Asus ROG Flow Z13 review: A full-fledged gaming PC disguised as a tablet

Price When Reviewed

$1,899.99

Best Prices Today

The modular Asus ROG Flow gaming pill simply received extra modular. Last yr’s ROG Flow X13 featured a convertible 2-in-1 design with a 360-degree hinge that allow you to rotate between laptop computer and pill modes. The new ROG Flow Z13 ditches the show hinge and opts as a substitute for a removable keyboard that may act as each an ultraportable laptop computer with its kickstand kicked out and a pill with the keyboard indifferent and never swung round and caught to its again.

In addition to tweaking the design, Asus additionally upgraded the internals. For the largest improve, the ROG Flow Z13 swaps out the middling GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU of the Flow X13 for RTX 3050 Ti graphics. This permits for larger gaming functionality. And, do you have to attain for a AAA title that wants extra muscle than the interior GPU can present, the Z13 can connect with Asus’s eGPU module, the XG Mobile. This machine bumps the graphics as much as Nvidia’s potent GeForce RTX 3080.

Despite its extra modular strategy and upgraded internals, the Flow Z13 stays a specialised product for a slim viewers that needs or wants an undersized gaming laptop computer that may convert right into a pill and is keen to pay a premium for that mobility and flexibility. The inside RTX 3050 Ti graphics reduce the necessity for the optionally available XG Mobile unit, an expensive add-on that actually lets the Flow Z13 rip.

Specifications

Let’s have a look underneath the hood of the Asus Flow Z13 we reviewed. It’s presently $1,899.99 at Best Buy.

• CPU: Intel Core i9-12900H
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti @ 40 Watt TGP and exterior GeForce RTX 3080 @ 150 Watt TGP (with XG Mobile)
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Display: 13.4-inch, 1920×1200 IPS contact
• Webcams: Front-racing 720p and rear-facing 8-megapixel 
• Connectivity: One Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, analog audio jack, microSD card reader.
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capability: 56 Watt-hours
• Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.0 x 0.5 inches
• Measured weight: 2.61 kilos (pill by itself), 3.36 kilos (pill with keyboard hooked up), 0.86 kilos (AC adapter)

Asus sells a handful of Flow Z13 fashions. Pricing ranges from $1,499 to $3,299 with Intel Core i5, i7 and i9 CPUs provided and both Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 or RTX 3050 Ti 40-watt GPUs. Our $1,899.99 check configuration options certainly one of Intel’s newest and quickest CPUs, the 12th-gen Core i9-12900H. The chip options six efficiency cores, eight effectivity cores, and 20 processing threads. Some lower-cost fashions function solely 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, however our check configuration doubles up on each for an ample allotment of RAM and a good quantity of solid-state space for storing. The optionally available XG Mobile eGPU with RTX 3080 graphics provides $1,499.99 to the invoice.

Heavy pill or ultraportable laptop computer?

You can view the Flow Z13 as an ultraportable laptop computer or as a thick, heavy pill. The 13.4-inch show is smaller than most gaming laptops, which generally vary from 14 to 17 inches in measurement. However, the pill itself is half an inch thick and weighs 2.6 kilos, making it significantly heftier than most tablets. Despite its beneficiant weight and thickness, the pill doesn’t look or really feel clunky. It’s produced from excessive density aluminum alloy 6063, which supplies it a rock-solid really feel with out even the slightest trace of flex. 

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Asus has made clear with its design that the Flow Z13 is a pill constructed for gaming. The again of the pill is affected by design parts geared towards avid gamers. The again panel is matte black with slim vents on the highest half organized in rows and a few grouped into an “06” form, maybe as a nod to the 6063 alloy used. There’s a small, pink tab on the facet of the kickstand that’s helpful for flipping it open. The kickstand has a cutout round a window that gives a glimpse of the motherboard inside. The window comes full with RGB lighting for added enjoyable and gamer stylish.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The RGB lighting extends to the removable keyboard. Its keys function one-zone RGB lighting that may be personalized with Asus’s Aura Sync panel contained in the Armoury Crate app. The keyboard might have just one zone of lighting, however the impact and shade you select extends to the small window on the again panel. The keys themselves function narrower journey than that of most laptops and particularly gaming laptops, however total it feels snappy and responsive.

