The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) stands out for general use with its more powerful CPU, double the RAM, superior screen quality with higher brightness and contrast, and a significantly longer battery life, which altogether provide a smoother and more immersive experience, especially for demanding tasks. Meanwhile, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED, despite having a good-quality OLED screen and being more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, offers less powerful performance and a shorter battery life, making it a more budget-friendly option for users with moderate usage needs.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
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 OLED is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023), with its dedicated high-end GPU, excels in 3D tasks and provides smooth visuals with a high screen refresh rate, making it good for demanding work and some games; however, it falls short for popular Windows-based gaming due to software incompatibility.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
7.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
9.1/10
7.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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
7.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 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 OLED 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
8.6/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
487.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
376.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro's display offers a high resolution and brightness, ideal for clarity and visibility in various lighting conditions, making it excellent for general use. It also covers a wide color gamut, which ensures accurate color representation crucial for professional engineering and design tasks. On the other hand, for 3D applications where motion fluidity is key, its standard refresh rate falls short compared to specialized gaming displays that offer smoother transitions with higher refresh rates.
Battery
17.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has 6 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
3.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 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 OLED has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,423
$825
$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 OLED costs $825.
"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."
"While one of the more budget-friendly configurations of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED may make a compelling case as a top value pick, it’s difficult to be disappointed with the more expensive model we reviewed here. At its core, for all models, it’s a luxury-built laptop with extreme portability and a gorgeous OLED display. Our unit rocks with a snappy Core i9 processor for getting real work done, and the discrete GPU—even if it has a clear power ceiling—is a bonus for creative pros."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) or the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
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.
By the numbers
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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.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.