REVIEW: Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 packs kaiju power in a thin laptop | ABS-CBN
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REVIEW: Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 packs kaiju power in a thin laptop
REVIEW: Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 packs kaiju power in a thin laptop
AC Coloma,
ABS-CBN News
Published Apr 07, 2024 05:31 PM PHT
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is a gaming laptop with specs and features that both gamers and creatives alike can enjoy. It packs kaiju-level power in a form factor that's both thin and light. But, as expected, these top-level features come at a top-level price.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is a gaming laptop with specs and features that both gamers and creatives alike can enjoy. It packs kaiju-level power in a form factor that's both thin and light. But, as expected, these top-level features come at a top-level price.
Sleek, lightweight design
Sleek, lightweight design
The unit looks very sleek–like the earlier Zephyrus models, it almost looks like a normal high-end non-gaming laptop. It has a 35.4-centimeter height, a 24.6 cm width, and just 1.62 cm to 1.72 cm in thickness. For those more accustomed to inches that's 13.94 inches x 9.69 in x 0.64 in to 0.68 in. Yes, it's less than an inch thick and it's a gaming laptop.
The unit looks very sleek–like the earlier Zephyrus models, it almost looks like a normal high-end non-gaming laptop. It has a 35.4-centimeter height, a 24.6 cm width, and just 1.62 cm to 1.72 cm in thickness. For those more accustomed to inches that's 13.94 inches x 9.69 in x 0.64 in to 0.68 in. Yes, it's less than an inch thick and it's a gaming laptop.
It also weighs just 1.85 kilograms or around 4.08 lbs. While That may not sound too light for someone accustomed to business laptops weighing under 1 kilo, consider that the 16-inch Macbook Pro weighs 2.16 kg or around 4.8 lbs. ASUS said it achieved this lightness through CNC machining–which means carving the chassis from a single block of aluminum, making it very strong minus the weight penalty. In contrast, my workhorse gaming laptop weighs around 2.45 kilograms.
It also weighs just 1.85 kilograms or around 4.08 lbs. While That may not sound too light for someone accustomed to business laptops weighing under 1 kilo, consider that the 16-inch Macbook Pro weighs 2.16 kg or around 4.8 lbs. ASUS said it achieved this lightness through CNC machining–which means carving the chassis from a single block of aluminum, making it very strong minus the weight penalty. In contrast, my workhorse gaming laptop weighs around 2.45 kilograms.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 packs kaiju power in a slim, light form factor. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN News
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 packs kaiju power in a slim, light form factor. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN NewsThe weight difference is remarkable for someone who is always out and about like me. It was light enough to carry while I worked on articles at a cafe in Escolta, as I waited out for my relatives to finish their food crawl in Binondo.
The weight difference is remarkable for someone who is always out and about like me. It was light enough to carry while I worked on articles at a cafe in Escolta, as I waited out for my relatives to finish their food crawl in Binondo.
Like its predecessors, ROG Zephyrus has decorative lights up at the back, which you can toggle 5 ways (glitch, data stream, neo retro, resonance, 8 bit electro) to your liking. This year, they opted to keep the lighting at minimum, with a “futuristic slash” lighting space.
Like its predecessors, ROG Zephyrus has decorative lights up at the back, which you can toggle 5 ways (glitch, data stream, neo retro, resonance, 8 bit electro) to your liking. This year, they opted to keep the lighting at minimum, with a “futuristic slash” lighting space.
The back of the laptop glows. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN News
The back of the laptop glows. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN NewsAsus ROG Zephyrus G16
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16
The keyboards are also perfect for people with tiny hands such as myself, which makes it easy to be reactive in games where timing is key. The ROG Zephyrus 16 cover case, however, is built of plastic. As such, it’s still quite susceptible to heat, like all standard gaming laptop units.
The keyboards are also perfect for people with tiny hands such as myself, which makes it easy to be reactive in games where timing is key. The ROG Zephyrus 16 cover case, however, is built of plastic. As such, it’s still quite susceptible to heat, like all standard gaming laptop units.
Sleekness however comes with its own cons: like its predecessor, the ROG Zephyrus G16 does not have an ethernet cable, and only has two USB-A ports. If you prefer gaming with a wired mouse, have a USB dongle for your headphones, and want to throw in a USB-powered laptop surface cooler like me, it could be difficult to keep your setup minimal.
