Asus and Lenovo are two brands you’ll constantly run into on eCommerce websites if you’re looking for a new laptop.
Whether you’re looking for an entry-level machine for basic tasks like browsing and general business purposes or a powerful gaming platform that can run the latest AAA titles, both companies have several models for all kinds of purposes.
Keep reading our Asus vs Lenovo comparison and find out which brand is for you!
Asus vs Lenovo: the basics
Although the two brands are fairly close, Asus might just edge out Lenovo as a brand. It will ultimately come down to which models you’re looking at and what type of user you are, but overall, Asus has slightly better build quality and better performance in the top-tier sector.
Asus
Asus is a Taiwanese tech company well-known in the PC niche. Aside from laptops, the company has an impressive pedigree in computer hardware, including motherboards, servers, graphic cards, monitors, etc.
The company is also beloved by gamers, largely due to its high-end gaming laptops, which generally are considered an industry standard.
Pros:
- Great build quality
- Long history in performance-oriented hardware
- Long battery life
- Lots of mid-range options that offer solid performance at a moderate price
Cons:
- Lacking in customer support compared to Lenovo
- Some models are too cumbersome
Lenovo
Lenovo is a Beijing-based company specialized in personal computer hardware. It’s the leading personal computer vendor in the world, having the largest market cap in the laptop category.
Lenovo is known for its high-performance, light laptops: mainly the business lines ThinkPad and ThinkBook.
Pros:
- Leading the global laptop market
- Flexible and portable
- Great business tier models
- Superior customer support
Cons:
- A lot of their flagship models are smaller than standard
- Not as competitive in the gaming category
Asus Laptops
Let’s get started with Asus and see how its laptops fare in different categories.
Asus design
Asus has a wide range of laptops that come in various shapes and sizes, but we can say that almost all of them have a particular signature minimalistic look.
From sleek metallic finishes to the combinations of dark bodies and shiny keyboards found in (Republic of Gamers) ROG laptops, most Asus laptops look and feel premium. The Zenbook series is often used as an example of luxurious-looking yet affordable laptops. They’re thin, light, and their screens have quite a thin frame, contributing to their overall premium look.
Newer Asus laptops also feature a ScreenPad – a touchpad that doubles up as a mini multifunctional display.
Asus build quality
You’ll find that Asus uses a wide range of materials to construct its laptops, so the build quality will vary, usually depending on the price range.
For example, the ZenBooks we mentioned have a brushed aluminum chassis reminiscent of a Mac or a similar sturdy laptop. You can feel that they’re a little heavy and dense, even though some models are pretty thin.
On the other hand, a series like the M509, a more entry-level product, is much lighter and not nearly as well-made. Certain parts are made out of plastic and it’s instantly noticeable – although it still looks nice and the display is impressive at this price range.
Asus performance
Again, since there are so many different product lines and series on offer, the performance of any particular Asus laptop will depend on how much you’re willing to pay and what kind of tasks you’ll be running.
We can say that, generally, Asus laptops shine when it comes to performance at almost any price point. Even the VivoBook M509 series we mentioned above features a Ryzen 5 chip that’s rarely found in entry-level laptops.
One area where Asus is an absolute powerhouse is gaming. Asus ROG laptops keep pushing the limits of what’s possible in laptop gaming, with models like the Zephyrus G15 boasting great clock speed and graphics.
Asus display
In some of the cheaper models, Asus gives a lot of attention to immersive displays that have a certain premium feel – even if they aren’t incredibly well-built.
They offer a signature NanoEdge display, which features ultra-thin bezels. The screen-to-body ratio of many Asus laptops is up to 95% – this means the actual screen takes up most of the space and the display is slightly wider than you’ll see with many other brands.
Asus durability
Asus laptops are also regarded as quite durable – they even use the words “military-grade durability” for some of the models on their website.
The company excels at offering reliable mid-range laptops for various purposes that feel well-made and sturdy. The mentioned ZenBooks are all quite reliable and durable. The same goes for the ROG series.
