This is my detailed review of the 2023 update of the Asus ROG Flow X16 series.
The ROG Flow X16 is still a unique design in today’s market, as a premium 16-inch laptop with a 2-in-1 convertible format and some of the most advanced features and hardware specs currently available.
This 2023 generation is mostly a hardware update of the previous model, with whom it otherwise shares design characteristics and overall functionality. It steers away from the AMD platform implemented in the 2022 variants, though, and is now an Intel 13th-gen platform with RTX 4000 graphics. That allows for a notable boost in CPU performance, and almost no impact on the efficiency on battery power, Just keep in mind that most 2023 X16 configurations bundle a mini LED display, which looks awesome, but is more power-hungry than the standard IPS panels offered with most other premium laptops over the last years.
Nonetheless, the decision to dump the AMD platform is most likely going to be controversial among potential buyers, but as far as I understand, the availability of AMD Phoenix Ryzen 7000 HS hardware played a role in this decision as well. (we know that AMD struggled with the supply of their mobile platforms in 2022, and that’s probably not going to improve in 2023). Regardless, dismissing this series for being an Intel platform and no longer AMD would make no sense to me.
Down below I’ve gathered my thoughts and impressions on this 2023 ROG Flow X16 series, with a close look at all the details that you should be aware of as a potential buyer.
Specs sheet as reviewed – Asus ROG Flow X16 GV601VI
2023 ASUS ROG Flow X16 GV601VI
Display 16-inch, 16:10, touch, glossy,Nebula HDR QHD+ 2560 x 1600 px, miniLED 1024 zones, 240 Hz 3ms, up to 1100 nits HDR, 100% DCI-P3
Processor Intel 13th gen Raptor Lake, up to Core i9-13900H
Video Intel UHD + Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 8GB (up to 120W with Dynamic Boost) with MUX, Advanced Optimus, GSync
Memory 32 GB DDR5-4800 (2x DIMMs)
Storage 2 TB SSD (Samsung PM9A1) – 2x M.2 PCI 4.0 x4 slots
Connectivity WiFi 6E (Intel AX211) 3×3 with Bluetooth 5.2
Ports 2x USB-A 3.2 gen2, HDMI 2.1 FRL, headphone&mic, microSD card reader
Battery 90Wh, 240 W power adapter + USB-C charging up to 100W (both included)
Size 355 mm or 13.98” (w) x 243 mm or 9.57 (d) x from 19.4 mm or .76” (h)
Weight 2.19 kg (4.82 lbs),
Extras convertible format with 360-degree hinges, touchscreen and pen support (pen included). , 4x speakers, FHD 2MPx IR webcam, tri-fan cooling module, XG mobile support
Our review unit is the top-specced ROG Flow X16 configuration available for 2023, pairing the Core i9-13900H processor with an Nvidia RTX 4070 dGPU and a QHD+ mini LED display .
We’re also discussing the performance of the RTX 4060 configuration in the Performance section.
Here are the main configurations available for the Asus ROG Flow X16 GV604 (2023) generation:
Asus ROG Flow X16 GV601VI – Intel Core i9-13900H + RTX 4070 120W + QHD miniLED display;Asus ROG Flow X16 GV601VI – Intel Core i9-13900H + RTX 4060 120W + QHD miniLED or IPS display;Asus ROG Flow X16 GV601VI – Intel Core i9-13900H + RTX 4050 105W + QHD miniLED or IPS display.
I might follow up with reviews of other GPU configurations in the next couple of weeks, if there’s enough interest.
Design and construction Asus are keeping the design language consistent within the ROG Flow series, with the X16 being more-or-less a grown-up ROG Flow X13 , with similar design lines, materials, and finishing details on the two.
Branding elements are kept at a minimum as well, making this laptop perfectly suited for any sort of environment, including those stricter work/school mediums. Just peel off those colored stickers plastered on the armrest. The ROG logo on the lid has been slightly redesigned over the previous generation, but that aside, the 2022 and 2023 iterations look and feel identical.
