I'm about to own one of the two (hopefully), but debating on which one is better. I really love the Mac since I could easily Boot Camp it. The ZenBook I have is the UX31A-AB71, no dedicated graphics. Thinking about returning it. Suggestions?
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MacBook Pro vs ZenBook Prime
- Thread starter Squilly
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Looking at the Zenbook Prime (UX31A-AB71) it would probably be better to compare it to a Macbook Air rather then a Macbook Pro. Of course a new Macbook Pro will easily outperform this Zenbook.
If you want an actual recommendation, be more specific.
- What type of work are you doing?
- Are you gaming (would certainly go for dedicated graphics)
- Would you like a 13 or 15inch?
My 3 cents: I used to own a Macbook Air for about a year before I went back to the Macbook Pro line. It is incredibly light (much like the Zenbook) but wasn't suited for the kind of work I do.
If you want an actual recommendation, be more specific.
- What type of work are you doing?
- Are you gaming (would certainly go for dedicated graphics)
- Would you like a 13 or 15inch?
My 3 cents: I used to own a Macbook Air for about a year before I went back to the Macbook Pro line. It is incredibly light (much like the Zenbook) but wasn't suited for the kind of work I do.
I currently have the ZenBook (I have a lot of computers...) but:
Some gaming, some photoshop, average Internet browsing
Sometimes
15" any day
Agreed. More like an Air but an awesome machine. My friend has that one, very thin and light. Awesome Windows machine. Not good to compare to MBP
Depends on what you care about. The Display in the Air holds no candle to the IPS full HD in the Zenbook. It also depends on if you want Windows or OSX. Bootcamp is never more than a measure of last resort. The touch pad on the air lacks seriously under Windows. Battery life usually is also worse than it should be.
An Air is for those that want OSX. Zenbook is for those that like good displays and intend to use Windows. Samsung Series 9 is for those that want battery life. The Zenbook's Display is a bit power hungry.
An Air is for those that want OSX. Zenbook is for those that like good displays and intend to use Windows. Samsung Series 9 is for those that want battery life. The Zenbook's Display is a bit power hungry.
Sorry but the negatives of boot camp you mentioned aren't due to apple but due to windows. The trackpad isn't unusable, yes it lacks compared to osx but I have never used a trackpad that was as smooth as the apple ones.
Battery life is worse due to the operating system, not apple.
Well the Zenbook Panel is equally good in contrast, color and much better in brightness. Also it is matte.
Matte and much brighter makes it truly on the go worthy.
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-Retina-2-5-GHz-Late-2012.84077.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Asus-Zenbook-Prime-UX31A-Ultrabook.77076.0.html
Full HD at 13" is already so sharp that at any reasonable distance it is retina.
The thing is the trackpad could do more. The Windows notebooks trackpads do.
Just compare a Samsung Series 9 to the MacBook Air.
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Update-Samsung-Serie-9-900X3C-A04DE-Subnotebook.82316.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Apple-MacBook-Air-13-Mid-2012-Subnotebook.77213.0.html
The score the same with a slight edge for the Samsung while the Air even has a 13% (6Wh) bigger battery.
The reason Windows often show so bad battery life is because manufactures provide often mediocre drivers and parts. People simply compare cheap thrown together stuff with high quality notebooks.
How much an OS draws on average that is its fault but if the idle and load power consumption values are different that is a driver issue.
The Air goes from 5.3-10.1 in OSX to 7.3-13.9 (Windows 7) with idle load and most display brightness up down.
The Samsung shows 5.2 to 10.6 under Windows.
There is clearly some hardware component the Air simply doesn't shut down in Windows which sucks the added 2-3 Watts.
Matte and much brighter makes it truly on the go worthy.
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-Retina-2-5-GHz-Late-2012.84077.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Asus-Zenbook-Prime-UX31A-Ultrabook.77076.0.html
Full HD at 13" is already so sharp that at any reasonable distance it is retina.
It is of no consequence who is to blame but the end result is that a touchpad with proper multi touch drivers is better than one with out. In this case it also is Apple's fault that they don't offer drivers with multitouch features similar to what you get in Windows from Synaptics & Co.
