Asus’ ROG series of gaming laptops have always stood out thanks to their flashy RGB lighting and aggressive aesthetic. Asus is also not afraid to try something new. Last year it received the goods received ROG Zephyrus G14, one of the first ROG laptops powered by an AMD processor, as well as all the Zephyrus Duo 15, a dual screen laptop. All the usual suspects in the ROG game series are being refreshed, but Asus has also thrown a new 2-in-1 convertible laptop into the mix, the ROG Flow X13. Even wilder, all the laptops for games are offered only with AMD as the option for a CPU. Nowhere a sign from Intel.
A 2-in-1 laptop is not something I could ever guess in my life, but here I am completely intrigued. As Lenovo Yoga Laptops or Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, the Flow X13 also has 360 degree hinges that allow the screen to fold completely backwards. The idea of playing on my laptop at my desk and then crawling into bed and doing it as a E-reader or sketchbook is brand new, and yet I can not help but wonder why one of these things did not happen earlier. This is 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 is possible to have a laptop that does not turn into an even larger brick; The Flow X13 weighs just 2 pounds. and is 0.62 inches thick. Definitely the right weight and dimensions … hopefully.
The 16:10, 13-inch screen has the option to cover a 120 Hz refresh rate or an Ultra HD 4K screen with Corning Gorilla Glass. Both display choices also support Adaptive Synchronizes and is validated by Pantone for color accuracy.
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Inside there is up to an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS CPU coated with a liquid metal thermal compound, which will help keeps the CPU cooler than thermal paste. The GTX 1650 GPU is powered by a battery that lasts up to 10 hours of life. The GPU is overwhelming – at least it would have preferred something closer to a 1660 Ti – but Asus’ XG Mobile, a compact eGPU, is compatible with the Flow X13.
Asus says the 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 can also be connected directly to the CPU via a custom PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, which according to Asus is faster than Thunderbolt eGPUs. It also has an integrated 280W AC adapter that powers the XG Mobile and Flow X13, so you do not have to carry a separate charging cable unless you want to.
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 laptop. There is an upgraded 16.5-thumb main screen, with 4K UHD with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, or an FHD screen with a refresh rate of 300 Hz. The smaller one, 14.1 inches touch screen display with either a 4K option at 3840 x 1100 or a 1920 x 550 alternative. Both use IPS-level technology, which is between a true IPS panel and a TN panel, and is refreshed 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 existed since the original ROG Zephyrus. The last Zephyrus Duo 15 was the last to use it, with an inlet of 28.5mm after tilting the touch screen – but this upcoming SE version will allow for more airflow. Asus also said that it changed the design of its fan blades (each fan now has 84 blades) and it also covered the CPU with liquid metal.
This laptop does not come cheap. Anyway. It is currently available for pre-order in North America for a striking $ 2,900.
Other ROG laptops to get a refresh are the ROG Strix Scar 15 and 17, which now both feature the first optical-mechanical keyboard in a Strix laptop. The 15 is a 15.6 inches screen with a refresh rate of 300 Hz, while the 17 is a 17.3-inch screen with a 360 Hz refresh rate and an IPS level panel. Both are available with new WQHD panels with a refresh rate of 165 Hz and a resolution of 1440 p.
Specifically, both are available with up to AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU and Nvidia RTX 3080, up to 64 GB DDR4-3200 RAM and dual 1 TB solid-state drives in RAID 0. According to Asus, the memory and storage are also fully upgradeable and easily accessible. Both also boast a smaller footprint, up to 7% smaller than last year’s models, and has a battery life of just over 12 hours, says Asus.
The 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, which should not be confused with the Strix Scar 15 and 17, as the Strix G is similar to the Strix Scar. This Strix 15 and 17 contains up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, up to a GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, up to a 1 TB SSD and up to 32 GB of memory. Display options are between an FHD 300 Hz screen or a WQHD 165Hz screen. Apart from the GPU and screen variants, there is not much difference between the G and the Scar.
The ROG Strix G15 will be available in North America from Q1 2021, and the Strix G17 available for pre-order for a more palatable but still expensive at $ 1,800.
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