Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 gaming laptop review – With a big AI boost

• The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is the company’s latest gaming laptop in the ROG lineup.
• The laptop comes with a 16-inch display and top-of-the-line hardware.
• Here’s my review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 that will help you decide whether you should buy the laptop.

Asus recently launched the ROG Zephyrus G16, the company’s latest premium gaming laptop in India under the Republic of Gamers (ROG) lineup. ROG is known for its powerful gaming hardware and the Zephyrus series is among the best the Taiwanese giant has to offer.

The Zephyrus G16 has been launched in multiple variants, including an Intel variant that packs the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and an AMD variant which is equipped with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor.

I’ve been using the ROG Zephyrus G16 gaming laptop with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics for a few days now, and here is my detailed review of the latest gaming laptop from the house of Asus.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 price and availability

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 laptop has been priced at ₹2,49,990 and is available from Amazon, Flipkart, Asus online store and authorised retailers across the country.

In the box

• Asus ROG Zephyrus G16
  
• Charging adapter
  
• Zephyrus G16 sleeve
  
• Documentation
  

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 specifications

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 pros and cons

Pros

• Sleek design
• Display and performance

Cons

• Price
  

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 design

Starting with the design, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 features a minimalistic design, unlike most gaming laptops available in the market. It is a great option for those looking for a gaming laptop that can double up as a work laptop.

Another positive about this laptop is its compact form factor. It measures 35.4 x 24. x 1.64 cm and weighs just 1.85 kg, which is quite good for a gaming laptop with a 16-inch display.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is available in two colour options – Grey and Platinum White. I tested the Platinum White colour variant, which comes with a white finish.

The laptop comes with a unibody aluminium chassis, that feels extremely durable. It features a new clamshell design aimed at preventing the hot air from blowing towards the display.

At the back, the laptop comes with a large diagonal LED strip, which the company has dubbed Slash Lighting. This replaces the dot-matrix display found on some of the earlier laptops from the company. The lighting feels more subtle and is aimed at giving a more minimalistic look to the device. You also have the option of completely turning off the lights if you want.

It comes with a membrane-switch keyboard that is good to use and responds well. As someone who has to use the keyboard a lot, I found it easy to use the keyboard. The trackpad is decent as well, allowing you to easily navigate. When it comes to gaming, I prefer a mouse, as it is easier to use.

The keyboard is backlit and the only thing apart from the Slash Lighting that comes with LED lighting. Like most gaming laptops, the Zephyrus G16 misses out on numpad.

The large size allows the laptop to offer ample ports. On the left, it comes with the power port, HDMI 2.1 port, a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port and a 3.5mm audio jack.

On the right side, the laptop features a USB Type-A port, a USB Type-C port and an SD card reader.

Display

The display is another area where the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 shines. It comes with a 16-inch 2.5K OLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2 ms response time and 500 nits of brightness, which is excellent for playing indoors and outdoors.

The colours look great as it comes with 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. The high-resolution display and the high refresh rate make it a treat to game on the device. I played games like Starfield, Red Dead Redemption 2 and more on the laptop, with the device offering excellent visuals in each game.

Performance

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is powered with AMD’s new Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, a new chipset aimed at offering AI-centric features. It is part of the company’s Ryzen AI Strix Point hardware and has been paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU.

The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor features 12 Cores and 24 Threads. This includes four performance Zen5 cores and eight efficiency Zen5c Cores. It runs at up to 80W TDP.

The laptop comes with 32GB DDR5X 7500MHz RAM. For storage, it offers a 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD. While the RAM is soldered on and cannot be expanded, Asus has provided an extra M.2 2280 slot.

As mentioned earlier, I tested the laptop with heavy games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Starfield and Forza Horizon 5. The laptop was able to easily handle the games at maximum settings. The laptop can handle AAA games with ease at Ultra settings. The high refresh rate also allowed me to enjoy games such as Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant.

Coming to its AI features, the new Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chipset features the XDNA 2 NPU, which is designed for AI. The NPU can process up to 80 TOPS.

The device comes with Ryzen AI, a suite of AI-powered apps from AMD. It includes the image generation tool Amuse AI, the LM Studio assistant, and more. While there’s still some way to go for AI-powered apps, the Ryzen AI is an excellent addition to the powerful laptop as it helps in boosting productivity. The device can also make use of AI capabilities baked into Windows and Microsoft Office 365.

The laptop is equipped with a 90Whr battery and like most gaming laptops, battery life is not the device’s strongest point. During gaming, it offers around two hours of battery life at full performance. With normal usage, you can get around five to six hours of battery life out of the device.

Verdict

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 ticks off all the right boxes, including a premium design, powerful hardware, excellent display and more. The company has also added a ton of AI features that make use of the powerful NPU offered with the processor.

Overall, this is an excellent option for those looking for a powerful gaming laptop that can also be used for work. One of the cons of the laptop is its battery life. If you want to use the laptop for several hours on the go, the Zephyrus G16 may not be the right option. However, if you don’t mind plugging in the laptop while using it, you should have no issues.

Another thing that you need to consider is the price. The G16 is priced is on the higher side, charging a premium for the sleek design and the powerful hardware.

Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a purchasing guide or recommendation. We advise readers to do additional research, including hands-on usage of the device at a retail outlet, before making a decision.

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