The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is often slightly more expensive but offers strong performance with Apple’s M1 Pro chip, good battery life, and excellent build quality, making it suitable for a variety of use cases including general use and lighter engineering tasks. It is notable for its portable design and high portability score. The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15, often slightly less expensive, provides more storage, double the RAM, and a high-end Intel processor with Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics, resulting in great performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software. The dual-screen feature can be particularly useful for multitasking and creative work, but it does come at the cost of reduced battery life and heavier weight, making it less portable. Choose the MacBook Pro for a balance of performance and portability or the ZenBook Pro Duo for high-demand tasks and multitasking if portability is less of a concern. Give Feedback
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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 Duo 15
Excellent for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
7.8/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 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.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
9.0/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is favored for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M1 Pro CPU and GPU, high RAM capacity, and superior screen quality including high brightness and color accuracy. In comparison, the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 excels with its high-performance Intel CPU, Nvidia RTX GPU, double the RAM and storage of the MacBook, and an OLED screen with higher resolution and touchscreen functionality, although it is heavier and thus less portable.
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.3/10
14.2in
SIZE
15.6in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
332.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo 15 for general use, AI, and engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo 15 has a better screen for software development.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) offers an outstanding display with high resolution, brightness, and wide color gamuts that cater well to general use and professional applications such as engineering and design, ensuring accurate color representation and crisp visuals. However, its screen falls short for 3D applications due to a lower refresh rate, which is vital for smooth rendering of quick-moving graphics. The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 also provides excellent resolution and color accuracy for both everyday tasks and specialized work such as engineering, but like the MacBook, it is not ideal for gaming or 3D due to its suboptimal 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 Duo 15 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
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 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 Duo 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) with its high-quality Mini LED display, efficient M1 Pro processor, and long battery life is excellent for general use, offering a balance between performance and portability. In contrast, the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15's standout features for general use are its dual displays, including a vivid OLED main screen and an additional screen pad, more powerful Intel CPU, superior RAM capacity, and dedicated Nvidia graphics, though it is less portable and has shorter battery life.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 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
8.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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.
Cost
$1,905
$2,000
$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 Duo 15 costs $2,000.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 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."
"Benchmarks aside, the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is hard to compare with other PCs. Its closest competition may be a multi-monitor desktop, or a laptop with an attached travel monitor. The Pro Duo is more portable and versatile than either of those options, especially with the software tools Asus has thrown on top. For a certain niche of artists, media creators, and gamers, all that might add up to something special, even if it’s unattainable for the rest of us."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) or the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 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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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
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