For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its high-quality screen and long battery life is an excellent option that is more portable but slightly pricier. On the other hand, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 offers a larger screen and is better for graphics-intensive tasks like 3D and machine learning due to a more powerful GPU. However, be aware that the ASUS is heavier and has a shorter battery life. If you prioritize performance for engineering applications, the ASUS may suit you better, while the MacBook is more suited for users who need a balance between performance and portability. 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 (Late 2023)
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 (Late 2023).
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
346.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its Apple M3 processor and higher-quality Mini LED screen, offers strong performance for general use, superior portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, and excels with a higher screen pixel density for sharper visuals.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-resolution Mini LED screen and Apple-designed CPU and GPU, is excellent for design work due to its superior screen color accuracy and powerful integrated graphics; however, it comes with less RAM compared to the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15, which offers a high-capacity battery and dedicated Nvidia graphics that are better for GPU-intensive engineering tasks, but with a lower resolution OLED screen that may not be as sharp for design details. While the MacBook has a slight edge in portability and a quieter operating noise, the Zenbook offers more RAM and a touch-enabled screen, which might be more convenient for interactive design work.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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
8.2/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 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 (Late 2023) 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
489.0 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 offers a high-resolution Retina display with exceptional brightness and robust color coverage, including DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, making it excellent for general use and precision tasks in engineering and design. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 provides a similar high-resolution and bright display with wide color gamut support, also performing well for general activities and creative work where color fidelity is crucial. However, for 3D work where refresh rates become more critical, both the MacBook Pro and Zenbook Pro may fall short due to their standard refresh rates, which are not optimized for the high frame rates preferred in gaming and some 3D applications.
Battery
17.0 Hours
12.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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 (Late 2023) 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
$1,499
$1,109
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 costs $1,109.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 with a high refresh rate screen and integrated GPU excels in 3D work, offering smooth visuals, but note that gaming options are limited due to the incompatibility of many popular games with macOS. Meanwhile, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15's dedicated Nvidia graphics and standard refresh rate screen make it suitable for gaming and fair for 3D tasks on the widely compatible Windows platform.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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 (Late 2023) 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
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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.