The ASUS Zenbook 14 is a more budget-friendly option that's lighter and has good battery life, making it suitable for everyday use and enhanced portability. It features a vibrant OLED screen suitable for media consumption and casual tasks. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 18, though more expensive, provides a significant boost in performance with a more powerful processor and graphics card, making it well-suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and intensive engineering applications. It also has a larger screen for an immersive experience but is heavier, which affects its portability. Consider the Razer Blade 18 if performance is a priority and the price is not a limitation, otherwise, the ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a balance between cost and efficiency for general use. 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
Good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 18
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2/10
8.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
339.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.1/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The Razer Blade 18 delivers superior general use performance due to its high-end CPU, ample RAM, and excellent screen quality, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable than the ASUS Zenbook 14, which offers fair performance with a more moderate processor, less RAM, and a good quality screen, while being lighter and having a longer battery life, making it more suited for on-the-go use. Despite the trade-offs, the ASUS Zenbook 14's portability may attract users needing a balance between performance for everyday tasks and the convenience of longer unplugged usage and easy transport.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
8.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14's GPU is less powerful than that of the Razer Blade 18, and it has a lower screen refresh rate, both of which are key for gaming and 3D applications. The Razer Blade 18 boasts a high-end GPU and a much higher refresh rate, allowing for smoother graphics and better gaming performance.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
9.3/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 18 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 is good.
The Razer Blade 18 surpasses the ASUS Zenbook 14 in engineering and design use mainly due to its more powerful CPU and GPU, as well as higher RAM capacity, which are crucial for running complex software and tasks efficiently. While the ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a high-quality OLED screen, the Razer Blade 18's combination of a large, high-resolution display alongside superior hardware specs makes it better suited for demanding engineering applications, despite being less portable and having a louder operating noise.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.6/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 18 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
8.5/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 18 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
8.9/10
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 18 for engineering and design, while the Razer Blade 18 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
When selecting a laptop for general use, the ASUS Zenbook 14 and Razer Blade 18 screens are excellent choices due to their high resolution and brightness levels, which ensure crisp and clear visuals for everyday tasks. For engineering and design, both laptops offer screens with wide color gamuts, providing accurate color reproduction crucial for professional creative work. However, neither is ideal for gaming and 3D applications, as their screens have lower refresh rates, which can lead to less fluid motion and slower response time during fast-paced activities.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 18 has 4 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the Razer Blade 18 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 18 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$300
$10
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Razer Blade 18 costs $10.
"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."
"Razer made a powerful laptop in the Blade 18, showing off a beautiful and fast display and the same high-quality build we’ve come to expect from this product line. It’s also quite expensive, which is hardly a surprise, but bears repeating even in this price range. It’s pricier than the Scar 18 despite an inferior GPU and half the storage, so you really have to want the Blade 18’s design to justify the cost."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the Razer Blade 18
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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.