The ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 series from Asus have established a notable standing as premium portable gaming laptops that exhibit unwavering commitment to excellence. Consequently, anticipation was heightened for the 2024 release, which held the promise of substantial enhancements. Nevertheless, although the elimination of the RTX 4090 option from the G14 may appear to be a drawback, it is in fact a positive development—and here’s why.
What prompted the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 downgrade?
In order to provide context, Asus’s decision is motivated by the difficulties associated with fitting an RTX 4090 into a 14-inch chassis, thereby increasing the thickness of each variant. As a result of eliminating this option, the organisation effectively decreased the thickness of the device by 4 mm and its weight by 0.3 pounds, thereby effecting a substantial enhancement in ergonomics. In addition, Asus has increased the size of the speakers by 20% and enhanced the keyboard by installing larger keycaps and expanding internal space.
Specification details for the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16
Regarding the display, Asus is the first manufacturer to equip the G14 and G16 with a 16:10 3K 120Hz OLED screen and a 2.5K 240Hz OLED screen, respectively, with variable refresh rate support. Furthermore, these displays are NVIDIA G-Sync compliant, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certified, and have an impressive 0.2ms response time.
Screenshot of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 device
You may argue, however, that variable refresh rates are not typical of monitors and televisions. However, there is a catch: the luminance of an OLED panel is proportional to its refresh rate; therefore, a display that refreshes at 10Hz would have a significantly reduced brightness. By recalculating the luminance of each pixel per frame, televisions and monitors eliminate this phenomenon; however, this process can be extremely resource and battery intensive when implemented on a laptop.
How does Asus manage to maintain a variable refresh rate? By securing the pixel emission rate at 480Hz on the G14 and 960Hz on the G16, the organisation guarantees that the display panel retains its luminosity during the presentation of images. Nevertheless, the power consumption and efficiency of this method remain unknown.
The G14 is powered by AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors and supports a maximum of one NVIDIA RTX 4070 (90W TGP) GPU. In contrast, the G16 is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and a maximum of one RTX 4090 (115W TGP) GPU. Both models are compatible with DDR5X RAM, although there are minor differences. For instance, the G16 features a 90Whr battery, which is larger than the 73Whr battery found in the G14.
In place of the conventional USB-C connector, Asus has finally implemented a Slim Power input connection for charging. This innovation is in response to concerns regarding the efficacy of USB-C devices exceeding 140W.
The cost and accessibility
A video from Linus Tech Tips suggests that Asus intends to keep the price of the G14 comparable to that of its predecessor, while the G16 may be priced in line with the previous M16 lineup, although official pricing information is still unavailable. In terms of availability, it is anticipated that both models will debut in the first quarter of 2024, possibly in March.