If you need a laptop primarily for general use with good portability and longer battery life, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 could serve you well, and it's more affordable. However, if your work involves intensive engineering tasks, 3D rendering, machine learning or you simply desire higher performance and a better screen, the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is the way to go, recognizing that it is heavier and has a shorter battery life when compared to the Surface Laptop Go 2. The ZenBook Pro also comes with a significantly higher price, but you'll benefit from a larger storage capacity, more RAM, and a more powerful processor. 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 Pro 14 Duo
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Excellent portability
Key differences
General Use
8.6/10
7.0/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
357.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is good.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo offers superior general use capabilities with a higher-end CPU, a significantly larger amount of RAM, and an OLED screen with better resolution and color accuracy, making it ideal for high-performance tasks and creative work; however, it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which offers greater portability with a lighter build and longer battery life, but it has a lower-tier CPU, less RAM, and an IPS screen with lower resolution, which makes it more suited for lighter tasks and on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
6.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is somewhat better.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo offers a higher screen refresh rate, which is very important for smooth gameplay and fluid 3D rendering, whereas the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a lower refresh rate which may not be as optimal for such tasks. Additionally, the ASUS model houses a higher-end GPU and CPU, contributing significantly to its better gaming and 3D performance compared to the Surface Laptop Go 2, which comes with less powerful components.
Engineering and Design
8.5/10
6.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo outperforms the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 in engineering and design due to its superior CPU, quadruple the RAM, and a high-resolution OLED screen, which provides better color accuracy and contrast essential for design work. While the Surface Laptop Go 2 is more portable and has higher portability due to less weight and thickness, it falls short with its less powerful CPU, lower RAM, which may slow down multitasking, and an IPS screen with lower resolution and color coverage which is less ideal for precision work.
Content Creation
8.6/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
8.2/10
7.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good for software development, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
8.6/10
6.9/10
14.5in
SIZE
12.4in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
357.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the ASUS and the Surface Laptop Go 2 both have panels with good resolution and brightness, providing clear visuals for everyday tasks. The ASUS excels in engineering and design due to its higher color gamut coverage, allowing for more accurate color representation crucial for these fields. However, both laptops have lower refresh rates which are less ideal for 3D applications and gaming, where smoother motion and quicker response times are essential.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has 6 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.
Portability
Good
Excellent
14.5in
SIZE
12.4in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,299
$774
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has a price of $1,299 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $774.
"The Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is a well-tuned instrument for content creators, excelling at a range of general office tasks as well as tasks that require a little more grunt like encoding and 3D rendering. The big attraction is the laptop’s dual displays. They’re the best ones we’ve used in an Asus Zenbook Duo laptop to date with a spate of year-on-year improvements that make the visuals more striking and the cross-screen integration easier than ever before."
"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 Pro 14 Duo 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.
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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