Choosing between the ASUS Zenbook 13 and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14 depends on what you prioritize. The ASUS Zenbook 13 is more affordable, highly portable, has an OLED screen with vibrant colors, and a longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and tasks like browsing, streaming, and light productivity. However, it has less RAM and an older processor than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14, so it's less equipped for demanding tasks. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14, while being slightly heavier and more expensive, offers a larger screen, better performance with more RAM and a newer processor, a touchscreen, and better input and output options, making it a better fit if you plan on heavier work like 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks. Both laptops have good build quality and score well in heat management and fan noise, so they're designed to be used comfortably for extended periods. 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 Zenbook 13
Excellent portability
Advantages of the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
Very good for general use
Very good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
378.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 13, with its OLED display and lower weight, offers good portability and screen quality for daily tasks, but the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" trumps it with a larger, higher-quality IPS touchscreen, more RAM for smoother multitasking, and marginally better battery life, making it very good for varied general use.
Software Development
7.3/10
7.8/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for software development, though the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is somewhat better.
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
7.8/10
7.1/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
378.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a better screen than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
When selecting a laptop, the ASUS Zenbook 13 stands out for general use due to its sharp resolution and brightness, which provide clear and vibrant visuals. For engineering and design tasks, its color accuracy and gamut coverage are impressive, ensuring that designs are rendered with fidelity to the intended hues. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the Zenbook's lower refresh rate means it's less suited for fast-paced visual content, despite its adequate resolution and panel type.
Portability
Excellent
Very Good
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$890
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a price of $890 and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" costs $1,400.
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 offers a Vega 8 integrated GPU, which provides moderate gaming and 3D capabilities, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14 features a more powerful AMD Radeon 680M, allowing for better performance in these areas, but still only at a fair level due to limitations such as screen refresh rate. Both models have similar screen refresh rates, which are adequate for everyday use but might not be optimal for high-frame-rate gaming or professional 3D work that benefits from higher refresh rates.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
7.6/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook 13's fair performance for engineering and design tasks can be attributed to its decent CPU and integrated GPU, which may struggle with more demanding workloads and has less RAM, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is marked as good due to its newer and more powerful CPU, superior GPU, and higher RAM count, which are all critical for such tasks. Additionally, the HP Dragonfly offers a higher resolution and touchscreen option that may benefit design work, but it is slightly heavier and thicker, which impacts portability.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.9/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both 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.
Battery
9.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has 9 hours of battery life. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has 10 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.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 13 and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" compare to other laptops
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
"I’d say that the HP Dragonfly Pro checks off most of the boxes for this freelancer. It feels nice to use, is zippy and responsive, has great speakers, and even has a relatively sane price. Although it’s an unorthodox choice to pick AMD for this kind of machine, it’s clear that when Ryzen is given a chance to shine, it can kick a lot of butt."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 13 or the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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