The ASUS Zenbook 13 generally costs less and is lighter and thinner, making it more portable, with longer battery life, which is important if you're often on the go. Its OLED display offers vibrant colors and deeper blacks. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better processor, more RAM, and a higher resolution and faster display, making it ideal for intensive tasks such as 3D rendering or gaming. It includes features like a touchscreen, higher performance graphics, and advanced cooling. Choose the Zenbook for everyday use and portability or the Surface if you need a high-end workstation that can handle demanding 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 Zenbook 13
Excellent portability
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
378.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 offers solid performance for general use with its AMD Ryzen processor and ample RAM, complemented by a high-quality OLED screen and great portability due to its lightweight build and long battery life. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 comes with a more powerful Intel processor, significantly more RAM, a high-resolution touchscreen that can double as a drawing tablet, and superior build quality, making it very suitable for demanding tasks and creative professionals, despite being heavier and having slightly less battery life than the Zenbook.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.3/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is better for gaming and 3D applications because it has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 120Hz, compared to the ASUS Zenbook 13's integrated AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Vega 8 GPU and 60Hz screen refresh rate. Additionally, the Surface Studio 2 benefits from a better quality CPU and screen quality, contributing to its superior performance in resource-intensive tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
8.7/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has less RAM and a less powerful integrated GPU, which makes it fair for engineering and design but not optimal for the most demanding tasks. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, on the other hand, comes with a significant amount of RAM and a strong dedicated GPU, lending it high performance in engineering and design applications where complex computations and graphics processing are very important.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 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.
Software Development
7.3/10
8.2/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 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.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.9/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
378.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both have displays with high resolution and brightness, making them suitable for general use where clarity and visibility are key. For engineering and design tasks, their ability to cover wider color gamuts ensures that professionals can see accurate colors, essential for detailed work. However, due to their lower refresh rates, they are less suited for gaming and 3D applications, where smoother motion and quick screen updates are critical for an optimal experience.
Portability
Excellent
Good
13.3in
SIZE
14.4in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
$3,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a price of $890 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
"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."
"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 Zenbook 13 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.
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