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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Horizontal Viewing Angle
    8. Vertical Viewing Angle
    9. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    10. Color Gamut
    11. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    10. Counter-Strike 2
    11. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    12. Thermals And Noise
    13. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Jun 05, 2024 01:14 PM

Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Jul 23, 2024 05:56 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Picture

Variants

  • Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (UX3404VC-BS91T-CB) (Inkwell Gray - i9-13900H/RTX 3050/32GB/1TB)
  • Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (UX3404VC-BB99T) (Inkwell Gray - i9-13900H/RTX 3050/32GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY43LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC7X4LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY33LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY03LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎MC7V4LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLXY3LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLXX3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC7U4LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLXW3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY23LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC7W4LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY13LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)

Our Verdict

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) are both premium laptops; however, the ASUS is more of a content creation laptop with more processing power, while the MacBook is an ultraportable designed for general productivity tasks like web browsing and text processing. Thanks to its M2 SoC's media engines, the MacBook can handle some video editing. Also worth noting is that while the ASUS has more processing power, its performance is still at the lower end compared to other workstations on the market, as it's only available with an entry-level NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU running at a low TGP (Total Graphics Power) of 45W. The ASUS has arguably a better display, sporting a 120Hz 2.8k OLED panel, but it doesn't get as bright to combat glare, and unlike the MacBook's Retina (IPS) panel, it flickers, which might bother those sensitive to flickering.

0 

Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

7.7
8.5

Battery 
 

5.7
8.4

Portability 
 

8.0
9.1

Ports 
 

8.0
5.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Style Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.5
9.5

Build Quality Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Build Quality Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Build Quality Photo
Show Text 

Hinge 
 

9.4
9.1

Hinge Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Hinge Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

180°
135°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

8.0
9.1

Dimensions Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Dimensions Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

14"
13.6"

Thickness 
 

0.9" (2.2 cm)
0.5" (1.3 cm)

Width 
 

12.6" (32.0 cm)
12.2" (31.0 cm)

Depth 
 

8.9" (22.5 cm)
8.5" (21.5 cm)

Volume 
 

98.0 in³ (1,605.6 cm³)
52.9 in³ (866.5 cm³)

Weight 
 

3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)

Charger Size 
 

10.0 in³ (163.1 cm³)
5.0 in³ (81.7 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

0.8 lbs (0.4 kg)
0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
Show Text 

Serviceability 
 

5.8
3.5

Internals Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Internals Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

6.5
6.0

RAM Slots 
 

0
0

Storage Slots 
 

1
0

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) In The Box Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Display Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

2880 x 1800
2560 x 1664

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:10

Pixel Density 
 

234 PPI
225 PPI

Panel Type 
 

OLED
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

Yes
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

88%
84%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

7.7
5.9

Motion Blur  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Motion Blur
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

120 Hz
60 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

10
7.6

Contrast Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Contrast Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

107,400 : 1
1,490 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness  
 

7.3
8.5

Maximum Brightness 
 

324 cd/m²
468 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

1 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

6.9
8.9

Reflections Photo Off  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Reflections Photo Off
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Reflections Photo Max
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Glossy

Total Reflections 
 

5.06%
1.73%

Indirect Reflections 
 

1.01%
0.39%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

4.05%
1.34%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

10
8.2

Black Uniformity Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Black Uniformity Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

0.133%
0.814%
Show Text 

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.6
6.5

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Horizontal Chroma Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Horizontal Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Left 
 

35°
27°

Color Washout From Right 
 

34°
27°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Horizontal Hue Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Horizontal Hue Picture

Color Shift From Left 
 

19°
31°

Color Shift From Right 
 

18°
34°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Horizontal Lightness Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Horizontal Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

41°
30°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

41°
30°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

43°
60°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

44°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

37°
27°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

38°
27°
Show Text 

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.9
6.6

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Vertical Chroma Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Vertical Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Below 
 

33°
25°

Color Washout From Above 
 

32°
27°

Vertical Hue Picture  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Vertical Hue Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Vertical Hue Picture

Color Shift From Below 
 

19°
28°

Color Shift From Above 
 

18°
36°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Vertical Lightness Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Vertical Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

40°
27°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

40°
30°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
45°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
45°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

36°
29°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

38°
31°
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

7.9
9.3

White Balance Screencap  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) White Balance Screencap
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Gamma Curve Screencap
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Color Screencap
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

1.01
2.02

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.18
2.31

Avg. Color dE 
 

4.37
1.66

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,394.8 K
6,695.9 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

9.7
9.4

Gamut SDR  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Gamut SDR
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

150.25%
99.95%

sRGB uv 
 

138.39%
99.81%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

95.33%
88.14%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

98.52%
92.92%

Gamut HDR  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Gamut HDR
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

99.99%
99.68%

DCI P3 uv 
 

99.99%
99.15%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

79.44%
72.43%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

80.27%
73.13%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

4.5
10

Flicker Graph  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Flicker Graph
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