Asus ROG Flow X16 review – redesigned ROG logo in the corner of the lid
Black pieces of aluminum are used for the exterior chassis, with a grooved texture on the lid and the underbelly that provides good grip, while the main chassis and the interior are magnesium alloy, with a smooth finishing around the keyboard and a textured finishing on the armrest.
All these materials are black and will show some smudges and fingerprints, but not nearly as bad as on other black laptops. The various textures help conceal the smudges quite well, and the surfaces are also easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth time and again. For what is worth, this is how the laptop looks after a few days of use.
Here’s a better look at the various textures.
This Flow X16 is also built well, with a sturdy keyboard deck and only a slight flex in the lid. It’s not a unibody construction and doesn’t feel quite as premium as a MacBook or a Blade, but it’s very close.
I haven’t noticed any squeaky noises or creaks during daily use, not even when picking squeezing it harder or picking it up from a corner. I also haven’t noticed anything suspicious with the hinges (that was a quirk on my 2022 review sample, but looks like only isolated to that sample).
Now, this chassis has been available in stores for almost a year with the 2022 Flow X16s, and I haven’t seen complaints about the armrest scratching or denting around the corners, in the same way as with the smaller Flow X13 models . Those small rubber pads in the corners might eventually peel off, though. You’ll want to ask Derek more about the reliability of his unit, as this Flow X16 has been his daily driver since last summer, so shoot him any questions in this review of the 2022 ROG Flow X16 or this more recent comparison between the Blade 16 and the Flow X16 .
That aside, while this is a full-size 16-inch laptop, it’s also fairly slim and lightweight for what it is, at about 2.2 kilos for this miniLED version and ~20 mm in thickness. Some of the clamshell ROG Zephyrus laptops of this generation are lighter , but don’t forget this Flow X16 comes with a touchscreen and a mini LED panel, which add up to the overall weight. Nonetheless, this is a portable format for its screen size and overall specs.
Now, the 2-in-1 format is a major differentiator for this Flow X16 series over the other options out there.
The screen rotates 360-degrees on the back, allowing this to be used as a notebook, tablet, or anything in between. It’s not a very comfortable tablet at this size and weight, though, but perhaps would make sense for some of you, especially as the display supports pen input as well. Tent or Presentation modes might come in handy, though, for video streaming or casual gaming, etc. I also appreciate the ability to easily lean back the screen to any desired angle, and the fact that this model offers a touchscreen, unlike any other ROG device of this sort.
The overall practicality of this series is in fact excellent. The armrest is spacious and nice to the touch, the inputs are centered on the design and flanked by up-firing speakers, and the front lips and corners are friendly on the fingers and wrists. There are also no annoying lights placed in the line of sight. The status LEDs are placed on the left edge and there’s an always-on light in the power button on the right edge, which btw, lacks an integrated fingerprint reader, but you won’t really notice them with daily use, not even in a pitch-dark room.
That aside, the laptop sits steadily anchored on the desk, despite it implementing some slim-profile rubber feet on the underside. These are a consequence of the convertible format, as thicker feet would have prevented the screen’s ability to fold down flat in tablet mode. These low-profile feet affect the laptop’s cooling capabilities to some extent, though, with gaming and demanding loads, as we’ll discuss in the Performance and Cooling sections.
One final aspect I will cover here is the IO. The ports are spread out on the right and left side, so there’s nothing on the back, as that’s entirely reserved for a full-width air vent.
This 2023 Flow X16 generation offers HDMI 2.1 FRL, 2x USB-A and 2x USB-C ports, an audio jack, and a micro SD card reader, most of them conveniently positioned on the left. Even the power plug is on the left and towards the back, not in the middle as on the ROG models, as a result of not having a cooing radiator on that side.
One of the USB-C ports supports Thunderbolt 4.0 and hooks into the iGPU, while the other one, the one integrated into the XG Mobile connector, is hooked into the Nvidia GPU.
As a ROG Flow model, this X16 is compatible with the ROG XG Mobile external GPU, available with up to RTX 4090 graphics in this generation.
