The ASUS Vivobook 15 is often significantly less expensive than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and lighter, making it more portable, but it has lower performance due to its weaker processor and integrated graphics, making it suitable for general use and light tasks. The Surface Laptop Studio has a higher price, but offers better performance with a stronger processor and dedicated graphics card, making it suitable for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. The Surface also has a better screen with higher resolution and is a touchscreen, providing a more versatile user experience. If budget is a concern and you need a laptop for everyday tasks, the ASUS is a sensible option, but if you require higher performance for demanding applications and can afford the extra cost, the Surface Laptop Studio would be the better choice. 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 Vivobook 15
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has a less powerful CPU and half the RAM of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio which impacts its multitasking and productivity capabilities. Also, the Surface Laptop Studio offers a better screen with a higher resolution, greater brightness, and a flexible hinge for versatility, accompanied by a stronger battery life, enhancing its overall user experience for general use.
Gaming and AI
5.9/10
6.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 is fair for gaming and 3D because it has a basic integrated graphics unit and a standard screen refresh rate, which are sufficient for light gaming but not high-end performance. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is also fair for these tasks since it includes a mid-range dedicated graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate, providing decent performance for more demanding visuals and smoother gameplay but may not match the experience provided by higher-tier gaming laptops.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
7.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 15, with a basic Intel i3 CPU, integrated Intel UHD graphics, and a standard full HD screen, delivers fair performance for engineering and design, but might fall short for intensive tasks compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which offers a robust Intel i7 CPU, dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics, and a high-resolution display with touchscreen capabilities, better accommodating software used in engineering and design fields. Additionally, while the Vivobook focuses on essentials to remain more affordable and portable, the Surface Laptop Studio provides extra features like a flexible hinge for drawing or design work, a higher screen contrast ratio, and more memory, but sacrifices some portability and comes at a higher price point.
Content Creation
6.4/10
7.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
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
6.5/10
7.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
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
6.3/10
8.0/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio's higher resolution and brighter display provide sharper text and more vivid images, making it superior to the ASUS Vivobook 15, which may have a lower resolution and less brightness. In engineering and design, the Surface Laptop Studio's wider color gamuts ensure more accurate color representation, essential for detailed work, whereas the Vivobook 15 may not cover these color spaces as extensively. For gaming and 3D, despite their suitable resolutions and panel types, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth motion and quick on-screen responses.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has 6 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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$530
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has a price of $530 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
"The Asus VivoBook 15 is a quiet office notebook with a strong screen. However, the VivoBook 15 still has room for improvement. Office and internet applications as well as simple games do not pose any major challenges for the VivoBook - this is ensured by the built-in combination of Ryzen 7 5700U APU and 16 GB of RAM. Heat and noise emissions are acceptable. But, the laptop has weaknesses that should not be present at this level: lack of keyboard lighting, a slow memory card reader, no fast USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt 4) with Power Delivery and DisplayPort. Battery runtimes can only be described as average."
"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 Vivobook 15 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.
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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