The Apple MacBook Pro boasts superior performance, particularly in engineering tasks and 3D/machine learning, owing to its powerful M1 Pro chip. It also has a longer battery life compared to the ASUS Zenbook 14X, making it better for those who need to work on the go. The MacBook Pro's display technology is outstanding, offering high brightness and color accuracy, which can be especially beneficial for professionals in graphic design or video editing. However, it comes at a higher price point.
In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook 14X is more affordable and still provides a quality OLED touchscreen, desirable for casual use and entertainment. It is slightly lighter, offering a bit more portability but at the expense of a shorter battery life. The Zenbook's performance is ample for general use but might not handle intensive tasks as well as the MacBook Pro. If you prioritize a touchscreen and are looking for savings, the Zenbook 14X could be the right choice, while for demanding applications and a higher budget, the MacBook Pro would be a better fit. 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 OLED
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
376.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers a more powerful CPU and higher quality screen, making it well-suited for demanding applications and media consumption, with the added benefit of longer battery life for sustained use, which is very important for portability. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED, while also having a high-quality screen and sufficient performance, might not match the MacBook in terms of raw computing power and battery endurance, but it emphasizes portability with its lightweight design and is generally more affordable.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 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 OLED 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
8.6/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
376.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14's outstanding screen quality for general use and engineering comes from its high resolution, impressive brightness, and wide color gamut covering both DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, providing excellent detail and color accuracy. However, for 3D applications, its lower refresh rate limits its performance. Meanwhile, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED offers very good resolution and brightness for general tasks and solid color reproduction for engineering and design but falls short in gaming and 3D due to similar refresh rate limitations.
Battery
13.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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.
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 OLED has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$825
$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 OLED costs $825.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
8.5/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 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 OLED is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021), with its powerful M1 Pro chip, is very good for engineering and design due to its high-performance CPU and GPU, ample RAM, and exceptional Mini LED screen quality. The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED, although offering a high-quality OLED touchscreen and portability similar to the MacBook, falls a bit short in performance for engineering tasks due to less powerful RAM and integrated graphics.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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."
"While one of the more budget-friendly configurations of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED may make a compelling case as a top value pick, it’s difficult to be disappointed with the more expensive model we reviewed here. At its core, for all models, it’s a luxury-built laptop with extreme portability and a gorgeous OLED display. Our unit rocks with a snappy Core i9 processor for getting real work done, and the discrete GPU—even if it has a clear power ceiling—is a bonus for creative pros."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
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
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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.
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.