All in all, this Flow X16 is a very well-balanced design and a 2-in-1 format with a touchscreen, aspects that set it apart from most other all-around laptops with similar capabilities. Aesthetically and functionally, very little has changed between the 2022 and 2023 models, with the exception of some updated ports on the latest generation (HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4.0), a redesigned ROG badge on the lid, and a higher resolution camera at the top of the display.
Keyboard and trackpad The keyboard on the Flow X16 is a standard Asus implementation, similar to the one offered on the Zephyrus G15 and Zephyrus G16 lineups over the last few years.
The layout is fine, with properly sized and spaced keys, shorter and slightly spaced-out arrows keys, and the extra set of multimedia keys at the top left, characteristic of ROG laptops.
This keyboard types very well and offers for me a proper mix of feedback and travel depth (1.7 mm). I also find it quiet and appropriate for silent environments, with the exception of the Space key.
RGB backlighting is available here, but only single-zone RGB, so without per-key control or very fancy effects (some basic ones are available). The lighting is uniform and bright enough, but it also creeps out from underneath the keycaps to some extent.
The clickpad is spacious and made out of glass. It’s a smooth surface, although it might appear to be textured on a first glance, but that’s because a textured layer is hidden behind the transparent glass, in order to better integrate with the finishing of the palm rest.
This handles everything smoothly, from taps to swipes to gestures, and even the physical clicks on the corners are smooth and quiet. The surface doesn’t rattle firmer taps either, at least on this unit.
As for biometrics, there’s no finger sensor in the power button, but there’s IR Windows Hello support built into the webcam.
Screen The 2023 ROG Flow X16 is available with a 16-inch 16:10 touch display and two panel options:
a mini LED panel from BOE, branded as “ROG Nebula HDR”, with 2560 x 1600 px resolution, zone-dimming, 1000+ nits of peak brightness, and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage;
an IPS panel from BOE, branded as “ROG Nebula”, with 2560 x 1600 px resolution, 500+ nits of peak brightness, and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage.
We have the mini LED option on our unit. This is a refinement of the AU Optronics mini LED panel implemented in the previous generation, with 2x more dimming zones and much smoother uniformity. It’s the same panel that Asus offer on the ROG Zephyrus M16 and the ROG Scar 16 , but in a glass-covered implementation on this Flow X16. This means that potential glare should be accounted for, but it’s not really an issue on this sort of bright panel.
So, aside from the 1024 dimming zones, the panel goes to ~800+ nits of peak SDR brightness in this touch implementation (in multi-zone mode, as per our tests) and 1000+ nits of peak HDR brightness. It’s pretty much one of the nicest laptop screens available out there, with 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, high peak brightness, and excellent blacks and contrast in the operating mode that enables zone-dimming.
That aside, this panel is also a high-refresh and fast-response option, and supports GSync on this notebook, all must-have features on a modern gaming device– it’s not as fast as the standard IPS panel, though, due to the technical particularities of the miniLED technology.
Furthermore, as a particularity for ROG laptops, there’s an option in Armoury Crate to select between single-zone and multi-zone lighting. Single-zone disables the zone dimming functionality in order to get a uniform and accurate image reproduction, without any of the glowing or dynamic processing that results when zone dimming is enabled. This mode is useful for color-accurate work such as editing images or videos, but the contrast and blacks aren’t as good as on the multi-zone mode.
Here’s what we got in our tests of this panel with single-zone lighting, with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro sensor :
Panel HardwareID: BOE BOE0B74 (NE160QDM-NM4);
Coverage: 99.8% sRGB, 90.0% AdobeRGB, 97.9% DCI-P3;
Type: 10-bit HDR, with Dolby Vision support;
Measured gamma: 2.28;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 508.11 cd/m2 on power;
Min brightness in the middle of the screen: 56.92 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 1234:1;
White point: 6300 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.41 cd/m2;
PWM: –
The panel comes well pre-calibrated out of the box, with a Pantone certification, and there’s little to improve on the Gamma and White Point from the default profile. We also measured good luminosity and color uniformity levels on our sample, as well as almost no light bleeding.
