The laptop that originally started the "thin and light" trend, the MacBook Air, recently received an update.The 2020 model takes this even further, introducing a new Magic Keyboard with scissor switches, 10th-generation chips for better compute and video performance, increased storage space, and a starting price of $999.We decided to pit this Apple Ultrabook against its Asus counterpart: ZenBook 14 vs.Apple Macbook Air.Which one will be the best for you?The Asus ZenBook 14 is one such laptop, and it uses another modern trend - tiny bezels - to fit a 14-inch display into a chassis normally reserved for 13-inch panels.Does it outperform the industry trendsetter?The first thing you'll notice when you open ZenBook 14 is the expanse of display framed by such a small bezel.The MacBook Air has smaller bezels than its predecessors, but they can't quite compete with the Zenbook.Despite being a 13.3-inch laptop, the Air's overall frame is nearly half an inch wider than the 14-inch Zenbook's, all thanks to its thicker bezels.The ZenBook 14 is almost as solidly built as the MacBook Air, benefiting from the usual Apple quality.Asus put it through the full range of MIL-STD-810G military standard tests, and the lid and chassis are as rigid as the excellent MacBook Air.But, the ZenBook's keyboard deck is more flexible.In that sense, the Asus is a step behind.Aesthetically, the ZenBook 14 comes in a royal blue color with gold trim, including a gold bar above the keyboard that looks a lot like a soundbar, but is really just ornamental.The MacBook Air retains its wedge shape, although it is smaller than the original.Overall, it still looks a lot like a Mac, and that's a good thing.You can get it in three very attractive colors, including gold, silver and space gray.The ZenBook 14 enjoys a keyboard with more travel than Apple's third-generation butterfly keyboard, and we liked it more for its precise mechanism.For its part, the MacBook Air sports the usual big and excellent Apple touchpad with Force Touch support.Meanwhile, the more traditionally sized Microsoft Precision touchpad on the ZenBook 14 works well and offers the innovative NumberPad LED numeric keypad for numbers-intensive people.Neither laptop has a touch screen.Finally, ZenBook 14 focuses on strong legacy support by including USB-A 3.1, USB-A 2.0, and USB-C 3.1 ports without Thunderbolt 3 support, a full-size HDMI connection, and a microSD card reader.The MacBook Air bets everything on the future, with only two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 40 Gbps support.The ZenBook 14 deserves some kudos for packing a large screen into a chassis similar in size to the MacBook Air, and its NumberPad is a nice feature for people who work with numbers.But you can't beat Apple's build quality, especially given the ZenBook's spongy keyboard deck.Asus equipped ZenBook 14 with the latest and greatest 8th and 10th generation Intel Core processors, quad-core chips that are faster and more efficient than the previous generation.Our review unit used the Core i7-8565U, and it's significantly faster than the energy-efficient dual-core 10th-gen Core i3 that powers the MacBook Air to boot (although you can upgrade your MacBook Air to a quad-core i5). and get some extra power).In both basic productivity and more advanced tasks like video editing, the Asus will beat Apple.The MacBook Air uses a faster PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) than the ZenBook 14. That makes it better for opening and saving files and booting the operating system.However, in practice, the ZenBook 14 is simply a much faster laptop.However, screen quality is another important performance factor, and when it comes down to it, the MacBook Air maintains Apple's usual edge.Its 13.3-inch display is much sharper at 2,560 x 1,600 pixels compared to the ZenBook 14's 1,920 x 1080-pixel Full HD display. Apple's panel has a wider, more accurate color gamut.The Asus screen is brighter and has better contrast and a more accurate color gamut (so the video won't be too light or too dark).They're not the best screens either, but we'd choose the MacBook Air's panel for its better colors and considerably better sharpness.That said, unless you're only going to be using your laptop for the most basic productivity tasks, you'll be much more satisfied with the ZenBook 14's performance.The ZenBook 14 is 0.63 inches thick and weighs 2.62 pounds.That compares to the 0.63-inch MacBook Air at its thickest point and 2.8 pounds.That makes both of these laptops slim, light, and small enough to slip into a backpack without anyone noticing.In terms of the other important portability factor, battery life, these two laptops are again a close match.Both come with 50W of capacity, but despite the MacBook Air's underpowered processor, they scored very similarly in our tests.The ZenBook 14 lasted a few minutes longer in our Basemark web benchmark and video tests, while the MacBook Air surfed the web slightly longer.In terms of portability, it's a tie between the ZenBook 14 and the MacBook Air.The ZenBook 14 is attractively priced, with our review unit coming in at $1,200 ($1,100 on sale) for a Core i7-8565U, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.You can spend as little as $1,000 for a Core i5-8256U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD.The MacBook Air starts at $1,000 for a Core i3, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, and goes up to $2,249 for a quad-core i7, 16GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD.That makes it a much more premium laptop.ZenBook 14 packs a bigger screen into an equally small chassis, and it's much faster, but it's not as well built and its display isn't as sharp, making the MacBook Air a more attractive option for its target audience. .Enhance your lifestyle Product review, technology news, tools to navigate the digital world.