The entry-level and mid-range VivoBook models are also surprisingly durable, although orders of magnitude less so than their more expensive counterparts. The physical durability here comes into question since cheaper materials like plastic are easily damaged from the daily wear and tear of regular use.
Asus battery life
Battery life is among the most important factors to take into consideration when buying a laptop.
If you’ve ever had a great laptop but you found yourself looking for a power outlet every few hours, you know how frustrating this can be, even if you have a machine that generally performs well.
Asus is generally known for its long battery life, with models like the ZenBook 14 lasting up to 24 hours on a single charge. Other models like the ExpertBook B9450 can also go up to 16 hours.
When we get to cheaper models, though, battery life becomes a genuine concern. Certain VivoBook 15 models can only last up to 5 hours on a single charge.
Asus customer service and warranty
Asus offers pretty standard warranties: between one and two years, depending on the model. Their typical international hardware warranty is 12 months, as specified on their website.
As for customer service, this is one area where Asus leaves a lot to be desired. Numerous online user reviews have voiced their displeasure with the lack of phone support and a bad website experience. Unfortunately, seeking help over social media doesn’t seem to help either, leaving Asus with this image of a hard-to-reach brand, a big minus in the tech game.
Asus price
When it comes to price, Asus offers lots of products at various price points, ranging from as low as $360 for certain VivoBook models to upwards of $4,000 for workstations such as the ProArt StudioBook X.
However, Asus does have the perception of an affordable brand and they offer lots of entry-level options that have surprisingly good specs. At the low-to-mid end of the laptop spectrum, Asus offers some of the best models on the market.
Recommended Asus Models
Here are some attractive Asus models to consider, whether you’re looking to save some money or splurge on a performance laptop.
ZenBook 14 Intel Core i5-1135G7
There are many ZenBook models to choose from but this one comes at a decent price and packs quite a punch. It’s a mid-range laptop with 20+ hours of battery life, along with the signature NanoEdge display for immersive visuals.
ROG Zephyrus Duo SE 15
We can’t talk about Asus laptops without bringing up their gaming line. Zephyrus models are among the best gaming laptops on the market year in and year out, and this model features an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H chip with a GeForce RTX 3060 GPU for a premium gaming experience.
ZenBook Duo 14 UX482
This ZenBook model features the signature Screenpad plus – a matte touch screen above the keyboard that allows you to extend the screen or split your apps between two displays. It also features an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU for solid business/design performance.
Lenovo Laptops
Now, let’s turn to Lenovo and see how it compares to Asus in the same categories.
Lenovo design
Lenovo also offers a wide range of products that come in different shapes, sizes, and colors when it comes to design.
However, the most variety you’ll see with Lenovo laptops comes from their IdeaPad. The famous performance-oriented ThinkPad series features a minimalistic black design that’s become a trademark in recent years.
Lenovo is also a pioneer when it comes to 2-in-1 laptops, with Lenovo Yoga perfecting the innovative hinges that allow you to flip the entire screen around and turn your laptop into a tablet.
Lenovo build quality
Lenovo uses a variety of both low and high-end materials for their laptops.
You’ll notice that IdeaPads are not as well-made as ThinkPads – they’re usually lighter and feel cheaper. On the other hand, ThinkPads are revolutionary to an extent. They’re small and light but surprisingly sturdy and well-made. This is likely due to their use of carbon (and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic) finishes.
There’s also something undeniably cool about the ThinkPad’s matte black finish that just instills a certain feeling that you’re handling something reliable and sturdy.
Lenovo performance
Like Asus, Lenovo has a wide range of laptops that cover most market segments. However, it seems like Lenovo does target the mid-to-high range a bit more, with most of its products catering to the business and performance market.
The ThinkPad is its own category when it comes to performance. It’s the go-to choice for many companies, with models like the T14 sporting a 10th generation Intel Core i7-10510U CPU that can go up to 4.90 GHz clock speed when boosted.