The keyboard sits at an angle and isn’t mendacity stable and flat in opposition to your desk. Combined with the skinny nature of a removable keyboard, the keyboard actually begins bouncing round while you’re furiously mashing keys throughout intense moments in video games. The touchpad is undersized and finest for navigating home windows. For longer gaming periods, you’ll undoubtedly desire a mouse and likewise a separate keyboard.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The pill itself has a USB-A port on its proper facet for connecting both a mouse or keyboard, and proper subsequent to it’s an audio jack for plugging in headphones. You’ll additionally discover the ability button and a quantity rocker on the suitable facet of the laptop computer. The energy button doubles as a fingerprint reader for fast and safe logins.

The Flow Z13 includes a microSD card slot and I needed to be a little bit of a sleuth to seek out it. It’s hiding behind the kickstand on the again panel. 

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

On the left fringe of the pill, you’ll discover a USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port and a rubber cowl, behind which hides a PCIe port for connecting the Flow Z13 to the XG Mobile eGPU module. There’s a USB-C port you need to use for charging the pill or connecting to USB units so long as the XG Mobile isn’t getting used, because it connects to each the ports.

To maintain the Flow Z13 plugged in whereas gaming with the XG Mobile, you’ll want to make use of the Thunderbolt 4 port, which creates a little bit of a messy look as a result of the ability cable isn’t related to the underside of the pill. Instead, it hangs off the facet from the Thunderbolt port that’s nearer to the highest.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The XG Mobile provides additional ports to finish a gamer’s setup with connections for a mouse and keyboard, an exterior monitor, and a wired community connection. It options 4 USB-A ports, HDMI and DisplayPort connections, and an Ethernet jack. It additionally options a bit kickstand so you possibly can prop it up at a jaunty angle as a substitute of getting it lie flat.

Bright, tall show

The 13.4-inch show includes a 1920×1200 decision and a 16:10 side ratio. The decision is ample to supply a crisp picture. Asus provides a 4k show choice for the Flow Z13, however it’s not a vital improve. Plus, you’ll get higher battery life with a lower-resolution show. The 4K show choice additionally has a 60Hz refresh price whereas our check system has a 120Hz refresh price. Both choices have adaptive sync expertise, so avid gamers will respect with the ability to hit 120 frames per second with out tearing the 1900×1200 panel.

The 13.4-inch measurement is smaller than most gaming laptops, which might make video games really feel a bit much less immersive than they’d be on a bigger display screen. The 16:10 side ratio of the show offers extra vertical house than a wider 16:9 show, which supplies you a bit extra room to work in Windows and requires much less scrolling by paperwork and net pages.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The show is rated for 500 nits of brightness and our assessments revealed it’s even brighter than the producer claims. I measured the panel at a most brightness of 610 nits with good uniformity. It additionally exhibited correct shade and wonderful distinction with deep black and vivid whites. The touchscreen includes a shiny coating, however this is likely one of the higher shows I’ve skilled when it comes to maintaining glare and reflections in test. I suppose it helps to blast the brightness as much as 500 nits and past to assist management distracting glare or reflections, however the show total is sort of spectacular. It additionally boasts slim bezels and edge-to-edge glass for a clear, trendy look.

The pill’s stereo audio system produce common laptop computer sound. They will battle to fill a small room at max quantity, however the sound does keep clear when dialed as much as its most. Bass response is predictably missing. For gaming or listening to music, you’ll need headphones.

The Flow Z13 options each a front-facing and rear-facing webcam. The front-facing digital camera is a median 720p digital camera that produces a loud, however well-balanced picture that can suffice for the occasional Zoom name however isn’t very best for streamers. You’ll get higher outcomes with the 8-megapixel digital camera on the opposite facet of the show, however how typically are you going to snap images or take video with a pill? 