I’ll also add that the uniformity of this 2023-gen mini LED panel is way improved over the previous generation, with diminished glowing artifacts and almost none of the blooming/spotting noticeable before on solid backgrounds. That’s due to the denser array of zones (1024 vs 512), but also due to the refined software processing.
And then this is also a touchscreen with a digitizer and pen support, so it can be used as a huge tablet. An Asus 2.0 pen is bundled in.
My only complaint is the fact that the lowest-brightness setting isn’t that dim, and that might bother some of you when using the laptop in a pitch-dark room.
Activating multi-zone lighting pushes the SDR peak brightness in the middle of the screen to around 800-nits, with dark blacks and nearly infinite contrast. At the same time, the color and brightness uniformity take a notable hit, as they are impacted by the zone-dimming functionality, and blooming/glowing and uniformity artifacts are visible in some situations, as explained in this dedicated article that covers mini LED laptop display technology . Hence, this mode is ideal for watching movies or playing games (those with HDR support, at least)., but is not necessarily meant for daily use and definitely not for color-accurate activities.
Here’s what we got in our tests of this panel in the multi-zone lighting mode, with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro sensor :
Type: 10-bit HDR, with Dolby Vision support;
Measured gamma: 2.66;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 778.91 cd/m2 on power;
Min brightness in the middle of the screen: 116.26 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 27K:1;
White point: 8000 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.03 cd/m2;
PWM: No.
For what is worth, here are some side-by-side images with single-zone and multi-zone lighting on this mini LED panel, to help you get an idea of the differences in contrast and brightness between the two modes.
As far as the IPS panel option goes, that will be available in some markets with the lower-specced configurations.
That’s the QHD+ 240Hz 3ms panel discussed in this review of the Zephyrus G16 , and is still an excellent display, just without zone-dimming and not as bright in HDR as the miniLED one. That screen is more affordable, though, and notably more efficient when using the laptop on battery power.
Here’s what we got in our tests of that panel, with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro sensor :
Panel HardwareID: TL160ADMP03-0;
Coverage: 99.8% sRGB, 83.9% AdobeRGB, 98.0% DCI-P3;
Type: 10-bit HDR, with Dolby Vision support;
Measured gamma: 2.1;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 484.86 cd/m2 on power;
Min brightness in the middle of the screen: 34.22 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 1119:1;
White point: 6700 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.43 cd/m2;
PWM: No.
Hardware and performance Our test model is the top-specced configuration of the Asus ROG Flow X16, code name GV601VI, built on an Intel Core i9-13900H processor, 32 GB of DDR5-4800 memory in dual channel, 2 TB of middling SSD storage, and dual graphics: the Nvidia RTX 4070 8GB dGPU and the Iris UHD iGPU integrated within the Intel processor.
Before we proceed, keep in mind that our review unit was sent over by Asus and it runs on the early software available as of mid-March 2023 (BIOS 304, Armoury Crate 5.4.10, GeForce 531.41 drivers). I also reran some of the benchmarks (3DMark, mostly) on the later-released BIOS 306, which allowed an improvement in scores. Still, some aspects might still change with later software.
Spec-wise, this 2023 Asus ROG Flow X16 is built on the latest Intel and Nvidia hardware available to date.
The Core i9-13900H is a mid-tier i9 in Intel’s Raptor Lake 13th-gen platform , with 14 Cores and 20 Threads. It is a hybrid design with 6 High-Performance and dual-threaded Cores, and 8 Efficiency cores, which work together or separately in various activities. The design and thermal module of this Flow model allow the processor to run at 90-100W of sustained power in demanding CPU loads, on the Turbo or Manual profiles.
For the GPU, the 2023 Flow X16 is available with mid-tier RTX 4000 chips. What we have on this sample is the RTX 4070 Laptop dGPU running at up to 120W with Dynamic Boost.
There’s a MUX on this design, for uncompromised gaming performance, with support for Nvidia’s Advanced Optimus technology and GSync on the main display.
For RAM, the laptop comes with two DIMMs, and supports up to 64 GB of DDR5 memory. Our unit is a 32 GB configuration.
