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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Asus Zenbook 14 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 cater to different needs. If budget is a primary concern, the Asus Zenbook 14 offers solid performance at a lower cost. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while typically more expensive, boasts a lightweight design and better portability, making it ideal for those who value a lighter device for travel or commuting. For tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, and gaming, a laptop with higher performance specifications, such as a dedicated graphics card, might be necessary, which could make the Asus a better choice if it has those specs. On the other hand, if the work involves less intensive software, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 may suffice. It's important to consider battery life as well; a more powerful laptop may have a shorter battery life compared to one that's designed for lighter use and better efficiency. 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 14
- Good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
- Excellent portability
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.2
6.5
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 14 is good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i5 processor, a substantial amount of RAM, and a high-resolution OLED screen that accurately displays colors, bolstered by a competent integrated GPU for moderate visual tasks.
Screen Quality
8.3
6.9
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
If you prioritize a crisp and bright display for everyday tasks and enjoy vibrant colors for work in design or engineering, the ASUS Zenbook 14, with its superior resolution and coverage of professional color gamuts, will be more visually pleasing and accurate than the Surface Laptop Go 2. However, if your work involves less color-sensitive tasks, the Surface Laptop Go 2 provides a good balance of display features for general computing and casual design work while often being more affordable. Neither laptop is ideal for gaming or 3D work, as both lack the high refresh rates required for smooth visuals in fast-paced games or in rendering 3D motion, but they can handle less demanding entertainment and casual creative tasks.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$300
$774
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $774.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.2
7.0
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
339.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use.
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
6.1
6.0
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 offers fair gaming and 3D performance, largely thanks to its decent integrated GPU and higher screen refresh rate compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2; however, its dedicated gaming capabilities are limited by the absence of a stronger gaming-focused GPU and hardware ray tracing. While the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 also has an integrated GPU with no hardware ray tracing, it has a lower refresh rate screen, which can result in less smooth visuals during gaming or 3D applications.
Content Creation
7.3
7.1
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Software Development
7.2
7.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
8.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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
7.8
7.8
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 14 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook 14 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$300 | $774 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 8.7'' x 0.67'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 2.48 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.35" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.69" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | Intel i5-1135G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 128 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 75 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 339 nits | 401 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook 14
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | August 2022
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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.
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