Face Off: Apple MacBook Air 13 2015 vs. Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G vs. Asus ZenBook UX303

There's no need to boast about how attractive and thin the MacBook Air 13, ATIV Book 9, and ZenBook UX303 notebooks all look. Instead, we want to compare chassis quality and weight between them.

The build quality of the MacBook Air 13 2015 needs no introduction. Its matte aluminum surfaces and unibody construction are iconic and remain largely unchanged from previous years. Resistance to pressure down the middle of the outer lid is above average and warping is almost non-existent when pressing down on the keyboard. However, the hinges of the MacBook Air 13 could have been more rigid as the lid can still wobble.

Samsung has almost matched the quality of the MacBook Air 13 with the ATIV Book 9. We can find no major weak spots or manufacturing flaws on our test unit. Its hinges do not open as wide as the outgoing Book 9 design on the Plus model and there are still hints of plastic used around the hinges. Thus, it's not a true unibody design when compared to the Apple notebook. Its lid is also more susceptible to twists due in part to its very thin profile.

The ZenBook UX303 is all aluminum from top to bottom and is sturdier than the Samsung. Its lid is much more resistant to twisting and is comparable to that of the MacBook Air 13. However, its keyboard base is weaker and yields just slightly to pressure.

As for weight and size, the Samsung Book 9 is the smaller, thinner, and lighter model out of the three. Its weight of just 1.12 kg is very noticeable compared to the heavier Apple (1.36 kg) and Asus (1.44 kg) notebooks.

There really are no losers in this category as all notebooks show impressive qualities given their thin designs. The best of the best is still the MacBook Air if we are to rank in terms of quality and construction. It may be heavier and bigger than the Samsung with more difficult end-user maintenance, but it definitely feels more substantial to hold and use.

Winner: Apple MacBook Air 13 2015

There are some key differences between available ports on all three models. The ZenBook is the only one with 3x USB ports versus just two on the others. Additionally, its thicker size allows both mDP and a full-size HDMI port, the latter of which is not common on superthin notebooks. The thinner Samsung Book 9, for example, has to make due with micro-HDMI and mini-VGA ports instead. This makes it more of a hassle when traveling as users must remember to carry the appropriate adapter for the occasion.

The MacBook Air 13 uses just a single Thunderbolt/mDP port instead of the dual video-out ports on the Samsung and Asus. Fortunately, Thunderbolt is much more versatile and can be used for daisy chaining, multiple external displays, more USB ports, etc.. Of course, users may run into the same issue as the Samsung where multiple adapters are required for connecting to standard HDMI, VGA, or DVI external monitors.

All three notebooks even use different storage interfaces as well. The PCIe x4 slot in the MacBook is the latest and fastest by far compared to the standard M.2 and SATA III slots. This also makes it far more expensive to upgrade compared to the Samsung and especially the Asus.

The easily upgradeable storage and full-size HDMI make the Asus a bit more economical and less reliant on optional adapters.

Winner: Asus ZenBook UX303

First, the Apple keyboard provides the clear feedback, low noise, and high quality that users have come to expect from the manufacturer. There are no major concerns facing the keyboard here aside from the small Arrow keys, though this small issue is shared amongst the Samsung and Asus as well.

By using the keyboard on the MacBook Air 13 as the standard, the keyboard on the Book 9 is noisier, more cheaply made, and have keys that even feel a bit loose. Travel feels shorter too, so it may take more time for users to become accustomed to the notebook.

The keyboard on the ZenBook UX303 has changed little from its UX32 predecessor. Travel is adequate and feedback is firm, but the keyboard still yields with applied pressure compared to the more solid MacBook Air 13.

As for the touchpads, Apple has the largest surface area for easier multi-touch controls. We can find no issues on the Samsung, though the responsiveness of the Asus touchpad is subjectively a hair slower. Otherwise, all three notebooks carry excellent touchpads with comfortable integrated keys. Nonetheless, Apple is again the winner for its bigger size.

Winner: Keyboard -- Apple MacBook Air 13 2015

              Touchpad -- Apple MacBook Air 13 2015

It's no contest for the Asus notebook as the dedicated Nvidia 840M is able to overpower the integrated Intel HD 6000 and HD 4400 GPUs in the Apple and Samsung, respectively. CineBench OpenGL scores show the ZenBook UX303LN at over twice the performance of the Samsung while 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics scores can be over 50 percent higher than the Apple. This has little significance when browsing or during movie playback, but light gamers will especially see the difference when gaming on the native 1080p resolution displays.

More technical information, benchmarks, and comparisons for the HD 6000, HD 4400, and GeForce 840M can be found on our dedicated GPU pages.

System Noise & Temperature

The Apple and Samsung are almost inaudible when idling and under low loads. However, the fans in the Asus notebook are the only ones that will idle completely for truly silent operation when word processing or simple browsing. Fortunately, none have any major pulsating characteristics that can be irksome to hear.

High processing loads will bump the Apple notebook to over 46 dB(A), which is louder than both the Samsung and Asus. This may be because the MacBook Air 13 utilizes just a single system fan compared to the dual fan configurations in its competitors. The Asus notebook comes out ahead again with a relatively low maximum of 38 dB(A).

Surface temperatures are generally flat across the board on both sides of all notebooks when idling. The MacBook is slightly warmer than the others when under these conditions. Introducing high processing loads show that the Samsung comes out the coolest while the Asus is the warmest. These results correlate well with the generally low CPU temperatures in the Samsung and the low fan noise but more powerful GPU in the Asus.

Winner: System Noise -- Asus ZenBook UX303

               Temperature -- Samsung ATIV Book 9 900X3G

The Apple notebook carries the higher battery capacity and provides longer runtimes. Our WiFi test loops webpages every 40 seconds until automatic shutdown at a 150 nit brightness setting. Under these conditions, users can expect over 600 minutes of WLAN use from the MacBook. The Samsung and Asus are behind even more significantly than our numbers below suggest since our WiFi 1.3 test is more intensive than our older WiFi 1.0 test.

The battery modules are all non-removable as is the case for most thin-and-light notebooks in the market.

Winner: Apple MacBook Air 13 2015

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