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Updated January 12, 2024·
As you're considering the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, it's important to factor in your specific needs. The ASUS is tailored for high-end gaming and intensive tasks, with robust hardware to handle demanding applications, making it ideal for gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning. However, it's less portable and possibly has a shorter battery life due to its powerful components. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop Studio offers versatility in its form factor, with a touch screen and pen support that can be very useful for design and artistic work, but it may not match the ASUS in raw performance for complex tasks. Both have their strengths, so choose the ASUS if performance is paramount, or the Surface if portability and flexible use modes better align with your needs. 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 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5
6.6
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
8.0
7.3
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 is better suited for engineering and design because it has a more powerful AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and RTX 3070 GPU, ensuring superb performance for demanding tasks such as 3D rendering and simulations, as well as a higher resolution and refresh rate display which is beneficial for detailed design work. In comparison, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, despite having a versatile touchscreen that's conducive for design, falls short with a less powerful i7 CPU and RTX 3050 Ti GPU, but offers better portability and a 3:2 screen aspect ratio that is preferred for productivity tasks.
Content Creation
8.0
7.4
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
Screen Quality
7.9
8.0
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for gaming and AI, and content creation.
For general use, both the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offer high-resolution displays and vivid panel types with good brightness levels, providing crisp and clear visuals that enhance the experience of everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos. Their screens are also suitable for engineering and design work thanks to wide color gamuts covering DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which offer more accurate color representations necessary for professional photo editing and graphic design. However, their lower refresh rates might not be ideal for smooth gameplay or working with 3D applications, which often benefit from the higher refresh rates found in specialized gaming laptops to ensure fluid motion and better visual performance.
Battery
9.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has 8 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.
Cost
$2,000
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has a price of $2,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.4
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Software Development
7.4
7.3
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both 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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,000 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.6'' x 0.78'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.98" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.57" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | No Webcam | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2021
"As long as you're aware of the fact that the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop version can only unfold its potential to a limited extent due to Asus's low TDP setting and that it can be slower than a fast RTX 3070 laptop, the ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q cuts a fine figure. One of the biggest highlights turns out to be the WQHD panel, since it attracts customers with 165 Hz, relatively fast response times, FreeSync, and good color-space coverage. Other selling points are the surprisingly rich sound, the long battery life, and the sleek design. In terms of looks, the white edition stands out nicely from the competition."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Tom Brant | October 2021
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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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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