Choose the Apple MacBook Pro 14 if you value a lighter, slimmer design with a strong build quality and excellent battery life, suitable for general use, creative tasks, or engineering software. Opt for the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo if you need more storage and memory at a lower price point, and don't mind a heavier device that offers a unique dual-screen experience which can be beneficial for multitasking and creative workflows. The ZenBook may be less portable and have a shorter battery life but provides a touchscreen feature and generally costs less, making it a good choice if those are your priorities. 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)
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.6/10
14.2in
SIZE
14.5in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
357.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo for general use, AI, and engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has a better screen for software development.
For general use, the MacBook Pro's display offers excellent resolution and brightness, along with a high-quality panel that ensures sharp and clear images, making it ideal for everyday tasks like surfing the web and watching videos. The MacBook Pro's display also excels in color accuracy and wide color gamuts, which are crucial for tasks in engineering and design, allowing for precise work with color-critical applications. However, for 3D applications and gaming, where high refresh rates are more important to provide smooth motion, both the MacBook Pro and the ASUS ZenBook Pro may fall short compared to specialized gaming laptops that prioritize faster screen refresh over resolution and color fidelity.
Battery
13.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 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
14.2in
SIZE
14.5in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
10.0/10
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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.
Cost
$1,905
$1,299
$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 Pro 14 Duo costs $1,299.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very 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
6.8/10
6.7/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo 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
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) with its high-performance CPU and integrated GPU is well-suited for engineering and design, offering a premium Mini LED screen and long battery life in a lightweight form factor. In contrast, the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo, also with a strong CPU and GPU, provides designers and engineers with more RAM and a high-quality OLED touchscreen, at the cost of slightly less portability and reduced battery life.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very 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
8.3/10
8.2/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo 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."
"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 Pro 14 (2021) 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.
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.