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Updated January 12, 2024·
If you are looking for a more budget-friendly option and your tasks are mainly web browsing, office work, and media consumption, the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 could be sufficient. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is a premium device that offers high performance suitable for more demanding applications like 3D modeling, machine learning, and gaming. It also offers a versatile form factor that can be useful for creative professionals. However, it comes at a higher cost. Additionally, with the Surface, you will likely get better build quality and a higher resolution screen, which might be important if you value a premium display and design. If portability and battery life are significant for you, check these specifications as they may differ considerably between the two, with the lighter option usually offering greater portability but potentially less battery life due to a smaller size. 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 Go 12
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
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
5.6
7.4
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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.
Gaming and AI
5.4
6.6
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is less suitable for gaming and 3D due to its basic Intel UHD Graphics 600 GPU and a standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio fares better with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 120Hz, enhancing performance and visual fluidity for such tasks.
Engineering and Design
5.3
7.3
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has a less powerful CPU and GPU, and only basic screen quality, making it less suitable for demanding engineering and design tasks, whereas the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a stronger CPU, dedicated GPU, and higher resolution screen, addressing the very important factors for engineering and design use more effectively. Additionally, the Surface Laptop Studio provides more RAM for complex tasks, but the Vivobook scores higher in portability due to its lighter weight and compact size, although portability is only somewhat important for these use cases.
Content Creation
5.7
7.4
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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
5.7
7.3
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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
5.1
8.0
11.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize great screen detail and vividness for everyday tasks or professional design work, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, with its high resolution, bright display, and wide color coverage, is a strong choice. However, for gaming or 3D applications that benefit from smoother visuals, you might be disappointed by its lower refresh rate. The ASUS Vivobook Go 12, meanwhile, falls short in display quality across the board, with lower resolution, brightness, and color accuracy making it less ideal for any screen-intensive tasks.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has 10 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.
Portability
Excellent
Good
11.6in
SIZE
14.4in
2.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has excellent portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$267
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has a price of $267 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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How the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Vivobook Go 12 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$267 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11'' x 7.5'' x 0.67'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.31 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 10.98" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.52" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4020 | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 64 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 38 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 11.6" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.1/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 5.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 480p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
See more
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 Vivobook Go 12 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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