MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro) vs ASUS Zenbook S14 (2026) UX5406
The short answer
- MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro) is the cheaper of the two at the price its maker announced: INR 249,900 against INR 249,990.
Compared only on figures both makers publish. Everything else is in the table below.
2 phones side by side.
| Specification |
 MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro)
₹2,49,900launch price
|
 ASUS Zenbook S14 (2026) UX5406
₹2,49,990launch price
|
|---|---|---|
| Placement | ||
| At its price | Not assessed | Not assessed |
| Spec index | — | — |
| Key Specs | ||
| RAM | 24GB unified memory, configurable to 36GB, 48GB, 64GB or 128GB | 32GB LPDDR5X |
| Processor | Apple M5 Pro, 15-core CPU with 5 super cores and 10 performance cores; configurable to 18-core CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 386H |
| Battery | 72.4-watt-hour lithium-polymer, up to 22 hours video streaming | 77WHrs, 4-cell Li-ion |
| Display | 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 3024 x 1964 at 254 ppi, ProMotion up to 120Hz | 14-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 120Hz, touch |
| Graphics | 16-core GPU, configurable to 20-core GPU | Intel Graphics |
| Storage | 1TB or 2TB SSD, configurable to 2TB or 4TB | 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD |
| General | ||
| Launch Date | March 2026 (announced 3 March, available 11 March 2026) | 7 January 2026 (announced) |
| Operating System | macOS | Windows 11 Pro |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Antrim Gray |
| Series | MacBook Pro | Zenbook S |
| Model Number | — | UX5406AA |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Apple M5 Pro with 16-core Neural Engine | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 386H |
| CPU | 15-core CPU with 5 super cores and 10 performance cores; configurable to 18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores | Intel Core Ultra 9 386H with Intel NPU up to 50 TOPS |
| Architecture | Apple silicon | — |
| Graphics | 16-core GPU; 20-core GPU optional | Intel Graphics |
| RAM | 24GB, 36GB, 48GB, 64GB or 128GB unified memory | 32GB |
| RAM Type | Unified memory | LPDDR5X |
| Cores | 15 or 18 | 16 cores, 16 threads |
| Expandable Memory | Configurable at purchase only | Not expandable, memory on board |
| RAM Speed | 307GB/s memory bandwidth | — |
| Graphics Memory | Unified memory shared with the CPU | — |
| Clock Speed | — | 2.1 GHz, up to 4.9 GHz |
| Display | ||
| Display Type | Liquid Retina XDR, mini-LED backlit; standard or nano-texture glass | OLED with touch screen and stylus support |
| Screen Size | 14.2 inches (diagonal) | 14-inch (35.56 cm) |
| Resolution | 3024 x 1964 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch | 3K (2880 x 1800) |
| Brightness | XDR: 1000 nits sustained full-screen, 1600 nits peak (HDR only); SDR: up to 1000 nits outdoor; 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio | 500 nits, 1100 nits HDR peak brightness |
| Refresh Rate | ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Colour Gamut | Wide colour (P3), support for 1 billion colours, True Tone technology | 100% DCI-P3 |
| Aspect Ratio | — | 16:10 |
| Touch Screen | — | Yes, with stylus support |
| Screen to Body Ratio | — | 90% |
| Design | ||
| Height | 22.12 cm (8.71 inches) depth | 21.47 cm |
| Width | 31.26 cm (12.31 inches) | 31.03 cm |
| Thickness | 1.55 cm (0.61 inch) | 1.19 ~ 1.29 cm |
| Weight | 1.60 kg (3.5 pounds) | 1.20 kg (2.65 lbs) |
| Build Material | Aluminium enclosure | Ceraluminum lid, CNC-machined chassis, US MIL-STD 810H military-grade standard |
| Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard with 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard, 1.1mm key travel |
| Touchpad | Force Touch trackpad | Precision touchpad |
| Fingerprint Sensor | No | — |
| Storage | ||
| Storage Type | SSD | M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD |
| Internal Storage | 1TB, 2TB or 4TB | 1TB |
| Expandable Storage | Configurable at purchase only | — |
| Storage Slots | — | 1x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0x4 |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 72.4 watt-hours | 77WHrs |
| Type | Built-in lithium-polymer | 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion |
| Charging | MagSafe 3 port; fast-charge capable with 96W or higher USB PD power source | USB Type-C charging |
| Power Adapter | 70W or 96W USB-C Power Adapter | Type-C, 68W Ultra mini AC adapter |
| Battery Life | Up to 22 hours video streaming; up to 14 hours wireless web | — |
| Ports & Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 6.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be); Thread networking technology | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) triple band 2x2 |
| Audio Jack | 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones | 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack |
| USB Type-C | No | No |
| Thunderbolt | Three Thunderbolt 5 ports, up to 120Gb/s, with DisplayPort output | 2x Thunderbolt 4, data speed up to 40Gbps |
| HDMI | HDMI port | 1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS |
| Card Reader | SDXC card slot | — |
| USB Type-A | — | 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A |
| Multimedia | ||
| Audio Features | Spatial Audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes | Dolby Atmos, Smart Amp Technology |
| Speakers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers | Built-in speakers with Smart Amp Technology |
| Webcam | 12MP Centre Stage camera with Desk View support, 1080p HD video recording and advanced image signal processor with computational video | FHD camera with IR function to support Windows Hello |
| Microphone | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming | Built-in array microphone |
| Features | ||
| Operating System Edition | macOS with Apple Intelligence | Windows 11 Pro |
| Security | Touch ID | Firmware TPM, Microsoft Pluton security processor, IR webcam with Windows Hello |
| In the Box | 14-inch MacBook Pro, 70W or 96W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m), polishing cloth (nano-texture display only) | Sleeve (accessories vary by region) |