Many publications (The Verge included) have heralded this yr’s MacBooks as the perfect laptops you should buy at this time. For many customers, they are going to be.

But just a few surprisingly compelling Windows-based options have been arising in Asus’ high-end Zenbook line, providing the construct high quality, show, and efficiency to match Apple’s greatest. The 13-inch Zenbook 13S OLED choice has confirmed to be a worthy M2 MacBook Air competitor, and eyes have been on the 14-inch Zenbook 14X OLED (and, particularly, the high-powered Space Edition) as a doable rival to the fan-equipped M2 MacBook Pro.

I took an early have a look at a prerelease model of the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition again in January, and this week, I used to be capable of take a look at an actual, completed unit for efficiency and battery life. The Zenbook really beats the MacBook in various necessary areas — however it loses in a single essential class.

The Zenbook and the MacBook are very, very related in measurement. The Zenbook weighs 3.09 kilos, whereas the MacBook weighs three kilos. The Zenbook is 0.62 inches thick, whereas the MacBook is 0.61 inches thick.

I’ll say, from intensive expertise carrying each round, that the Zenbook does really feel perceivably heavier, particularly after I’m lifting it with one arm. But they’re each fairly skinny and light-weight gadgets for the ability they provide.

The Zenbook is barely extra inexpensive than the MacBook Pro, although I don’t think about the distinction might be tremendous vital to most buyers.

There’s just one configuration of the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition — it features a Core i9-12900H processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. It’s priced at $1,999 on Asus’s site, although some retailers at present have it listed for $1,979.99.

If you wished to purchase a 13-inch MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM (the utmost accessible) and 1TB of storage, you’d must pay $2,099, a premium of $100. While neither the Zenbook nor the M2 MacBook is reasonable, they’re each throughout the realm of what shopper ultraportables value. A 32GB / 1TB model of the 14-inch MacBook Pro (even with the bottom CPU choice) would be $2,599.99.

Now, if you’re somebody whose workload won’t take full benefit of the 1TB / 32GB the Zenbook presents, you could be higher off shopping for, say, a $1,699 MacBook Pro with 16GB of reminiscence and 512GB of storage and saving a number of hundred {dollars} over the Zenbook. That’s going to come back right down to what your every day wants are.

It’s additionally the case that the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro is commonly on sale as of late (you may at present get a 16GB / 512GB model for $1,599). If you may get by with 512GB of storage and don’t thoughts some further weight (the 14-incher is round 3.5 kilos), that’s the mannequin to go for.

Sorry, Apple, however no MacBook can examine right here. Both of those laptops are very sturdy, well-built, and troublesome to torque. But on the subject of appears to be like, the M2 Pro nonetheless has the identical boring, grey, big-bezeled design that MacBook Pro fashions have had since 2016. The 14-inch gadget has an up to date design, however all issues thought of, it nonetheless appears to be like, properly, MacBook-y.

The Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, however, appears to be like like a spaceship. Design parts on the lid and keyboard deck evoke a shuttle and cockpit, and apparently, there’s Morse code hidden in them for those who really feel like sitting down and doing a little decoding. Clearly, this can be a subjective factor, however I’d select the Zenbook’s styling each time.

The Zenbook 14X additionally wins the place show is anxious. The Zenbook has a 14-inch, 16:10 OLED contact panel with 2880 x 1800 decision and a 90Hz refresh fee. The 13-inch MacBook Pro has a barely smaller 13.3-inch display screen with a decrease decision (2560 x 1600) and a decrease refresh fee (60Hz). While the MacBook’s display screen is definitely good, I’d select the Zenbook’s any day — it’s crisp and vibrant, and I’m at all times right here for these deep OLED blacks.

The Zenbook additionally has what’s known as the ZenVision show on its lid, a 3.5-inch OLED panel that may show your music, the time, battery proportion or different statistics, a enterprise card, textual content of your selecting, or cute little astronaut animations. (It’s purported to be the window of the spaceship, I assume.) The MacBook Pro has a touchscreen Touch Bar on its deck, whereas the Zenbook has a bodily perform row, however I personally discover the ZenVision show manner cooler.

The Zenbook additionally has the ErgoLift hinge, a function you’ll discover on all types of Asus laptops. This hinge folds slightly below the keyboard deck and raises it just a few levels off the bottom for higher airflow, and it does dig into your legs once you’re utilizing the Zenbook in your lap. It’s not tremendous sharp, however it’s one factor that you must take care of that the MacBook doesn’t have.

If you’re on the lookout for a Windows laptop computer that may beat Apple’s silicon in CPU-heavy duties, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is your guess. It’s put up a number of the greatest efficiency I’ve seen from a laptop computer of this measurement this yr. I don’t think about it’ll have hassle with any basic workplace workload.

As you may see, the Zenbook is sort of highly effective for its measurement and did higher than each the M2 and the M1 Pro MacBooks on lots of our CPU benchmarks. Both of Apple’s merchandise, although, are manner forward on the subject of graphics efficiency, together with gaming and video work in Premiere Pro. If your work is graphics-heavy, the MacBook is a greater purchase for you. (Oh, and in case this doesn’t go with out saying, the gaming benchmarks are only for testing functions — for those who’re going to be gaming loads, skip all of those fashions and get one thing just like the Zephyrus G14.)

The MacBook’s unplugged efficiency can also be higher. That machine places up an identical scores when operating benchmarks on battery. But that’s not the case for the Zenbook — scores went down when it was unplugged. Its Geekbench Compute rating, for instance, dropped to twenty,675 on battery.

Unfortunately for Asus, the MacBook leaves the Zenbook within the mud right here.

The M2 MacBook Pro lasted me over 16 and a half hours of constant use round medium brightness. The M1 Pro 14-incher gave me round 10 hours. Even with battery saver on and the display screen turned right down to 60Hz, the Zenbook solely lasted me round 1 / 4 of that point with the identical workload and brightness setting. I averaged 4 hours and 35 minutes out of this machine, and that was a constant end result throughout various trials.

For many individuals, the MacBook’s further hours are in all probability price the additional cash — that’s a very large distinction. Even for those who’re budget-constrained, it nonetheless could also be price downgrading to a lower-specced MacBook Pro with a purpose to get that further time.

Intel actually wants to repair the effectivity drawback its processors appear to have. The hanging hole between these two otherwise-similar rivals ought to illustrate how unacceptable a 4:35 lifespan is in at this time’s market. It’s one of many worst outcomes I’ve seen from any non-gaming laptop computer this yr, and I’d actually wish to see no less than seven hours from a tool of this worth. It even loses to some devoted gaming machines — the AMD-powered ROG Zephyrus G14 lasts me near twice this lengthy.

The Zenbook’s disappointing battery life makes an excellent case for the MacBook Pro as the higher purchase for most individuals. Even for those who love the 14X’s futuristic design, it comes at fairly a value. Especially for those who’re on the lookout for a conveyable gadget to carry out and about, the additional hours of freedom from an outlet that the MacBook provides you need to be price an uglier pc. For these prepared to compromise on RAM, storage, and some hours of battery life, the 14-inch MacBook Pro can also be a wonderful various — and it may be bought for lower than the Zenbook if you will discover it on sale.

If you’re on the lookout for a Windows various to the MacBook Pro and also you don’t care about battery life in any respect, this Zenbook is aggressive in mainly each different respect. It’s extremely well-built and highly effective with a standout show, and its vibrant design is enjoyable in a manner no Apple laptop computer has ever been. It’s actually too unhealthy that Asus didn’t put an AMD chip inside it.