For storage, there are two M.2 2280 SSD slots inside, and our unit came with a mid-tier Micron 2400 drive. This is not as fast as the Samsung PM91A drives offered with other ROG models.
Getting inside to the components is a fairly simple task. For that, you need to take out the bottom D-panel, held in place by a few Philips screws. There’s no pop-up screw in the corner on this model, though, as on other Asus laptops, so prying the panel open is a bit more difficult and requires you to work your way from the front with a plastic prying tool.
Inside you get unrestrained access to the RAM slot, the SSD slots, the WiFi module, battery, speakers, and thermal module.
Specs aside, Asus offer their standard power profiles in the Armoury Crate control app: Silent, Performance, Turbo, and Manual, with various power settings and fan profiles between them, summarized in the following table.
Silent Balanced Extreme Performance Extreme + Cooler Boost
CPU only, PL1/PL2 TDP
55/100W
80/120W
100/135W
100/135W
GPU only, max TGP
54W
100W
120W
120W
Crossload
79W, 25 + 54W
105W, 15/25 + 80/90W
135W, 15/35 + 100/120W
135W, 15/35 + 100/120W
Noise at head-level, tested
~35 dBA
~40 dBA
~45 dBA
~51 dBA, max fans
Aside from these main power profiles, there are also some GPU options to choose from: Ultimate (dGPU only, requires a restart when selected), Standard (enables Advanced Optimus), Optimized (enables regular Optimus), and Eco (regular Optimus, but disables the dGPU). I mostly kept the laptop on Standard for daily use and tests, and opted for Ultimate for gaming.
Before we jump to the performance section, here’s how this laptop handles everyday use and multitasking on the Silent profile, unplugged from the wall. For what is worth, the fans keep idle on this Silent mode with casual use, as the dGPU is inactive and the CPU stays under 50 degrees C.
Performance and benchmarks On to more demanding loads, we start by testing the CPU’s performance by running the Cinebench R15 test for 15+ times in a loop, with a 1-2 seconds delay between each run.
The Core i9 processor stabilizes at ~90W of sustained power on the Turbo setting, with temperatures of around 94-96 C and scores of around 2850 points. The fans spin at ~45 dB at head level in this mode.
The CPU runs at 100+W for a loop or two, but then a slight amount of thermal throttling kicks in. That’s mostly because the fans are choked by this design while the laptop sits on a flat surface, due to the low-profile feet required by the convertible 2-in-1 format.
That’s shown when running the same test with the back of the laptop bumped up from the desk. In this case, the CPU stabilizes at around 100W, but still higher temperatures and nearly the same scores.
There’s also the option of using the Manual profile and bumping the fans to 100% rpms, while still having the back bumped off the desk. This translates into a notable increase in fan noise (51 dBA) and a slight increase in performance (3-5%). The CPU is no longer thermally limited in this mode, but is power limited at 100W and runs at ~90 degrees Celsius.
Switching over to the Performance profile translates in the CPU stabilizing at a little under 80W and still very high temperatures in the high 90s, with the fans spinning quieter at ~40 dB at head-level. That’s with the laptop on the desk.
On the Silent profile, the CPU stabilizes around 55W, with barely audible fans (sub 35 dB) and temperatures in the low-80s C. The i9-13900H still scores around 2350 points in this mode, about 80% of the Turbo performance.
Finally, the CPU runs at ~60W on battery, on the Performance profile, with excellent scores of around 2600 points. Details below.
Overall, the i9-13900H in this Flow X16 performs roughly on par with the same i9 in the Zephyrus M16 and G16 2023 models, and ~25% faster than the previous-gen Ryzen 9 implemented in the 2022 ROG Flow X16.
At the same time, the 2023 Intel Core i9 HX and AMD Ryzen 9 HX platforms are 50+% faster in this sustained multi-threaded load than the Core i9 H. Thus, if you need a laptop for primarily this sort of demanding CPU activity, there are more powerful options for you out there.
