Verdict
The Asus ROG Flow X16 is a various , impressive laptop computer with ample gambling power , a top - nick show and impressive keyboard and speaker timbre . But you ’ll get more performance from traditional laptops , connectivity could be respectable , and this notebook computer gets a bit too live
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Asus has long been one of the most groundbreaking laptop computer society around , and the Asus ROG Flow X16 continues that custom because it ’s a play laptop that ’s also a 2 - in-1 hybrid gimmick .
This blueprint is usually found on ultraportables , but it makes tidy sum of horse sense to bring it across to a larger , more powerful laptop . It turns this 16 - inch gaming notebook into a media playback equipment and a tablet , and could make it more versatile than rivals like theRazer Blade 15andAlienware x15 R2 .
But at $ 2699 in the US , £ 2799 in the UK and $ 2999 in Europe , this laptop computer is n’t brassy , and for that kind of cash you could buy one of the more conventional Razer or Alienware laptops . Is this experimental form factor worth the investing , or will the Asus ROG Flow X16 fall down behind its more formal competition and betray to disoblige ourbest gaming laptopchart ?
Design and Keyboard
The convertible mechanism on the Asus ROG Flow X16 is a superb and straight bit of pattern . The video display swing through 180 degree swimmingly on full-bodied hinges , and the intercrossed chassis total versatility . Pitch the Flow into a camp office and you may prop it up to check movies or play games with a pad .
Move it all the way around and it ’s a large tablet for touchscreen gaming , or use it in portrayal mode and it ’s not bad for reading or web browse – as long as you may get by with the increased size when compared to the averageiPad .
The Flow ’s aluminum and magnesium metal consistency exhibit particular build quality throughout . It depend good too , with a line aesthetic that shun RGB LED for an industrial smell .
The dimensions are reasonable , although the Flow does n’t always beat the competition . Positively , the Asus only weighs 2.1 kg and it ’s 19.4 mm thick – so it ’s light and slim than 17.3 - inch competition like theAlienware x17 R2andRazer Blade 17 . Negatively , though , the Alienware x15 and Razer Blade 15 are both slim , and the Razer is a little lighter too .
The Flow X16 is a morsel discrepant when it comes to connectivity , too . This laptop does have pairs of full - size of it USB 3.2 Gen 2 andType - ampere-second port , with the latter handling DisplayPort and mightiness delivery , and it ’s got a microSD card proofreader . On the inside , you ’ll see three-fold - bandWi - Fi 6Eand Bluetooth 5.2 , and audio recording come from a quadruple of talker that produce decent basso and a crisp , clear mid - stove – they ’re well good enough for gaming .
You do n’t get wired net , though , and the laptop ’s HDMI 2.0b output signal does n’t offer the same bandwidth asHDMI 2.1connections . Its webcam hasWindows Hello , but there ’s no fingerprint reader .
Unusually , the Flow x16 hides its second USB - C port wine inside the connecter for the Asus XG Mobile international nontextual matter wharf , but Asus does n’t sell the XG Mobile dock separately in many markets – and there is n’t a translation usable that outstrips the laptop computer ’s RTX 3070 Ti GPU . It ’s totally redundant .
Every competitor has HDMI 2.1 and fasterThunderbolt 4ports – you do n’t get the latter on the Asus . The Razer rigs have more full - size USB sockets and full - size SD add-in slot .
It ’s a miscellaneous keyboard , too . The push have 1.7 mm of travel and it ’s a satisfying , consistent whole that makes tenacious play sessions finger good – but there ’s no routine pad and it ’s only got hick single - geographical zone RGB LED lighting . The trackpad is decent thanks to clicky buttons , but any keen gamer should attach a USB computer mouse .
If you really give care about keyboard quality , you could corrupt an Alienware x17 R2 with a CherryMX mechanical unit , but it ’ll be you $ 3099/£2679/€3398 , so in most markets it ’ll cost redundant .
Screen
Unsurprisingly , the screenland has a great specification – it ’s arguably the most important component on a loan-blend . The 16:10 view proportion and 2560 x 1600 closure deliver a crisp , sop up gaming experience with more vertical space than any challenger – and the extra altitude make it easier to read vane pages and documents and render additional width in portrait mode .
The touch screen has a Gorilla Glass finish , and its 165Hz refresh charge per unit comes with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and a 3ms response fourth dimension . Those latter specifications secure fluid motion in undivided - actor games and mainstream eSports situation .
Asus says this screen run into a 500 - nitbrightness spirit level , and it perish beyond that in benchmark with a 543 - nit peak . That ’s high enough for indoor and outdoor utilization and it entail that the Flow ’s screenland delivers telling vibrancy in bright colors . The black point of 0.5 nits is reasonable , and the lead direct contrast proportion of 1086:1 ensures good depth .
challenger are slightly full , with increased depth in disconsolate areas , but that wo n’t impede gambling in any serious way .
The Flow grow all of the sRGB andDCI - P3 gamutswith a substantial Delta E of 3.06 , so you ’ve got enough truth and largeness for any game . But while game and picture look dandy on this screen , you ’ll still get improved accuracy from Razer ’s panel – they ’re just for gloss - sensitive workloads .
