The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is a versatile and portable option with a vibrant OLED display, excellent for general use and creative tasks with its high color accuracy and dual-screen functionality. It offers good performance for everyday tasks and light gaming, with a decent battery life that supports mobility. Its compact size and lightweight design make it ideal for users who are always on the move.
On the other hand, the MSI Raider 18 HX is a powerhouse designed for high-end gaming and intensive tasks like 3D rendering and machine learning. With its larger Mini LED display, it provides superior brightness and contrast, making it suitable for detailed visual work. The laptop's robust performance is backed by a top-tier CPU and GPU, ensuring smooth operation even under heavy workloads. However, its larger form factor and significantly higher price point make it less portable and more of an investment.
In summary, if you prioritize portability, a crisp and color-accurate display for creative work, and have a moderate budget, the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is the way to go. Conversely, if you require uncompromising performance for demanding tasks and gaming, and portability is not a primary concern, the MSI Raider 18 HX, despite its premium price, would be the better choice. 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
Good portability
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider 18 HX
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
9.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is only fair.
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
8.5/10
9.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Software Development
8.2/10
8.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX and ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo are both very good for software development, though the MSI Raider 18 HX is somewhat better.
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
9.4/10
14.5in
SIZE
18.0in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
357.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider 18 HX has 9 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
Poor
14.5in
SIZE
18.0in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,299
$3,999
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has a price of $1,299 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
The MSI Raider 18 HX and ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo are both very 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.
Content Creation
8.6/10
9.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider 18 HX to be excellent for content creation, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and MSI Raider 18 HX 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 Pro 14 Duo and the MSI Raider 18 HX compare to other laptops
"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."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo or the MSI Raider 18 HX
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.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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