An excellent display and a lot of power also make it an excellent multimedia editing machine.
The recent 14-inch gaming laptop from ASUS is an incredibly versatile and stylish all-round device. But for those who want something even beefier, there is the ROG Zephyrus G16. not only does it have a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, but it also supports up to NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics cards. That’s not all. The OLED display updates twice as fast at 240 Hz and has surprisingly good speakers, as well as a full-size SD card reader for quickly transferring files from a camera. Although aimed at gamers, the G16 is better equipped to serve as a portable cutting device, which makes it a great system even for people who don’t mind bunny hopping and fragging.
Design
The new all-aluminum chassis of the G16 is simply fantastic. Indeed, not only is it a little lighter (about 0.1 pounds) and thinner (about 0.2 inches) than the previous model, but it feels even more stable. For 2024, ASUS omitted the dot matrix display on the lid for a single diagonal slash with white (non-RGB) LEDs in the center, giving the laptop a much more refined look without becoming boring. He is like a teenager who has grown up and learned to dress properly without losing touch with his roots as a player. Inside is a backlit keyboard with rainbow lighting (although it has only one Area and not per key), flanked by surprisingly punchy speakers with an absolutely massive touchpad underneath. Overall, this is a beautifully designed system that looks as good as it feels.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)
An excellent versatile multimedia laptop for gamers and publishers
Like its little brother, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 combines a dynamic display with a super slim construction, but with better connectivity and an even longer battery life.
ASUS has also integrated the right mix of connectivity options. The G16 has two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A slots, two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), HDMI 2.1, a Full-size SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. This is the type of arrangement that allows you to travel FREELY without worrying about additional dongles or adapters. In addition, you don’t need to occupy other ports while powered, thanks to ASUS’ new slim power jack. And in a pinch, you can also spice up the G16 via USB-C, albeit at slower speeds (up to about 100 watts) than with the included 240-watt building block.
Show
The G16’s 2.5K (2,560 x 1,600) OLED display could be the best component here. It is dynamic and supports a wide range of colors (100% DCI-P3), while its refresh rate of 240 Hz makes it ideal even for gamers looking to get the most out of the competition. Although the brightness is just average at about 400 Nits in standard resolution mode or 450 Nits in HDR, I had no problem seeing the screen unless the G16 was in direct sunlight. A final bonus for photo and video editors is that ASUS includes calibrated display modes for sRGB, D65 P3 and DCI – P3 in its Armoy Crate application so that you can adjust the tints or colors more precisely.
Performance
The performance of the G16 is quite solid thanks to an Intel Core Ultra 9 195h processor, up to 32 GB of RAM, 2 TB of storage and NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics. However, some compromises for the slim chassis of the G16 are at play here. Compared to similar-sized competitors like the Razer Blade 16, the G16 has a lower overall TDP (overall device performance), which means that even if they seem to have the same components listed, there is still a difference in capabilities. For example, on our review unit with an RTX 4080, the power sent to the GPU is 115 watts compared to 175 watts on the Razer. The RAM of the G16 is also soldered, so you cannot add more after purchase.
In Cyberpunk 2077 with 1440p and Ultra graphics with ray tracing enabled, the G16 reached 68 fps, which is just above what we have seen from a smaller Razer Blade 14 (66 FPS), although the latter has a lower RTX 4070 level, but with similar performance. That said, these numbers are more than enough for AAA games to work properly. And let’s not forget that the Blade 14 model I referenced costs, which corresponds to the price of our G16 exam unit. This makes it an appropriate comparison, even if Razer’s laptop has a small footprint.