The thing is the trackpad could do more. The Windows notebooks trackpads do.
Again it wouldn't make a difference whose fault it is. Still though it is the fault of whoever makes the drivers in the bootcamp case it is Apple. Sony and Samsung can squeeze out just as much battery life from their similar specced Windows notebooks.
Just compare a Samsung Series 9 to the MacBook Air.
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Update-Samsung-Serie-9-900X3C-A04DE-Subnotebook.82316.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Apple-MacBook-Air-13-Mid-2012-Subnotebook.77213.0.html
The score the same with a slight edge for the Samsung while the Air even has a 13% (6Wh) bigger battery.
The reason Windows often show so bad battery life is because manufactures provide often mediocre drivers and parts. People simply compare cheap thrown together stuff with high quality notebooks.
How much an OS draws on average that is its fault but if the idle and load power consumption values are different that is a driver issue.
The Air goes from 5.3-10.1 in OSX to 7.3-13.9 (Windows 7) with idle load and most display brightness up down.
The Samsung shows 5.2 to 10.6 under Windows.
There is clearly some hardware component the Air simply doesn't shut down in Windows which sucks the added 2-3 Watts.
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Sorry but the negatives of boot camp you mentioned aren't due to apple but due to windows. The trackpad isn't unusable, yes it lacks compared to osx but I have never used a trackpad that was as smooth as the apple ones.
Battery life is worse due to the operating system, not apple.
MacBook Pro is a different animal than ZenBook.
Comparing between an apple and an orange.
ZenBook is a great laptop with as nice display as rMBP and lighter weight but it lacks in power. Once Apple figure out Bootcamp drivers for Windows 8, rMBP will be a great windows machine too.
Battery? I think I get about same battery life on windows as OS X when I make my rMBP to run GT650m the entire time. Lack of GPU switching system is at fault in this, so I guess the fault goes to apple.
Comparing between an apple and an orange.
ZenBook is a great laptop with as nice display as rMBP and lighter weight but it lacks in power. Once Apple figure out Bootcamp drivers for Windows 8, rMBP will be a great windows machine too.
Battery? I think I get about same battery life on windows as OS X when I make my rMBP to run GT650m the entire time. Lack of GPU switching system is at fault in this, so I guess the fault goes to apple.
I absolutely agree with the posts above.
The Zenbook Prime is a laptop comparable to the MacBook Air, but with a much better IPS, high resolution screen.
However, the Zenbook Prime and the MacBook Pro are not direct competitors.
The 13-inch retina MacBook Pro is a little bit heavier and more powerful than the Zenbook Prime. Although both laptops have IPS displays, the screen of the MacBook Pro packs twice as much pixels as the screen of the Zenbook. And the MacBook Pro is much more expensive too.
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is on a completely different league: much larger screen, heavier, quad-core processor, dedicated video card. And nearly double the price.
If you like the Zenbook, but misses the dedicated video card, perhaps you may want to take a look at the Zenbook Prime UX32VD, which comes with a NVIDIA GT 620M. Not nearly as powerful as the GT 650M of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but still better than the HD 4000. Most versions of the UX32VD come with a hybrid HDD/SSD, though, and not with an SSD (although I am sure I have seen at least one version with an SSD only).
The Zenbook Prime is a laptop comparable to the MacBook Air, but with a much better IPS, high resolution screen.
However, the Zenbook Prime and the MacBook Pro are not direct competitors.
The 13-inch retina MacBook Pro is a little bit heavier and more powerful than the Zenbook Prime. Although both laptops have IPS displays, the screen of the MacBook Pro packs twice as much pixels as the screen of the Zenbook. And the MacBook Pro is much more expensive too.
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is on a completely different league: much larger screen, heavier, quad-core processor, dedicated video card. And nearly double the price.
If you like the Zenbook, but misses the dedicated video card, perhaps you may want to take a look at the Zenbook Prime UX32VD, which comes with a NVIDIA GT 620M. Not nearly as powerful as the GT 650M of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but still better than the HD 4000. Most versions of the UX32VD come with a hybrid HDD/SSD, though, and not with an SSD (although I am sure I have seen at least one version with an SSD only).