Performance

Our Flow Z13 check system options the Core i9-12900H (a high-powered CPU from Intel’s newest 12th era of Core processors), 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It options GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics at 40 watts. It’s one of many decrease GPUs in Nvidia’s newest GeForce 30-series lineup, however it’s nonetheless way more succesful than the previous-gen GTX 1650 Max-Q CPU in final yr’s Flow X13. When you’ll want to attain for extra graphics horsepower, the XG Mobile kicks it as much as RTX 3080 at 150 watts. 

Our first benchmark assessments how a laptop computer is ready to deal with crushing CPU hundreds over a prolonged interval—on this case, transcoding a 30GB MKV file to a format appropriate for Android tablets utilizing HandBrake, the free video encoding utility. The Flow Z13 was a step slower than we’d have anticipated on HandBrake, given its 12th-gen Core i9 CPU. It completed behind a trio of laptops with Core i7 chips.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Next up is Cinebench, one other CPU-intensive check however one which renders a fancy 2D scene over a brief time period. The Flow Z13 carried out higher on Cinebench. The 12th-gen Core i7-based MSI Katana GF76 edged it on the All Threads check, however the Flow Z13 took high honors on the Cinebench’s Single Thread check.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Graphics efficiency

Multimedia assessments are of some significance, however 3D graphics efficiency is paramount with the Flow Z13, so let’s soar in. On 3DMark’s Time Spy check, the system introduced up the rear. Its RTX 3050 Ti GPU operating at 40 watts couldn’t maintain tempo with the laptops which have higher-end RTX graphics or the MSI Katana GF76, which additionally options RTX 3050 Ti graphics however at 60 watts. On 3DMark’s Port Royal check, the Flow Z13 fared a bit higher by edging the MSI Katana GF76.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

For real-world sport testing, we used Rise of the Tomb Raider at 1920×1080 decision on the Very High high quality preset and Metro Exodus at 1920×1080 on the Extreme high quality preset. For every sport, we examined the Flow Z13 first with its built-in 40-watt RTX 3050 Ti GPU after which with the XG Mobile hooked up that provides a jolt of RTX 3080 graphics at 150 watts.

On Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Flow Z13 turned in a playable 60 fps with its RTX 3050 Ti GPU after which leapt to the pinnacle of the category with the XG Mobile, greater than doubling its output with 129fps. On the extra demanding Metro Exodus, the Flow Z13 averaged a meager 17 fps with its RTX 3050 Ti GPU and a decent 45 fps with the XG Mobile hooked up.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Battery life

We check laptop computer battery life by looping a 4K video utilizing the inventory Windows Movies & TV app, with display screen brightness set to about 250 nits and the amount dialed to 50 % with headphones plugged in. The Flow Z13 lasted simply shy of six hours on our battery-drain check, which is common for a gaming laptop computer however a bit disappointing on a compact pill.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Premium versatility at a premium worth

With the ROG Flow Z13, Asus dropped the convertible design of final yr’s Flow X13 in favor of a extra modular, removable design. This strategy makes the Flow Z13 extra helpful as a pill since you don’t have the keyboard rotated round and mendacity on the again of the show when in pill mode. It’s much less helpful as a laptop computer, nevertheless, as a result of the removable keyboard is about as removed from a gaming keyboard as you will get, RGB backlighting or no. 

The improve to RTX 3050 Ti graphics and a 12th-gen Core i9 processor make the Flow Z13 highly effective for its measurement, however it stays a specialised product for customers with particular wants. You’ll must have some deep pockets, too. But high-end tablets all the time come at a premium.

A equally configured Microsoft Surface Pro 8, for instance, would value practically as a lot because the $1,900 ROG Flow Z13 with a lesser CPU and merely built-in Intel graphics. In that mild, the Flow Z13 represents a good worth if you need a Windows pill that allows you to dabble in some gaming when the workday is completed. It additionally offers you the choice to double down on its gaming capabilities with the RTX 3080-based XG Mobile, which permits the Flow Z13 to morph right into a extremely succesful if undersized gaming laptop computer. At a mixed value of $3,400 for the Flow Z13 and XG Mobile, nevertheless, you need to actually have a necessity for such modular versatility to abdomen the associated fee.