Asus’s ROG series of gaming laptops always stood out thanks to their flashy RGB lighting and aggressive aesthetics. Asus isn’t afraid to try something new either. Last year it brought the well-received ROG Zephyrus G14, one of the first ROG gaming laptops to be powered by an AMD processor, as well as all Zephyrus Duo 15, a dual-screen gaming laptop. All the usual suspects in the ROG gaming lineup are getting freshened up, but Asus has also thrown a new 2-in-1 convertible gaming laptop into the mix, the ROG Flow X13. Even wilder, all gaming laptops come with AMD only as an option for a CPU. Nowhere a trace of Intel.
A 2-in-1 gaming laptop isn’t something I ever thought I wanted in my life, but here I am, completely intrigued. Like it Lenovo’s Yoga Laptops or Dell XPS 13 2-in-1the Flow X13 also has 360 degree hinges that allow the display to flip back completely. The idea of gaming on my laptop at my desk, then crawling into bed and using it as a e-reader or sketchbook is totally new, and yet I wonder why any of these things didn’t happen before. It’s a great idea!
Ah wait – better performance means more heat, means a thicker laptop. Yes, it is clear why they have not happened in the past. But hardware is now powerful and thin enough, so it’s possible to have a gaming laptop that doesn’t turn into an even bigger stone when the screen is flipped; The Flow X13 weighs just 2.9 lbs. and is 0.62 inch thick. Surely the correct weight and dimensions … hopefully.
The 16:10, 13-inch display comes with the option of a 120Hz refresh rate or an Ultra HD 4K display covered in Corning Gorilla Glass. Both display choices also support Adaptive Sync and are Pantone validated for color accuracy.
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Inside is an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS CPU covered with a liquid metal thermal compound, which should help keep the CPU cooler than thermal grease. The GTX 1650 GPU is powered by a battery that lasts up to 10 hours. The GPU is disappointing – would have at least preferred something closer to a 1660 Ti – but Asus’ XG Mobile, a compact eGPU, is compatible with the Flow X13.
Asus says it XG Mobile is 6% the size of typical eGPUs, but can hold up to an RTX 3080. It weighs about 2.2 lbs., Measures just 6.1 x 8.2 x 1.1 inches, and is cooled by a vapor chamber. It also connects directly to the CPU via a custom PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, which Asus claims is faster than Thunderbolt eGPUs. It also has an integrated 280W AC adapter that powers both the XG Mobile and Flow X13, so you don’t need to bring a separate charging cable unless you want it just in case..
The ROG Flow X13 and XG Mobile are currently available as a bundle in North America.
Asus also has a new Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, a special edition of its dual-screen gaming laptop. There is an improved 16.5-inch main display, with either 4K UHD with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, or an FHD display with a refresh rate of 300 Hz. The smaller, 14.1-inch touchscreen display with either a 4K option at 3840 x 1100 or a 1920 x 550 alternative. Both use IPS-level technology, which sits between a true IPS panel and a TN panel, and refresh at 60 Hz.
The Zephyrus Duo 15 SE is equipped with up to a new AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU and an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, up to 2 TB SSD storage and up to 32 GB DDR4-3200 memory.
Asus says it has increased the cooling efficiency of its Active Aerodynamic System (AAS), which has been around since the original ROG Zephyrus. The most recent Zephyrus Duo 15 was the last to use it, which had a 28.5mm inlet after tilting the touchscreen, but this upcoming SE version provides more airflow. Asus also said it has changed the design of its fan blades (each fan now has 84 blades) and that it has also covered the CPU in liquid metal.
This gaming laptop doesn’t come cheap. All the way. It is currently available for pre-order in North America for a dazzling $ 2,900.
Other ROG laptops in need of updating include ROG Strix Scar 15 and 17, both of which now feature the first optical-mechanical keyboard in a Strix laptop. The 15 is a 15.6-inch screen with a refresh rate of 300 Hz, while the 17 is a 17.3-inch screen with a refresh rate of 360 Hz and an IPS-level panel. Both are available with new WQHD panels with a refresh rate of 165 Hz and a resolution of 1440p.
In terms of specifications, both are available with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU and Nvidia RTX 3080, up to 64 GB DDR4-3200 RAM and double 1 TB solid-state drives in RAID 0. The memory and storage are also fully expandable and easily accessible, says Asus. Both also have a smaller footprint, up to 7% smaller than last year’s models, and have a battery life of just over 12 hours, says Asus.
ROG Strix Scar 15 and ROG Strix Scar 17 will be available in North America from Q1 2021.
There is also the new ROG Strix G15 and ROG Strix G17, not to be confused with the Strix Scar 15 and 17 as the Strix G is comparable to the Strix Scar. These Strix 15 and 17 have up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, up to a GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, up to 1 TB SSD and up to 32 GB memory. The display options are between a FHD 300 Hz screen or a WQHD 165 Hz screen. Aside from the GPU and display variants, there isn’t much of a difference between the G and the Scar.
The ROG Strix G15 will be available in North America from Q1 2021, and the Strix G17 is available for pre-order at a tastier, but still pricey price point at $ 1,800.
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