The ASUS Zenbook 14 is typically more budget-friendly and offers solid performance for everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and media consumption. Its smaller size and lightweight design afford better portability, making it ideal if you travel frequently or commute. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 16 is often pricier, but it's geared towards professionals in creative fields, offering a larger screen, better graphics, and generally more powerful processing capabilities suitable for video editing, graphic design, and other intensive applications. It's less portable due to its size and weight, and the performance benefits might be unnecessary if your primary use is everyday tasks. Choose the Zenbook for portability and savings or the Prestige for advanced tasks and screen real estate, while accepting the higher cost and reduced portability. 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
Very good portability
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 16
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
8.4/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
339.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The MSI Prestige 16 stands out for general use due to its higher RAM and advanced CPU, which boost multitasking and overall performance, paired with a high-quality screen and solid battery life; whereas the ASUS Zenbook 14, while portable and equipped with good battery life, may fall short in performance due to lesser RAM and a less advanced CPU, which could affect demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
6.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 16 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the MSI Prestige 16 is somewhat better.
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.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.2/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a decent balance of CPU, RAM, and an OLED screen, suiting engineering and design but at a lower resource capacity, therefore, it is more portable and quieter. Conversely, the MSI Prestige 16, with a more powerful processor, higher RAM count, and a larger IPS screen, excels for more demanding engineering and design tasks, though it sacrifices some portability and produces more operating noise.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.3/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2/10
8.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
8.3/10
8.3/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 16 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 16 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
In choosing between the ASUS Zenbook 14 and MSI Prestige 16, consider that both offer high-resolution displays and brightness, ensuring crisp, clear content and ample visibility for general use activities such as browsing and watching videos. For engineering and design tasks requiring precise color representation, these laptops likely display wide color gamuts, making them suitable for professional photo editing and graphic design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, despite adequate resolutions and panel types which deliver sharp and accurate images, their screens falter with low refresh rates, leading to potential motion blur and less smooth visuals during fast-paced action.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Prestige 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$300
$1,611
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the MSI Prestige 16 costs $1,611.
"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."
"The MSI Prestige 16 Evo: 2023's best value 16” thin & light laptop with i7-13700H. One of the top choices for professionals and students seeking a high-performance, portable computing solution in 2023. While the MSI Prestige 16 Evo A13M may not boast the most striking design compared to some other 16" options, its relatively "safe" styling lends itself well to professional and educational environments. Significantly, it doesn't compromise on essential features like port selection or cooling performance, ensuring seamless connectivity and efficient thermal management. The 16 Evo A13M offers an excellent combination of performance, portability, and functionality, making it a compelling choice for professionals and students alike."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the MSI Prestige 16
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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
98,295
Recommendations made
21,298
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.