ZenBook Pro vs Surface Book vs MacBook Pro head-to-head review

A three-way laptop battle between Microsoft, Asus and Apple

Microsoft was so bold as to describe the Surface Book as "the ultimate laptop", so we thought it's only fair to put it up against two of it most formidable rivals, the Asus ZenBook Pro and the Apple MacBook Pro.

We'll be comparing Apple's 2015 MacBook Pro in this piece and will update it with the 2016 model just as soon as we get hold of it.

DESIGN

Microsoft Surface Book
Connections: 2x USB 3.0 ports, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, Mini DisplayPort, SDXC reader

The Surface Book is an unusual beast in terms of looks thanks in part to the fulcrum hinge that serves as the undocking mechanism for the Clipboard (the tablet) that detaches from the keyboard.

The whole thing is made from magnesium which would usually point to a strong build quality, but we noticed some wobble with the two parts. Aside from the coiled hinge it comes across as a bit boring and plain.

It weighs 0.73kg in tablet mode and 1.51kg/1.57kg (with discrete GPU) when docked. It's not the heaviest of devices, but it's rather unwieldy as a tablet/laptop hybrid.

Read our full Surface Book review

Asus ZenBook Pro
Connections: 3x USB 3.0, 1x Thunderbolt 3.0/USB-C combo, 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI out, SD card reader, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth, USB-to-Ethernet adapter

The ZenBook Pro shares a similar name to its Apple competito