No
Yes

Flicker Frequency 
 

120 Hz
No Flicker

Flicker Active Below 
 

100%
0%
Show Text 
Interface

Keyboard 
 

8.2
8.0

Keyboard Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Keyboard Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Numpad 
 

No
No

Backlighting 
 

Adjustable
Adjustable

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

63 gf
63 gf

Actuation Force 
 

35 gf
39 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

0.98 mm
0.78 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.46 mm
0.92 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

8.8
9.2

Touchpad Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Touchpad Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

9.0
9.5

Size 
 

14.8 in² (95.6 cm²)
16.0 in² (103.2 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

8.1
8.1

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

77 dB SPL
76 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

5.0 dB
5.5 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

1.4
2.5

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

236 Hz
145 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

11 kHz
17 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

2.2 dB
1.5 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

8.2
8.7

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

8.5
9.0

Resolution 
 

1080p
1080p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Ports 
 

8.0
5.0

Ports Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Ports Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

1
0

USB-C Ports 
 

2
2

Thunderbolt 
 

Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 3

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

2.0
No

DisplayPort 
 

No
No

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

No
No

Proprietary Port 
 

No
Apple MagSafe 3

Security Lock 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

Bluetooth 
 

5.3
5.0
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

Intel
Apple

Model 
 

Core i9-13900H
M2

Core Count 
 

14
8

Thread Count 
 

20
8
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

NVIDIA
Apple

Model 
 

GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU
M2

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Dedicated
Integrated

VRAM Size 
 

4 GB
N/A
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

32 GB
8 GB

Modules 
 

8 (Soldered)
Unknown

Type 
 

LP-DDR5
LP-DDR5

Speed 
 

4,800 MHz
6,400 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

1,000 GB
256 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

935 GB
214 GB

Drive 1 
 

Western Digital PC SN560 SDDPNQE-1T00-1002
Apple SSD AP0256Z

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Show Text 
Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

9.6
9.1

Geekbench Image  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Geekbench Image
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

1,647 points
1,928 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

11,710 points
8,954 points

GPU Compute 
 

53,108 points
26,155 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

9.7
9.4

Cinebench R23 Photo  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Cinebench R23 Photo
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

1,644 points
1,581 points

Multi-Thread 
 

12,722 points
8,003 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

9.0
8.5

Blender Image  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Blender Image
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

3.0 min
4.2 min

GPU Render Time 
 

1.0 min
2.2 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

38 s
N/A
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

7.4
6.7

Basemark Image  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Basemark Image
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

44,835
34,329
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.4
8.9

Storage Performance Image  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Storage Performance Image
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

1,460.3 MB/s
2,469.6 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

3,597.0 MB/s
1,091.6 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

103.4 MB/s
45.0 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

54.0 MB/s
60.1 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

5.7
8.4

Capacity 
 

70 Wh
53 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

5.7 hrs
10.9 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

5.7 hrs
7.0 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

1.7 hrs
2.7 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.0 hrs
3.0 hrs
Show Text 

Borderlands 3 
 

4.9
4.1

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

38 fps
28 fps

1% Low 
 

21 fps
11 fps

0.1% Low 
 

11 fps
5 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

21 ms
59 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

66 ms
173 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

100 fps
36 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

7.3
5.7

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

66 fps
45 fps

1% Low 
 

43 fps
27 fps

0.1% Low 
 

41 fps
21 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

8 ms
15 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

9 ms
25 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

212 fps
76 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

7.5 s
10.11 s
Show Text 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

8.9

CS:GO graph  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) CS:GO graph

Avg. FPS 
 

114 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A

0.1% Low 
 

N/A

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

175 fps
Show Text 

Counter-Strike 2 
 

7.0

CS2 Graph  

See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

110fps

1% Low 
 

43fps

0.1% Low 
 

27fps

1% Low Delta 
 

14 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

27 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

157fps
Show Text 

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

6.3
4.0

SOTTR Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

55 fps
25 fps

1% Low 
 

35 fps
16 fps

0.1% Low 
 

25 fps
10 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

11 ms
22 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

22 ms
65 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

89 fps
42 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

8.0
8.1

Keyboard Temps Picture  

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) Keyboard Temps Picture
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

34 °C (93 °F)
30 °C (86 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

42 °C (107 °F)
49 °C (120 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
N/A

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

40.0 dBA
N/A

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

7.6
6.7

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

82 °C
N/A

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

16% loss
4% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

62 °C
N/A

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

0% loss
18% loss
Show Text 
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

Windows 11
macOS

Additional Software 
 

Yes
None
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

RGB Illumination 
 

No
No

Touch Pen 
 

No
No

Secondary Display 
 

No
No

Biometrics 
 

Face Recognition
Fingerprint Sensor
Show Text 

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)

Comments

  1. Comparison

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022): Main Discussion

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