Sleekness however comes with its own cons: like its predecessor, the ROG Zephyrus G16 does not have an ethernet cable, and only has two USB-A ports. If you prefer gaming with a wired mouse, have a USB dongle for your headphones, and want to throw in a USB-powered laptop surface cooler like me, it could be difficult to keep your setup minimal.
It wouldn't be a gaming laptop if it didn't have RGB lights. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN News
It wouldn't be a gaming laptop if it didn't have RGB lights. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN NewsHeavyweight specs
Heavyweight specs
What's light in weight is heavy in specs. Since the ROG Zephyrus G16 is one of ASUS' flagship gaming laptop units, one can expect it to run the heaviest games and even do more alongside that.
What's light in weight is heavy in specs. Since the ROG Zephyrus G16 is one of ASUS' flagship gaming laptop units, one can expect it to run the heaviest games and even do more alongside that.
Our review unit came spec'd in with a Intel MTL-H Core U9 185H processor, complete with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, 32 GB of RAM, and a whopping 2 TB SSD for storage.
Our review unit came spec'd in with a Intel MTL-H Core U9 185H processor, complete with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, 32 GB of RAM, and a whopping 2 TB SSD for storage.
ROG Zephyrus G16 is the first of the ROG line to have a 2.5k OLED panel, using the ROG Nebula display. Visuals were quite impressive even for the heaviest games in the market. In particular, it made me appreciate the graphics of Baldur's Gate 3. It's also paired with a 240Hz refresh rate for its display.
ROG Zephyrus G16 is the first of the ROG line to have a 2.5k OLED panel, using the ROG Nebula display. Visuals were quite impressive even for the heaviest games in the market. In particular, it made me appreciate the graphics of Baldur's Gate 3. It's also paired with a 240Hz refresh rate for its display.
On ultra settings, paired with the graphics card, the game looked astounding and the graphics looked very crisp on the game's best settings.
On ultra settings, paired with the graphics card, the game looked astounding and the graphics looked very crisp on the game's best settings.
Gaming with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN News
Gaming with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16. AC Coloma, ABS-CBN NewsIts thermal system features three fans and heat pipes, and air comes out from the back of the unit. But as mentioned a while ago, it still heats up pretty badly to the point where I have to turn off the backlights so I can play directly through the keyboards.
Its thermal system features three fans and heat pipes, and air comes out from the back of the unit. But as mentioned a while ago, it still heats up pretty badly to the point where I have to turn off the backlights so I can play directly through the keyboards.
Streaming and functionality
Streaming and functionality
The unit's camera deserves more praise than it currently has. It's crisp - coming in 1080p, and works very tremendously even at night. Pretty sweet if you want your face reveal on stream to go well.
The unit's camera deserves more praise than it currently has. It's crisp - coming in 1080p, and works very tremendously even at night. Pretty sweet if you want your face reveal on stream to go well.
And as expected due to having one of the most updated processors, streaming doesn't skip frames or force crashes. I streamed Genshin Impact and Valorant non-stop on TikTok for a couple of hours and did not encounter any problems.
And as expected due to having one of the most updated processors, streaming doesn't skip frames or force crashes. I streamed Genshin Impact and Valorant non-stop on TikTok for a couple of hours and did not encounter any problems.
Verdict
Verdict
ROG Zephyrus G16 is more than capable of handling your gaming and office needs. From editing, playing, to even quality videogame streaming with your camera on, it can do just about anything you need whether as a casual gamer or even a content creator.
ROG Zephyrus G16 is more than capable of handling your gaming and office needs. From editing, playing, to even quality videogame streaming with your camera on, it can do just about anything you need whether as a casual gamer or even a content creator.
It, however, doesn't come cheap. While the unit may be light, its P249,995 price point isn't. But as computer manufacturers start embracing lighter builds for their gaming laptops, gamers can hope to expect improvements in thermals and price points in the future.
It, however, doesn't come cheap. While the unit may be light, its P249,995 price point isn't. But as computer manufacturers start embracing lighter builds for their gaming laptops, gamers can hope to expect improvements in thermals and price points in the future.
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