The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is less expensive and offers good performance for general use with its AMD Ryzen processor and integrated Vega graphics, making it suitable for everyday tasks, lightweight gaming, and some engineering applications. It is also quite portable and has a decent battery life, making it a solid option for those on the go. On the other hand, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17, while more expensive, boasts a more powerful AMD Ryzen 9 processor and discrete Nvidia RTX graphics card, significantly enhancing its capability for 3D work, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It has a larger screen, which is beneficial for detailed work, though this also makes it less portable. Both laptops have the same amount of storage, but the Zenbook Pro 17 offers double the RAM, which is crucial for multitasking and complex applications. Choose the Vivobook S 15 for affordability and portability or the Zenbook Pro 17 for superior performance and a larger display at a higher cost. 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 S 15
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has no clear advantages over the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17.
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
267.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is adequate for general use with a competent CPU, sufficient RAM, and high-quality display, balancing portability with a lighter weight; however, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17, with a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, better handles multitasking and demanding applications, also boasting a larger, brighter screen for enhanced visuals, but is less portable due to its bigger size and heavier build.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is somewhat better.
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
7.1/10
8.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15's AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Vega 8 GPU, combined with ample RAM, are suitable for engineering and design work, though its screen quality doesn't match the very high standards of some professional workstations. On the other hand, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 offers a more powerful AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU for demanding tasks and superior screen color accuracy for design, but it's less portable and comes at a higher cost.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 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
6.3/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
267.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 provides sufficient clarity, resolution, and brightness for everyday tasks and professional work like engineering, but it lacks the wide color range that designers may need. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 offers an enhanced viewing experience with higher resolution and better color accuracy, making it suitable for detailed engineering and design work. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D applications due to lower refresh rates, despite their respectable resolutions and panel technologies.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 both have good portability, though the ASUS Vivobook S 15 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$908
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a price of $908 and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 costs $1,500.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 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.
Battery
9.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has 9 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has 9 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
7.2/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Vivobook S 15 and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 compare to other laptops
"Internals make Asus VivoBook S15 laptop a compelling option. The Asus multimedia laptop may look rather below-average with its modest black chassis, lack of a dedicated GPU, limited RAM and meagre port selection without Thunderbolt support. But your impression of the device will start changing once you set your eyes on its high-contrast OLED capable of producing deep blacks and highly accurate colours. And your opinion will change completely when the VivoBook is switched on. The AMD CPU can effortlessly keep up with powerful rivals from Intel. The integrated Radeon graphics blows away Intel's iGPU when it comes to graphics workloads such as rendering and simpler games."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook S 15 or the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17
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.
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