptional brightness and color accuracy. In comparison, the ASUS Zenbook 14X, while also good for such tasks with a capable CPU and a dedicated Nvidia MX550 GPU, has an OLED screen with lower brightness, which may be less suitable for brightly-lit environments.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 14X and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS Zenbook 14X compare to other laptops
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"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 14 (2021) 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
103,095
Recommendations made
22,338
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.