The ROG line of Asus gaming laptops has always stood out thanks to their bright RGB lighting and aesthetically aggressive. Asus isn’t afraid to try anything new either. Last year, launched well received ROG Zephyrus G14, one of the first ROG gaming laptops powered by an AMD processor, as well as all the Zephyrus Duo 15, a dual screen laptop. All the common suspects in the ROG game range are refreshed, but Asus has also launched a new 2-in-1 convertible gaming laptop in the mix, ROG Flow X13. Even wilder, all gaming laptops come with AMD only as an option for a processor. No sign of Intel anywhere.
A 2-in-1 gaming laptop is not something I would have ever suspected I wanted in my life, but here I am, completely intrigued. That Lenovo Yoga Laptops or Dell XPS 13 2-in-1The Flow X13 also has 360-degree hinges that allow the display to fold back completely. The idea of playing on my laptop at the office, then crawling into bed and using it as a e-reader or sketchbook is brand new, and yet I can’t help but wonder why one of these things didn’t happen earlier. It’s a great idea!
Ah wait – better performance means more heat, it means a thicker laptop. Yes, it’s obvious why they haven’t happened in the past. But the hardware is strong and thin enough now, so you may have a gaming laptop that doesn’t turn into an even bigger brick when the screen is overturned; Flow X13 weighs just 2.9 lbs. and has a thickness of 0.62 in. Categorical the right weight and size … hopefully.
The 16:10, 13-inch display comes with the option of either a 120 Hz refresh rate or the Ultra HD 4K screen covered with Corning Gorilla glass. Both display options also support Adaptive Synchronize and validate Pantone for color accuracy.
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Inside, there is up to an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS processor, coated with a liquid metal thermal compound, which should help keep the CPU cooler than the thermal paste. The GTX 1650 GPU is powered by a battery that lasts up to 10 hours of life. The GPU is overwhelming – it would have preferred at least a little closer to a 1660 Ti – but the Asus XG Mobile, a compact eGPU, is compatible with the Flow X13.
Asus says that 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 steam chamber. It also connects directly to the CPU via a custom PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, which Asus says is faster than Thunderbolt eGPUs. It also has a 280 W AC adapter that powers both the XG Mobile and the Flow X13, so you won’t have to carry a separate charging cable unless you only want it to..
ROG Flow X13 and XG Mobile are currently available as a package in North America.
Asus also has a new Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, a special edition of its dual-screen gaming laptop. There is an updated 16.5inch main screen, either with 4K UHD with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, or with an FHD display with a refresh rate of 300 Hz. The smallest, 14.1 inches the touch screen comes either with a 4K option at 3840 x 1100, or with a 1920 x 550 alternative. Both use IPS level technology, which is located between a true IPS panel and a TN panel and refreshes at 60 Hz.
Zephyrus Duo 15 SE is equipped with up to a new AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor and an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, up to 2 TB of SSD storage and up to 32 GB of 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 latest Zephyrus Duo 15 was the last to use it, which had a 28.5mm intake after tilting the touch screen – but this future SE version will allow for greater airflow. Asus also said it changed the design of its fan blades (each fan now has 84 blades) and also covered the CPU with liquid metal.
This gaming laptop does not come cheap. Not at all. It is currently available for pre-order in North America for $ 2,900.
Other ROG laptops to refresh are the ROG Strix Scar 15 and 17, which now both have the first optical-mechanical keyboard in a Strix laptop. 15 is a 15.6 inch screen with a refresh rate of 300 Hz, while 17 is 17.3 inches screen with a refresh rate of 360 Hz and a panel at IPS level. Any of these is available with the new WQHD panels that have a refresh rate of 165 Hz and a resolution of 1440p.
Specifications, both are available with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor and Nvidia RTX 3080, up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 and dual RAM 1 TB SSDs in RAID 0. Memory and storage are also fully upgradeable and easily accessible, according to 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 starting with the first quarter of 2021.
There are also the new ROG Strix G15 and ROG Strix G17, which should not be confused with Strix Scar 15 and 17, because Strix G is similar to Strix Scar. These Strix 15 and 17 will have 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. The display options are between a 300 Hz FHD display or a 165Hz WQHD display. Apart from the GPU and display variants, there is not such a big difference between G and Scar.
The ROG Strix G15 will be available in North America starting in the first quarter of 2021, and the Strix G17 is available for pre-order for a nicer price, but still expensive at $ 1,800.
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