The ASUS Zenbook 14 is significantly less expensive and offers a larger, higher resolution OLED screen, which is great for vivid colors and contrast, particularly for multimedia and creative work. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, while generally pricier, is lighter and may have a more portable design that could be appealing if you travel frequently or prioritize a compact device. Both laptops have similar storage and memory, making them comparable for general use. You should consider whether portability or screen quality aligns better with your needs when choosing between these two laptops. Give Feedback
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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 3
Excellent portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3/10
6.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook 14's high resolution and panel type offer crisp visuals and vibrant colors, making it ideal for general use and detail-oriented tasks like engineering, with its wide color gamuts ensuring accuracy in color-critical work. However, its lower refresh rate may not deliver the smooth visuals demanded by high-end gaming or 3D applications. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers good screen quality with a balance of resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and professional design work, but it too falls short for gaming and 3D content creation due to a less than optimal refresh rate.
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 3 has excellent portability, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$300
$789
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $789.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook 14, with its high-quality 14-inch OLED screen, ample processing power, and 8-hour battery life, suits general use well but is weighted down slightly by its less portable 3-pound build. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers greater portability at 2.49 pounds and a smaller, yet sharp 12.4-inch touch-enabled IPS screen, alongside a similar 8-hour battery life, making it another fair option for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
6.1/10
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 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both "fair" for gaming and 3D tasks due to their shared integrated Iris Xe graphics, which can handle light gaming but not intense graphical workloads. The Zenbook 14 offers a higher screen refresh rate which is better for smooth gameplay, whereas the Surface Laptop Go 3 has a standard refresh rate which may limit motion fluidity during fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
6.8/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook 14 to be good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 is better suited for engineering and design because it has a higher-quality OLED screen and superior CPU performance, factors that are very important for these tasks. While the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is more portable and has higher speaker and build quality, its IPS screen and CPU performance are less optimal for engineering and design applications.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.3/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2/10
7.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
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 3 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 3 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
7.8/10
7.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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 3 compare to other laptops
"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."
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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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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
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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.
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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.