We then went ahead and further verified our findings with the more taxing Cinebench R23 loop test and Blender – Classroom, which resulted in similar findings to what we explained above (90-100W limit for Turbo, 75-80W for Performance, 55W for Silent).
We also ran the 3DMark CPU test on the Turbo profile.
Finally, we ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time. This review unit fails the test as long as it’s kept flat on the desk, but passes it with flying colors if you bump up the back in order to improve the airflow of fresh air into the fans. We’ll further discuss why this happens in the Gaming section.
Next, we ran the entire suite of tests and benchmarks, on the Turbo profile with the GPU set on the Standard mode (MUX on Advanced Optimus), and with the screen set at the native QHD+ resolution.
Here’s what we got:
3DMark 13 –CPU profile: max – 8795, 16 – 7978, 8 – 6446, 4 – 4184, 2 – 2230, 1 – 1124;3DMark 13 – Fire Strike (DX11): 27361 (Graphics – 30414, Physics – 32606, Combined – 13722);3DMark 13 – Port Royal (RTX): 7351;3DMark 13 – Time Spy (DX12): 12557 (Graphics – 12231, CPU – 14796);3DMark 13 – Speed Way (DX12 Ultimate): 2894;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6787;Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 19063;Handbrake 1.3.3 (4K to 1080p encode): 64.68 average fps;Handbrake 1.6.1 (4K to 1080p encode): 80.65 average fps;PassMark 10: Rating: 6515 (CPU: 34949, 3D Graphics: 21751, Memory: 3842, Disk Mark: 24447);PCMark 10: 7551 (Essentials – 10498, Productivity – 10266, Digital Content Creation – 10840);GeekBench 5.5.1 64-bit: Multi-core: 14478, Single-Core: 1974;CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 2989 cb, CPU Single Core 291 cb;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 7339 cb, CPU Single Core 787 cb;CineBench R23: CPU 19155 cb (best single run), CPU 16003 cb (10 min run), CPU Single Core 2025 cb;x265 HD Benchmark 64-bit: 22.81 s.
And here are some workstation benchmarks, on the same Turbo profile:
Blender 3.01 – BMW scene – CPU Compute: 2m 03s ;Blender 3.01 – BMW scene – GPU Compute: 18.70s (CUDA), 9.21s (Optix);Blender 3.01 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 4m 48s;Blender 3.01 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute: 36.70s (CUDA), 21.59s (Optix);Blender 3.41 – BMW scene – CPU Compute: 2m 02s;Blender 3.41 – BMW scene – GPU Compute: 18.07s (CUDA), 8.71 (Optix);Blender 3.41 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 4m 55s;Blender 3.41 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute: 35.00s (CUDA), 18.70s (Optix);
PugetBench – DaVinci Resolve: 1327 points;
SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax: 99.15;SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia: 67.10;SPECviewperf 2020 – Creo: 111.15;SPECviewperf 2020 – Energy: 41.46;SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya: 361.60;SPECviewperf 2020 – Medical: 39.55;SPECviewperf 2020 – SNX: 21.04;SPECviewperf 2020 – SW: 253.17.V-Ray Benchmark: 13115 – CPU, 1197 – CUDA, 1706 – RTX.
This is a good mid-tier performer and will cope with daily multitasking and workloads well.
It’s roughly 20% faster in CPU sustained loads than the previous Ryzen 9 + RTX 3070Ti configuration, and about on par in GPU loads, with only a slight advantage in some workloads and in RT tests. You’ll find more about the performance of these two Flow generations in this article , and if there’s enough interest, I could put up together a separate comparison article. Let me know in the comments section.
At the same time, there are surely more powerful laptops out there, both in the ultraportable space (with the 2023 Zephyrus M16 , for example) and especially in the full-size space of thicker and heavier devices, available with Core/Ryzen HX processors and higher-tier RTX 4080/4090 graphics.
