Asus’ ROG Zephyrus has been one of our top-recommended gaming laptops for years, and for CES 2024, the Zephyrus G14 and G16 are even thinner, faster, and more capable for non-gaming tasks. became. I’ve been testing them for a few weeks and so far it seems like a successful update.
For 2024, ASUS is updating the G14 and G16 with a new aluminum build, a smaller, sleeker hinge that doesn’t raise the deck, and a 16:10 OLED screen (2880 x 1800 / 120Hz for the G14, 2560 x 1600 / 240Hz for the G14) is being redesigned. G16), larger trackpad and keyboard, new fast charging port with reversible plug (separate from USB-C charging), new 6-speaker audio setup (even on the smaller 14-inch), new chip G14 from AMD’s Ryzen 8000 From Intel’s Meteor Lake series to the G16, it comes with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a very sleek strip of customizable white lighting on the lid.
What’s not new to the Zephyrus G14 and G16 is the GPU, which still uses last year’s class of Nvidia discrete graphics cards. The G14 can be configured with up to an RTX 4070, while the G16 goes up to a 4090. I think I’ll be waiting a while for a laptop with Nvidia’s 40 series super GPU and its quality, so that’s perfectly fine. The lifetime benefits of Zephyrus’ redesign far outweigh most of the chip’s year-over-year improvements. The 40 series cards in both laptops support DLSS 3.5, frame generation, and ray reassembly.
I had a chance to spend some time with early preview models of both the ROG Zephyrus G14 and Zephyrus G16 (both were at or near top-level specs), and I found the new designs to be very impressive. Ta. Both laptops are better built, look even better, and are much more sophisticated than their predecessors. At first glance, no noticeable sacrifices in heat or usability seem to have been made, as the size is noticeably thinner. The G14 weighs just 3.31 lbs / 1.5kg, while the G16 is much more manageable at 4.3 lbs / 1.95kg in 4080 or 4090 configurations (thanks to the custom vapor chambers used in these GPUs).
The 14-inch and 16-inch OLED screens on both laptops, respectively, are crisp and crisp. The new speaker array surprised me with how good it sounded (especially the sound from his 14-inch). The keyboard was already very good before, but now it feels like the best. The trackpad is very good, large and spacious, but it’s still a little hard and the top third is hard to click. I also love the slash light on the lid. It defaults to off when on battery, but lights up with preset or custom lighting patterns and can be fine-tuned with Asus’ built-in Armory Crate software. It’s a nice little touch that doesn’t draw too much attention, and I think you can sneak out of an office meeting without anyone noticing you’re using your gaming laptop (not to mention that someone might be watching nearby). REPUBLIC OF GAMERS is stamped on the bottom of the lid).
The port selection on the new Zephyrus laptops is more than adequate for such a thin laptop (the G14 is 0.64 inches / 1.59cm at its thickest point, and the G16 is 0.69 inches / 1.64cm at the same point). The G14 has one USB 4 port on the left side (which can be used for low-speed charging), one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 on the right side, and two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one on each side). ) and HDMI 2.1. 3.5mm audio jack and microSD card slot. The larger G16 is much the same, but the left USB port is Thunderbolt 4, the right USB-C has Power Delivery, and the card slot is a full-size SD with UHS-II speeds.
During Asus’ press briefings, I heard some complaints about these laptops opting for proprietary charging connectors instead of barrel plugs, and as someone who hates the latter, I’d like to say that the Slim here Reversible power cord is fine. I primarily use USB-C to charge both laptops when I’m working or browsing, and have no problems at all. The chunky 180W and 240W power bricks can be kept in reserve until you fire up a graphics-demanding game.
These games look and perform well on both the G14 and G16. Like his previous Zephyrus models, firing up a graphics-intensive title feels like awakening a sleeping beast, both in terms of performance and audibility. One of the best tricks of these laptops over the years is that their somewhat unassuming appearance can trick you into thinking they’re more like productivity laptops without that kind of gaming performance. And with both the graphics on the screen and the fans, they just sing. a lot. Sure, the fans on his new Zephyrus pair run very loudly, but that’s always been the tradeoff with the thin and light design.
These are far from models ready for final review, but Asus seems ready to knock this one out once and for all, pending final pricing. (ASUS declined to release exact pricing for the new model before its release.) Ease of use and feature set are excellent, and gaming performance appears to be very good. We’ll have to see how it goes with a full review (and in a more modest configuration that more people are likely to buy) when it launches in February.
1/2
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge
Elsewhere on Republic of Gamers, ASUS is offering more modest updates to the ROG Strix and Strix Scar. The new 2024 Strix and Strix Scar come in 16-inch and 18-inch models, respectively, and are powered by 14th generation Intel processors up to 14900HX. It’s otherwise pretty much the same as last year’s model, with a 16:10 QHD screen that hits 240Hz and an Nvidia GPU configurable up to RTX 4080 (Strix) or 4090 (Strix Scar). These are pretty rugged laptops, available in late January, and the high-end Strix Scar starts at $2,899.99 for the 16-inch and $2,999.99 for the 18-inch. But of course, even with high specs, the price can still exceed his $4,000 mark. (ASUS did not disclose ROG Strix pricing prior to publication.)