Alienware and Razer ’s 2560 x 1440 screen lose erect space but have 240Hz refresh rates , which are better for eSports . Razer also makes its 15 - column inch and 17.3 - column inch notebooks available with 360Hz screens , and the Alienware x17 R2 is sold with 480Hz and 4 K display options . And , as always , 17.3 - inch screens are even more absorbing than the Flow ’s 16 - inch jury – albeit in far bigger laptops .
Performance
Nvidia ’s GeForce RTX 3070 Ti go far inside the Asus ROG Flow X16 with its usual 8 GB of memory and 5888 stream mainframe , and the GPU escape at its elevation power output of 125W. AMD ’s Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU has eight multi - threaded core and a top amphetamine of 4.9GHz ,
There ’s 32 GB of dual - channelDDR5memory , which is copious for gaming and originative oeuvre , and the 1TBSSDdelivers great read and indite pep pill of 6574MB / sec and 4478MB / sec .
InHorizon Zero Dawnat 2560 x 1600 the Asus average 68fps , and inBorderlands 3the Asus zipped through at 46fps – this laptop will play handsome - name games swimmingly . There ’s spate of eSports power here , too : inRainbow Six Siegethe Asus average 230fps .
You ’ll only have to tone down graphics preferences in peculiarly demanding games , or if you ’d like to accomplish coherent 60fps form rates in the toughest titles .
That say , you could get more GPU power if you spend extra on a laptop with an RTX 3080 Ti – that marrow average 120fps in Horizon at 1080p , while the Flow pull off 87fps .
AMD ’s Ryzen 9 processor seduce 1556 and 10,067 in Geekbench 5 ’s single- and multi - core tests . Those good results mean that you ’ve incur enough processing ability to tackle employment tasks , multi - tasking , photo - editing and television processing – it ’s a open content - cosmos chip .
There ’s a reason why every rival use Intel silicon . The Core i7 - 12700H grade 1,686 and 12,040 in the same benchmarks in the Alienware x17 . In PC Mark 10 the Asus hit a respectable 7529 , but the i7 - 12700H bump off nearly 8000 gunpoint in the same mental test .
Laptops with the i7 - 12700H do n’t cost any more than the Asus , either – you ’ll find that chip inside every Alienware and Razer rig . Many laptops in this price mountain chain are also uncommitted with the faster Core i9 - 12900H.
You ’ll also have to be thrifty of the Flow ’s thermal performance . If you play gamy - end games for a protracted period then the bottom and the alloy above the keyboard both become too hot to touch – knavish if you want the Flow on your lick . There ’s a mediocre amount of fan noise , too , although no more than you ’ll find elsewhere , so the speakers or a near headset will block that out .
Battery
The length of service of the Asus ROG Flow X16 is motley , but not black . While work video at 150 nits the Asus lasted for almost eight hours , so you may use the Flow to watch flick or sequence of your favourite television set shows – or to get through most of a working daytime in undemanding apps .
In a tough oeuvre test the Flow deliver 4hrs 35mins of usage , which is on equivalence with the Razer Blade 15 and a spot better than the Alienware – and longer than both 17.3 - inch rivals . That will only get you through until lunchtime , but it still take into account you more versatility than many gaming notebook computer .
In games , the Flow hold out for 57 second , which is an unsurprisingly poor result – and , when gaming on the battery , you get reduce GPU performance anyway . To toy top titles , wedge to the mains , and only employ the assault and battery for less - intensive casual games in tablet manner .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The Asus has a streamlined , various hybrid design , a great CRT screen and a skillful Nvidia GPU , so it has the power to function well in loads of different gaming and media situations
The RTX 3070 Ti is easily outpaced by other Nvidia GPUs , and AMD ’s central processing unit on a regular basis falls behind Intel chips . Other laptop computer have better connectivity , too , including Thunderbolt 4
Final Thoughts
The Asus ROG Flow X16 has undecomposed mainstream gaming power , a great 16:10 show and a dodgy hybrid blueprint , so it ’s a great choice if you want versatility and a touchscreen from a gaming notebook – but it ’s sometimes live , and you ’ll recover more power and connectivity from more conventional models .
If you like the idea of a hybrid gaming laptop , but fancy a more portable equipment , we commend check out theAsus ROG Flow Z13too .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every gambling laptop computer we critique go away through a series of unvarying confirmation designed to approximate key things including shape quality , performance , screen timber and battery life .
These let in stately semisynthetic bench mark and written trial , plus a series of existent world check , such as how well it runs when running a AAA game .
FAQs
Yes , the ROG Flow is designed to be used as both a laptop computer and tab , so it does support pinch dominance .
It ’s surely powerful enough for video redaction , but you ’ll find other laptop computer with more colour - sensitive screens at a more affordable price , including theMacBook Proand theAsus ZenBook Pro 16X organic light-emitting diode .
Test Data
Full Specs
Sustainability
TrustedReviews ’ holds the fact that global warming is not a myth as a core time value and will unceasingly endeavor to help protect our satellite from harm in its business practices .
As part of this mission , whenever we reexamine a production we send the companionship a serial of questions to aid us guess and make diaphanous the impact the twist has on the environment .
We presently have n’t received answers to the questions on this ware , but will update this page the present moment we do . you could see a detailed breakdown of the questions we require and why in oursustainability information page .