In fact, a 4080 configuration would have been very interesting for this 2023 ROG Flow X16 series as well, as the performance differences between the 4080 and the 4070 are significant, and some buyers would have paid extra for that. There’s no such option, though, as the Flow X16 tops at a 4070 for this generation.
i9 (13th gen) + RTX 4070 or 4060 performance Asus offer this laptop in a multitude of options, and I expect many of you to want to compare the 4070 and 4060 specs on this sort of chassis. For comparison, I’ve added results from our review of the Zephyrus G16 down below, which is nearly identical in implementation and power settings to the X16. I haven’t yet tested any 4050 model, but will update the table once we do.
However, I’ve also included a full-power 13th-gen Core H + RTX 4070 configuration in the following table, for a better idea of what the RTX 4070 Laptop hardware would be capable of in a full-power design, and what you’re potentially giving up in performance by opting for this sort of a thinner and more portable design on the Flow X16.
i9-13900H + 4060 120W i9-13900H + 4070 120W i9-12700H + 4070 150W
3DMark – Fire Strike 23604 (G – 25754, P – 31797, C – 11730)
27361 (G – 30414, P – 32606, C – 13722)
24875 (G – 30466, P– 29476, C – 9530)
3DMark – Port Royal 5915
7351
7246
3DMark – Time Spy 10837 (Graphics – 10531, CPU – 12974)
12557 (Graphics – 12231, CPU – 14796)
12096 (Graphics – 11973, CPU – 12850)
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme 16755
6787
7067
CineBench R23 (best run) 20126 cb – multi core,
19155 cb – multi core,
17686 cb – multi core,
Blender 3.01 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute 4m 55s
4m 48s
5m 28s
Blender 3.01 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute 42.91s (CUDA), 22.45s (Optix)
36.70s (CUDA), 21.59s (Optix)
38.24s (CUDA), 23.10s (Optix)
SPECviewperf 2020 – 3DSMax: 93.75
99.15
95.62
SPECviewperf 2020 – Catia: 60.67
67.10
66.41
SPECviewperf 2020 – Maya: 332.12
361.60
393.22
The 4070 is roughly 15-20% faster in regular rendering tests than the 4060, and 20+% faster when it comes to Ray Tracing.
At the same time, the difference between the 4070 140W and the 4070 120W is within 5% or less, and pretty much insignificant with workloads and games. Thus, opting for one of these mid-tier 120W 4070 designs over a full-power 140W variant is hardly a trade-off.
Turbo Mode vs. Performance, Silent Let’s touch on the Performance and Silent profiles offered in Armoury Crate.
Those Turbo-mode results are mind-blowing, but the laptop runs at ~45 dBA on the Turbo profile, which is not as loud as on most other devices, but still audible. So if you’re willing to sacrifice the performance to some extent in order to keep the fans even quieter, the Performance and Silent profiles should be of interest.
Here’s how this 2023 ROG Flow X16 performs on the Performance profile, which limits the fans to around 40 dB at head level.
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 24558 (Graphics – 28084, Physics – 29636, Combined – 11171);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 11903 (Graphics – 11687, CPU – 13301);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6735;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 6947 cb, CPU Single Core 780 CB;Blender 3.41 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 6m 04s.
The CPU runs at high power in shorter loads, but at about 80% of its Turbo capabilities in sustained longer-duration loads. The GPU, on the other hand, runs at about 90-95% of its Turbo mode performance. Not bad, but keep in mind that the internal components heat-up a fair bit on this profile. We’ll touch on this further down, in the Gaming section.
You can also opt for the Silent profile, in which case the fans won’t go over 35 dB. Here’s what we got in this case:
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 21506 (Graphics – 23606, Physics – 26302, Combined – 11080);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 9289 (Graphics – 8925, CPU – 12082);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 5204;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 6322 cb, CPU Single Core 659 CB;Blender 3.41 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 6m 55s.
Both the CPU and the GPU run at about 65-75% of their capabilities in this mode, due to the power limitations applied by the profile. Nonetheless, these are still solid results for how quietly the laptop runs in this mode.
Performance on USB-C power You can also charge this laptop via USB-C, something useful when traveling and you don’t want to bring along the bulkier main charger.
