If you prioritize portability and longer battery life, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its lighter design and longer battery life suits frequent travel and extended use away from power outlets. Despite being a bit heavier and having lower battery life, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers a larger storage capacity and a more gaming-focused hardware setup with its dedicated Nvidia graphics card, which is advantageous for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. Both laptops are priced similarly and come with high-quality displays, but the Zenbook's screen is also touch-enabled, which can be beneficial for creative tasks or presentations. Keep in mind, your software needs may also determine your choice, as the MacBook runs MacOS while the Zenbook comes with Windows 11. 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 16X
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
7.5/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.6/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.3/10
14.2in
SIZE
16.0in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
354.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X for general use, AI, and engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display, which offers sharp images, bright panel for clear visibility, and wide color gamuts ensuring precise color reproduction critical for design work. However, its screen's lower refresh rate impacts the smoothness required for 3D applications and gaming. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X, while also providing a high-resolution and bright display suitable for general tasks and detailed engineering design work, falls short in gaming and 3D tasks due to a similar limitation in refresh rate.
Battery
13.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has 7 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
16.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X 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 16X has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,905
$1,300
$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 16X costs $1,300.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is favored for general use due to its strong CPU performance with the M1 Pro chip, excellent screen quality with Mini LED technology, and high portability backed by a long battery life. Meanwhile, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers a larger storage capacity, a vivid OLED touchscreen, and powerful discrete graphics suitable for more intensive tasks, though it is heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable than the MacBook Pro.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is equipped with the Apple M1 Pro CPU and GPU, delivering robust performance for engineering and design with a high-quality Mini LED screen, all while maintaining good portability due to its lighter weight and smaller form factor.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X 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
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X 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 new Zenbook Pro 16X is more powerful, quieter and doesn't need to shy away from dedicated workstations and gamers. It is also comparatively compact, and our test device is the best Zenbook that we've reviewed so far. It seems equally suitable for content creators and gamers or anyone looking for a very powerful laptop that is still slim."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X
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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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.