ASUS has made significant updates to its flagship gaming laptops, the ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16, despite the absence of new GPUs from NVIDIA at CES 2024. The standout feature is the redesigned CNC-machined aluminium chassis, presenting a boxier frame with clean minimalist lines. This construction enhances stiffness and durability while reducing the overall size (up to 4mm thinner) and weight (by up to 0.3 pounds) compared to the previous models.
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The aesthetic shift is notable, moving away from excessive RGB lighting to a more sophisticated design with a single white LED strip across the lid, available in Eclipse Gray or Platinum White. ASUS seems to have successfully struck a balance, creating a stylish gaming machine suitable for adult users.
An essential improvement comes with the introduction of OLED panels in the Zephyrus G14/G16, a first for ROG laptops. The G14 features a 3K 120Hz screen, while the G16 offers a 2.5K 240Hz option, both with 16:10 aspect ratios, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, NVIDIA G-Sync support, and rapid 0.2ms grey-to-grey response times.
The hardware varies based on the laptop size, with the G14 equipped with AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors and up to NVIDIA RTX 4070 graphics, while the G16 features an Intel Core Ultra 9 chip with up to an RTX 4090 GPU. Both versions support up to 32GB of DDR5X RAM, and the G14 includes a microSD card reader, whereas the G16 offers a full-size option and a larger 90Whr battery.
Notably, ASUS introduces the ASUS Slim Power jack as the default charging port for high-power systems across its mainstream and ROG lines. While resembling USB-C, it is not USB-C power delivery due to cost considerations and efficiency concerns for high-power charging above 140 watts.
The ROG G14 and G16 have been popular gaming machines, and with the latest redesign, featuring an elegant aluminium chassis, OLED displays, and top-notch specifications, ASUS aims to maintain its momentum in 2024. The laptops appear to blend aesthetics, performance, and innovation, making them promising contenders in the gaming laptop market.
