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Updated January 10, 2024·
For high performance in engineering, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15, with its AMD processor and Nvidia GPU, is a suitable option. It features an OLED screen that provides vivid colors but has a standard refresh rate, which is adequate unless rapid movement display is crucial, as in some gaming or video editing scenarios. The Surface Laptop Studio, with its Intel CPU and similar Nvidia GPU, caters well to creators and professionals seeking higher screen resolution and a faster refresh rate, which is advantageous for design work or smoother visuals. The Zenbook's larger battery gives it a longer life between charges, but the Surface Laptop is slightly lighter, boosting its portability. Both are durable and powerful, with the Surface Laptop offering a unique form factor with its 3:2 aspect ratio screen, making it ideal for productivity tasks. If price is a significant consideration, they are comparably priced, so your preference for specific features like display quality, battery life, or form factor should guide your decision. 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 15
- Excellent battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.6
8.0
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
346.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has a better screen for gaming and AI.
When selecting a laptop for general use, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio both excel due to their high-resolution displays which provide sharp, clear images and their bright screens that enhance visibility in various lighting conditions. For engineering and design tasks, both of these laptops offer displays with wide color gamuts, delivering accurate and vivid colors that professionals require for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, these laptops fall short because they have lower refresh rates, which can lead to less fluid motion and responsiveness in fast-paced scenarios despite their capable resolutions and panel types.
Battery
12.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has 12.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.6
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,109
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 has a price of $1,109 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
346.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
12.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 is notable for its ample battery life and OLED screen that offers deep blacks and vivid colors, making it reliable for extended general use with high-quality visuals. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, while slightly less portable and with a shorter battery life, features a higher-resolution multi-touch IPS display with a more versatile 3:2 aspect ratio and a unique flexible hinge design that can switch between laptop and tablet modes, providing a more diverse user experience. Both laptops provide similar CPU and RAM capabilities, making them suitable for various tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.7
6.6
4.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio both come equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which allows for decent gaming and 3D performance, but neither are top-of-the-line gaming machines. The ASUS has a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate suitable for general use, while the Surface Laptop Studio offers a higher 120Hz refresh rate which provides a smoother visual experience for fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
7.5
7.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
4.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15, with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU, is suited for engineering and design due to its powerful processing and graphics capabilities combined with a high-quality OLED screen. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a similar Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and a flexible display hinge that caters to designers, complemented by a high-resolution IPS screen and the advantage of being more easily portable.
Content Creation
7.7
7.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.5
7.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,109 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.9'' x 9.4'' x 0.7'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.41 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.94" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.37" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 96 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 346 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook Pro 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"The ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 offers a strong CPU, chassis, and display. One of the most popular 15.6-inch prosumer or multimedia laptops out there is the Dell XPS 15. Thus, comparisons between it and the Asus Zenbook Pro 15 are inevitable. Asus has a couple of tricks up its sleeve that XPS users are still missing out on including 1080p OLED and an AMD Ryzen CPU which help separate the Zenbook Pro 15 from the XPS 15. It also integrates a numpad and a few more port options albeit at the cost of a larger chassis size."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Tom Brant | October 2021
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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.
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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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