If you need a laptop with higher performance for engineering tasks or gaming, and don't mind spending more, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 with Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics might be a better choice. It also has a touchscreen, which the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED lacks. On the other hand, if you prefer a more budget-friendly option that still offers solid performance for general use with better portability, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is a good bet. However, the battery life on the Microsoft device is slightly better despite it being less portable. Both have backlit keyboards, but only the Microsoft laptop supports hardware ray tracing and DLSS, important for gaming and some professional applications. 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 OLED
Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.7/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
120Hz
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 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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.
Screen Quality
8.9/10
7.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
600.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED offers rich colors and clarity due to its OLED technology and resolution making texts and images sharp and vibrant, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 provides similar visual fidelity with strong resolution and brightness. In engineering and design, the Vivobook's OLED panel presents wide color coverage essential for color-accurate work, and the Surface Laptop Studio 2, though not OLED, still covers a broad color spectrum catering to detailed design needs. For gaming and 3D, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can limit the smoothness of fast-paced visuals despite their high-resolution screens offering detailed images.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has 7 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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$990
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has a price of $990 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers more RAM and a dedicated graphics card, enhancing both multitasking capabilities and visual performance for general use, while its flexible hinge design allows for versatile usage as a laptop or drawing tablet. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED, with its vibrant OLED screen, ample battery life, and lower weight, provides a balanced option for users prioritizing display quality and portability in their general computing tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.7/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED are both very good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.4/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 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
7.9/10
8.2/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.7/10
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 Vivobook S 15 OLED 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
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
"The Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED excels as a capable work machine at an affordable price. It offers commendable performance, thanks to its 12th Gen Intel chip, delivers quality on-screen entertainment with its 15.6-inch OLED display, and can (kind of) get you through a full day of work. Oh, and its special Asus Antibacterial Guard is a nice touch for those who like a clean laptop."
"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 Vivobook S 15 OLED 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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
99,195
Recommendations made
21,493
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.