Asus Zenbook S 13 vs. Apple MacBook Air M2: one upper hand

Apple’s latest MacBook lineup, running on the fast and efficient M2 processor family, has elevated itself above the Windows competition in many ways. The usual MacBook build quality and design remain superior, and with such an attractive balance between power and efficiency, the machines are hard to beat whether we’re talking about the mainstream MacBook Air M2 or the high-end MacBook Pro.

But Windows laptops still have a few tricks up their sleeve. And when we compare a laptop like the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023 to the Apple MacBook Air M2, one thing stands out.

Specs

OLED for the win

The Zenbook S 13 OLED has a lot going for it compared to other Windows laptops at around the same price. But when compared to the MacBook Air M2, it’s the OLED display that separates it.

It’s not that the MacBook Air M2’s display is poor. It’s not, and in fact, it’s much better than MacBook Air displays of the past. It hits 90% of the AdobeRGB gamut, which is good enough for all but the most demanding creators, and it just misses the magical DeltaE of 1.0 or less. Its contrast is also good for an IPS display and is brighter than the Zenbook’s OLED panel.

But the Zenbook S 13 OLED’s display has even wider colors that are professional-grade, with the kind of accuracy demanded by professional creators. My colorimeter wouldn’t measure the panel’s contrast (something I’ve seen with some other OLED displays), but I guarantee it’s in the usual 25,000:1 range that provides inky blacks.

Undoubtedly, all kinds of users, whether productivity workers, creators, or heavy media consumers, will prefer the Zenbook’s display to the MacBook Air M2’s.

But then there’s everything else

The MacBook Air M2 is the faster laptop in all but our Handbrake test with the Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023 running in performance mode. And while we didn’t test the Zenbook in the Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark that runs in a live version of Adobe’s Premiere Pro, the MacBook Air M2 is likely to be much faster here as well thanks to its creator-oriented GPU performance. Windows laptops with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics just don’t do well in this benchmark.

The Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023 achieved good battery life for a Windows laptop. But it can’t compare to the MacBook Air M2’s phenomenal results, which makes the MacBook’s performance even more impressive. If you need all-day battery life running a legit productivity workflow, then the MacBook Air M2 is much more likely to make it all the way through.

The MacBook Air M2 also has a much better keyboard than the ZenBook’s, which again is good for a Windows laptop but not as good as Apple’s. And the MacBook’s Force Touch touchpad runs circles around the Zenbook’s mechanical version. The MacBook Air M2’s chassis is even more solid than the Zenbook’s, although the latter’s lid is surprisingly more rigid than Apple’s.

There’s more, but OLED seals the deal

The Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023 also has better connectivity than the MacBook Air, with legacy support that the MacBook can’t match. And it’s equal in its webcam performance and security, while being almost as thin as the incredibly thin MacBook Air M2 and half a pound lighter. Finally, we can’t forget the price, where the Zenbook is $400 less for a similarly equipped configuration.

That’s a big deal. Is that $400 worth the bump in performance and battery life? For some, the answer will be yes. But for many, the Zenbook S 13 OLED is the kind of Windows laptop that offers a cheaper alternative without sacrificing the premium components and build quality.

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