Asus ROG Flow Z13 Review: Spare the Expense

In lots of methods, the Asus ROG Move Z13 is a terrific thought. The corporate’s tablet-plus-detachable-keyboard gaming laptop computer involves the product line launched with the Move X13 convertible final 12 months and its exterior GPU dock accent, the XG Cell. Detachables within the fashion of the Microsoft Floor Professional 8 make extra sense to me than convertibles, which are typically bulkier, cumbersome to change positions and fewer lap-friendly for pill use. With a discrete GPU and help for the XG Cell, the Z13 looks like an excellent different.

And I do prefer it, from the just-gaming-enough aesthetic to the multiangle kickstand, snug keyboard and good CPU efficiency when related to energy. It is received an HDMI port, too, which is uncommon lately.

The Z13 is available in a few mounted configurations, some tougher to search out than others. We examined the $1,900 mannequin with an Intel Core i9-12900H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti and 1,920 x 1,200 show; our analysis unit got here with the XG Cell exterior GPU (with an RTX 3080), however I may solely discover the eGPU bundled with the $3,300 mannequin geared up with a 4K show. There’s additionally a $1,700 mannequin incorporating a Core i7-12700H and RTX 3050 and theoretically an i5-12500H mannequin with solely built-in graphics, each of which have the 1200p display.

You need not purchase the XG Cell bundled with the laptop computer, although Asus lists the RTX 3080 model for a whopping $1,500 — it isn’t accessible anyplace, anyway, although it is a 12 months outdated — and the AMD RX 6850M introduced at CES 2022 has but to ship. If you happen to’re interested in it, we examined it at the side of the ROG Move X13 convertible on the time. It hasn’t modified.

Quick. Typically.

For gaming, it is good however not world-changing in comparison with a typical clamshell or convertible with related elements. The i9 ought to ship nice simulation efficiency, since these are typically CPU dependent, however a minimum of on Riftbreaker’s CPU check it was a disappointing 45fps in hybrid mode. Because it does fairly effectively on conventional CPU benchmarks, like Geekbench and Cinebench, in addition to Procyon’s Lightroom/Photoshop photo-editing check, it is nearly as if the system mechanically throttles again the CPU in favor of the GPU when it detects a sport, although bumping it to Turbo did not make a distinction. Unsurprisingly, Turbo turns the followers to max and creates a mighty wind noise.

The RTX 3050 Ti hits the mark for base 1080p gaming that is GPU dependent, resembling 83fps on Guardians of the Galaxy. It is not fairly as perky on heavier-weight video games, delivering a mediocre 63fps on Shadow of the Tomb Raider. For these, you are in all probability anticipated to make use of DLSS to spice up efficiency by upscaling from a decrease decision. Forcing it to make use of the discrete GPU and cranking it as much as Turbo can add a tiny little bit of velocity, although: Riftbreaker gained about 6fps on common, a hair below a 5% enhance.

Off energy, CPU efficiency drops loads (about 43% on Geekbench multicore, for instance), equally to the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, in step with Asus’ aggressive energy and noise administration. But it surely does not achieve as a lot in battery life.

In the end, it is arduous to pin down why I did not just like the Asus ROG Move Z13 extra, regardless of the assorted nits I’ve discovered to select. And I am not speaking about worth for the cash — $1,700 for the present entry-level Core i7 mannequin is pricey in comparison with conventional rivals like Asus’ personal X13, however nonetheless fairly sensible for what it’s. I am speaking about my first-pass inner overview criteron, which is “would I exploit it if I received it without cost?”    

And the reply is “in all probability not.”  That is partly as a result of it does not work for me as a pill. It is thick, and at 2.6 lbs/1.1kg with out the keyboard it is fairly heavy for one which’s solely 13-inch class. It runs sizzling, lacks the battery lifetime of a pill (at about 6.5 hours at finest), and cuts again efficiency considerably whereas off energy. It does get silent, although.

I examined the mannequin with the 120Hz 1,920 x 1,200-resolution display (the identical show as on the X13) and whereas it was okay working with a appropriate MPP 2.0 stylus, on this case the Microsoft Floor Slim Pen 2, I received too distracted by the seen pixel grid of the low-ish decision display. The audio system by no means challenge towards you so the sound is a bit muffled and it has a subpar 720p webcam.

With a view to use the elements it has, particularly the i9 and to a lesser extent the RTX 3050 Ti, thick and heavy are unavoidable to  accommodate the cooling. However then one of many the tradeoffs it makes versus a convertible — notably, it is troublesome to sort on it whereas it is perched in your lap — is not value it a lot. Plus cloud gaming is a viable choice in case you’re actually on the lookout for tablet-friendly efficiency.

When you consider the price, particularly if you wish to increase gaming efficiency with the expensive XG Cell, I do not know who it is optimally suited to, regardless of its numerous sights.