The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) offers top-tier performance suitable for engineering, machine learning, and other intensive tasks due to its powerful processor and higher-capacity battery, which provides longer use time. It delivers a superior screen experience with higher brightness and wider color coverage, but is also more expensive and less portable than the ASUS Zenbook 14X. Conversely, the Zenbook 14X is more affordable with a remarkable OLED screen and decent performance for general use and possibly some gaming. It's lighter, making it easier to carry around, but has less storage and a significantly shorter battery life. Ultimately, the MacBook Pro suits power users who prioritize performance and long battery life, while the ZenBook 14X is for those seeking portability and cost-effectiveness for everyday tasks. 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 16 (2023)
Excellent for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14X
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.1/10
7.6/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
487.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) excels in CPU performance, screen quality, and battery life, making it highly suitable for demanding tasks and long work sessions, but it is heavier and less portable. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook 14X offers good performance with a high-quality OLED screen and lower weight for better portability, but it falls short in battery life and has less storage capacity, affecting its suitability for extended use or data-intensive tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
8.8/10
7.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) stands out for engineering and design due to its powerful Apple M2 Pro CPU and GPU, a high-resolution Mini LED screen with exceptional brightness and color accuracy, paired with a substantial battery life; whereas, the ASUS Zenbook 14X, while also suitable for design and engineering tasks with its competent Intel CPU and dedicated Nvidia GPU, excels in portability and offers an OLED screen, but trades off on storage capacity and battery life compared to the MacBook Pro.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
8.9/10
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
9.3/10
8.3/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14X for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16's screen excels in general use and engineering because of its high resolution and brightness, combined with wide color gamut coverage, providing crisp, vibrant visuals critical for precision work and general viewing. The ASUS Zenbook 14X also offers a high-quality display with a good resolution and color accuracy, making it suitable for detailed engineering and pleasant everyday use. However, for 3D work and gaming, both laptops may fall short due to lower refresh rates, which are less optimal for the smooth rendering of fast-moving visuals typically required in those fields.
Battery
17.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14X has 5.5 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
Good
Very Good
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 14X has very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$777
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has a price of $2,423 and the ASUS Zenbook 14X costs $777.
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"With the Zenbook 14X, Asus has a 14-incher in its range that is - mostly - a joy to use. First, there is the colorful OLED panel with 3K resolution that displays the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. The Zenbook is also at the forefront in terms of workmanship, input devices and connections with 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports and a generous keyboard layout. A pleasure to use, the Zenbook 14X is a solid, very well-built subnotebook that sits well on the table. A runtime of five hours, however, is below average for a high-end subnotebook nowadays. The OLED screensaver causes increased power consumption when in idle mode."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the ASUS Zenbook 14X
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
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