Deciding between the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and the MSI Stealth 14 Studio involves prioritizing your specific needs, as both laptops are designed for productivity and creative work. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers a larger and higher resolution OLED screen with excellent color accuracy, which is great for design work but makes the device heavier and less portable. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has a smaller, lower resolution IPS display, but a higher screen refresh rate beneficial for gaming and a more compact, lighter design enhancing portability. The Zenbook Pro 16X has slightly superior battery life, ideal for long, uninterrupted work sessions, whereas the Stealth 14 Studio features a newer generation processor and a more powerful graphics card that could provide an edge in demanding applications and gaming. Note that the selection of ports differs, which might affect your peripherals. Audio and keyboard preferences are subjective, so consider if an OLED display or RGB keyboard aligns with your taste. Both run Windows 11 Home, offering a familiar operating system experience. Ultimately, for creative tasks requiring screen quality and battery life, lean towards the ASUS, while for gaming or performance-hungry applications in a more portable form, the MSI could suit you better. 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 16X
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio has no clear advantages over the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X.
Key differences
General Use
8.3/10
7.8/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
354.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is very good for general use, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is good.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers a high-resolution OLED screen, larger battery, and robust build, making it very good for general use but less portable due to its weight. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is lighter with a high-refresh-rate IPS display and better graphics processing unit, providing good general use performance and easier portability, but with lower screen resolution and battery capacity.
Content Creation
8.5/10
7.9/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is very good for content creation, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is very good for software development, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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
7.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
354.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 14 Studio for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high resolution, bright display, and wide color gamuts, ensuring crisp visuals and accurate colors which are essential for detailed design work. However, its lower refresh rate makes it less optimal for gaming and 3D applications, where fluid motion is key. Conversely, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio offers a balance with good resolution and decent color representation for everyday tasks and engineering but falls short for gaming due to the same limitations on refresh rate.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio has 5 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
Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X both have good portability, though the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,300
$1,520
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has a price of $1,300 and the MSI Stealth 14 Studio costs $1,520.
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both good for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers a higher quality OLED screen with better brightness and color coverage, suitable for those prioritizing screen quality in 3D applications and gaming, but it has a lower refresh rate and houses an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, which is less powerful than the MSI Stealth 14 Studio's Nvidia RTX 4060. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio provides a much higher screen refresh rate that can offer smoother gameplay and a more powerful GPU, which may improve performance in gaming and 3D tasks, although it sacrifices screen quality by opting for a lower-resolution IPS panel.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
8.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
6.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and MSI Stealth 14 Studio are both very good for engineering and design.
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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.6/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and MSI Stealth 14 Studio both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and the MSI Stealth 14 Studio compare to other laptops
"The new Zenbook Pro 16X is more powerful, quieter and doesn't need to shy away from dedicated workstations and gamers. It is also comparatively compact, and our test device is the best Zenbook that we've reviewed so far. It seems equally suitable for content creators and gamers or anyone looking for a very powerful laptop that is still slim."
"You'll find a versatility in the MSI Stealth 14 Studio that isn’t matched by many content-creator laptops we've tested of late. The small frame allows you to (potentially) work from anywhere with an outlet and, if noise isn’t a concern, run your most demanding of programs, thanks to some powerful hardware inside. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is an attractive and powerful option if you want a portable laptop to be the center of your content work setup."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X or the MSI Stealth 14 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 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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