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Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is often less expensive and offers a larger screen, higher screen refresh rate, and more powerful graphics unit, making it suitable for intensive gaming and demanding engineering tasks. However, it is heavier and has a bulky power brick, compromising portability. The battery life is also shorter than the competitor. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, while generally more expensive, offers a touchscreen, is lighter with a smaller power brick, and has significantly longer battery life, enhancing its portability. It still performs well for general use, engineering tasks, and gaming, though not as strongly as the ASUS in graphical performance. 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 M16
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Excellent overall display quality
- Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Good battery life
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.5
7.7
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
9.0
7.9
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
627.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen for content creation.
For general use, both the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 boast high-resolution displays with excellent brightness and panel quality, ensuring crisp and clear visuals for everyday tasks and media consumption. When it comes to engineering and design, their displays cover a wide range of color spectrums, such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which is vital for professionals who need accurate color representation for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, these laptops may fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less smooth visual experiences during fast-paced scenes or when working with rapid motion graphics.
Battery
4.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
$2,059
$3,300
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a price of $2,059 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
8.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
627.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for general use, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is good.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16, with its high-end CPU and graphics chip, excels in performance, making it suitable for general use and beyond, including gaming and creative tasks; however, its higher weight and lower battery life make it less portable and longer-term use away from a power source more challenging.
Engineering and Design
8.8
8.7
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 outshines in performance with a higher-tier CPU and GPU, which is more suitable for demanding engineering applications and design tasks, but it has a less impressive battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Content Creation
8.2
8.4
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 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
7.7
8.2
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for software development, while the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 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.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.4in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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 M16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,059 | $3,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.7'' x 0.83'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.63 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.98" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.69" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900H | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 627 nits | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.3/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.3/10 | 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 | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | 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 | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | March 2023
"The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is not yet as optimised as its predecessor. Compared to the previous gen, performance and efficiency have improved significantly. What's more, the wonderful, Mini-LED Nebula display is a contender for the main highlight and almost manages to put the CPU and GPU in the shade. We already found its predecessor to be a well-rounded and well-optimised gaming machine. Generally, but not unequivocally, that also applies to the new Asus M16. Similar to most of the current, new laptops, we are dealing with a double generational leap in terms of the CPU and GPU. However, this change doesn't always run smoothly."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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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