Lenovo is also competitive in the gaming niche with impressive models such as the Legion 7i 15 (octa-core, up to 5.30 GHz). Although a great machine, the Legion series pales in comparison to the Asus ROG.
Lenovo display
Unlike Asus, which sports a relatively similar bezel-free display in most models, Lenovo offers more variety in different price ranges.
Models like the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 4 have an impressive display but surprisingly thick bezels, especially on the bottom. The same can be said for many older ThinkPad models, although it seems that Lenovo has addressed this issue with the latest models and made them much sleeker.
Ultimately, it seems like Lenovo doesn’t pay as much attention to giving their displays that premium look but they’re far from low-quality screens. You have a wide range of options to choose from, including some immersive, thin displays.
Lenovo durability
Lenovo is pretty similar to Asus when it comes to durability. Its laptops also pass the military-grade test and feature various materials in different price ranges.
ThinkPads are – once again – in a category of their own here. They’re known as highly durable and they even have an innovative anti-spill technology so the keyboard can withstand accidental spills (we’ve all had those). This can come in very handy in the business world, where morning coffee is pretty much a religion.
Lenovo battery life
Lenovo doesn’t excel as much as Asus in the battery life category but that isn’t to say that this will be a big pain point.
Overall, Lenovo laptops are pretty average when it comes to battery life, with certain outliers like the ThinkPad X1 Yoga that can last up to 15 hours on a single charge. Like with Asus, the low-range models come with atrocious battery life – the Ideapad S145, for example, can barely work up to 3 hours before needing a recharge.
Lenovo customer service and warranty
One field where Lenovo shines is customer service. They have a 24/7 phone service that you can contact at any time – for the gaming Legion series, Lenovo even guarantees professional tech service 24/7.
Lenovo warranties can be anywhere between one and three years long, depending on the model and vendor. They also have a helpful warranty lookup online that works like clockwork.
It would seem that Lenovo took the position of the no.1 laptop vendor in the world quite seriously and is dedicated to providing superior customer service.
Lenovo price
Being such a big name in the industry, Lenovo offers products at all price points.
If we were to find significant differences compared to Asus, Lenovo is more focused on offering a wide range of business and performance models. As a result, you won’t find too many entry-level laptops in Lenovo’s offer, and the ones you will find don’t hold up against solid Asus models.
On the other hand, Lenovo offers more affordable gaming laptops, even if ROG outmatches their performance from Asus.
Recommended Lenovo Models
Here are some great models from Lenovo worth considering:
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9
The latest ThinkPad on the market comes with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, a fingerprint scanner, and a backlit keyboard. It’s a classic ThinkPad, delivering on everything you’d expect to see from this flagship model.
Lenovo Flex 5 14’’
If you’re looking for a 2-in-1 model that features the signature Lenovo hinge, Flex is one of the most exciting options on the market. It comes with an Active Pen for drawing and packs a Ryzen 5 4500U and Radeon graphics under the hood.
Legion 5
Being much more affordable than most ROG models, Legion 5 offers impressive specs. AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800H and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti combine for a great gaming experience at a decent price range.
Asus vs Lenovo: conclusion
Asus and Lenovo have been at the top of the laptop game for a while now, so identifying a clear winner would be almost impossible, especially given their wide range of products.
As you might have assumed reading our Asus vs Lenovo comparison, it all comes down to what kind of performance and price range you’re looking at.
Asus excels in the low range, offering some impressive specs at a fairly low price. They’re one of the best choices if you’re looking for an affordable laptop. Asus ROG is also still the reigning king of laptop gaming, so look no further if you’re looking for a top product in this category.
On the other hand, Lenovo offers some of the best options in the business and performance category. The ThinkPad is almost a brand of its own, dominating the enterprise market for years. Also, consider the Legion series if you’re looking for an affordable gaming laptop.
