Choosing between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 depends largely on your preferences and needs. The MacBook Pro offers a high-quality Mini LED display, better build quality, and is more portable with longer battery life. It runs MacOS, which could be a deciding factor if you prefer the Apple ecosystem or require software only available on MacOS. The Zenbook Pro 15 has a vivid OLED screen and more gaming-oriented features like a dedicated Nvidia graphics card. It runs Windows 11 Pro, which might be essential for certain applications or personal preference. The Zenbook Pro also features a larger screen and comes at a lower price, but with increased weight and slightly shorter battery life. Opt for the MacBook if you prioritize a premium build and MacOS, or go for the Zenbook Pro 15 for Windows gaming at a more affordable price point. 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
Very good portability
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021).
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
479.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
346.0 nits
13.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in CPU performance, screen quality with a higher resolution Mini LED display, and has better battery life, making it very good for general use despite being less portable and heavier. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15, with good CPU performance and an OLED screen that's favorable for general use, offers a larger screen and a dedicated graphics card, but it's less portable and has a shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Pro.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-performance M1 Pro chip, superior screen quality with higher resolution and color accuracy, and excellent build quality including keyboard and speaker performance, is very good for demanding tasks such as engineering and design. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15, while offering good CPU and GPU capabilities for such tasks, has a lower-resolution screen and less color accuracy, making it a solid choice but not equating to the peak performance and visual fidelity provided by the MacBook Pro.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
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 Pro 15 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
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 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
7.6/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
346.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 boasts a high-resolution display with exceptional brightness and color accuracy, making it ideal for general use and demanding engineering tasks where vibrant and precise color representation is critical. Despite its impressive display for productivity and design work, for activities like 3D modeling or animation where a high refresh rate is crucial for smooth movement, the MacBook Pro falls short. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 offers a similarly high-resolution and bright screen with strong color performance for general use and professional design tasks but lacks the higher refresh rate desired by gamers and those working with dynamic 3D content.
Battery
13.5 Hours
12.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has 12.5 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 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 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$1,109
$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 15 costs $1,109.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is better for 3D applications due to its powerful integrated GPU and high-refresh Mini LED screen, but its MacOS may limit game compatibility. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 offers a dedicated Nvidia GPU and standard refresh-rate OLED screen, making it fair for gaming and 3D tasks on the more game-friendly Windows OS.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 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 ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 offers a strong CPU, chassis, and display. One of the most popular 15.6-inch prosumer or multimedia laptops out there is the Dell XPS 15. Thus, comparisons between it and the Asus Zenbook Pro 15 are inevitable. Asus has a couple of tricks up its sleeve that XPS users are still missing out on including 1080p OLED and an AMD Ryzen CPU which help separate the Zenbook Pro 15 from the XPS 15. It also integrates a numpad and a few more port options albeit at the cost of a larger chassis size."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15
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.