Only the Performance and Silent profiles are available on USB-C power delivery. I plugged in the 100W ROG charger that came with the laptop, and this Flow X16 handled basic use, multitasking, and even demanding loads well in this mode. However, the hardware is power limited in comparison to using the main charger.
Expect 45W sustained in CPU only-loads, ~100W in GPU loads, and around 115W in combined CPU+GPU loads (15-25W CPU + 90-100 W GPU).
Here are some benchmarks scores on Performance mode on USB-C power.
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 24243 (Graphics – 28294, Physics – 27336, Combined – 10806);3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 11795 (Graphics – 11713, CPU – 12285);Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 6801;CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 6055 cb, CPU Single Core 763 cb;Blender 3.41 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 7m 03s.
The shorter tests such as 3DMark are very close to the performance scores measured with the main power charger connected, but the CPU performance takes a dip in the sustained CPU loads, as the system power limits it to 45W.
With combined loads, though, the system draws power from both the charger and the battery. Thus, the battery discharges quickly, and you’ll get roughly 1.5 hours of life at full load on Performance mode with PD power. If you need longer battery life, you can opt for the Silent profile instead, but you’ll have to accept the decrease in GPU performance (similar to the Silent profile on the main charger, explained in the previous section).
Gaming performance Let’s see how this ROG Flow X16 (2023 generation) handles modern games.
We tested a couple of different types of games on the various available profiles at QHD+ and FHD+ resolution, all with the MUX set on the Ultimate GPU mode.
Here are the results:
Core i9-13900H QHD+ Turbo, QHD+ Performance, FHD+ Turbo, FHD+ Silent,
Cyberpunk 2077 57 fps (40 fps – 1% low)
54 fps (39 fps – 1% low)
80 fps (57 fps – 1% low)
61 fps (46 fps – 1% low)
Doom Eternal 208 fps (34 fps – 1% low)
192 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
288 fps (39 fps – 1% low)
224 fps (40 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 6 83 fps (64 fps – 1% low)
78 fps (61 fps – 1% low)
106 fps (82 fps – 1% low)
89 fps (66 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 5 106 fps (66 fps – 1% low)
99 fps (67 fps – 1% low)
139 fps (90 fps – 1% low)
114 fps (82 fps – 1% low)
Metro Exodus 68 fps (43 fps – 1% low)
–
86 fps (48 fps – 1% low)
–
Red Dead Redemption 2 79 fps (53 fps – 1% low)
75 fps (54 fps – 1% low)
107 fps (66 fps – 1% low)
90 fps (58 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider 97 fps (54 fps – 1% low)
94 fps (54 fps – 1% low)
125 fps (63 fps – 1% low)
103 fps (54 fps – 1% low)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (v4.01) 102 fps (46 fps – 1% low)
88 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
121 fps (86 fps – 1% low)
95 fps (51 fps – 1% low)
Battlefield V, Cyberpunk, Doom, Witcher 3 – recorded with Fraps/in-game FPS counter in campaign mode;
Far Cry 5, 6, Metro, Red Dead Redemption 2, Tomb Raider – recorded with the included Benchmark utilities;
Red Dead Redemption 2 Optimized profile based on these settings .
Those above are rasterization tests, and here are some results for RTX – Ray Tracing performance, with and without DLSS.
Core i9-13900H + RTX 4070 Laptop 100-125W QHD+ Turbo, dGPU, on desk- FHD+ Turbo, dGPU, on desk
Cyberpunk 2077 23 fps (17 fps – 1% low)
41 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
Cyberpunk 2077 50 fps (36 fps – 1% low)
72 fps (53 fps – 1% low)
Doom Eternal 142 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
211 fps (38 fps – 1% low)
Doom Eternal 68 fps (19 fps – 1% low)
234 fps (42 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 6 71 fps (53 fps – 1% low)
84 fps (66 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider 58 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
88 fps (53 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider 68 fps (30 fps – 1% low)
95 fps (52 fps – 1% low)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (v4.02 update) 45 fps (28 fps – 1% low)
53 fps (32 fps – 1% low)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (v4.02 update) 31 fps (18 fps – 1% low)
56 fps (40 fps – 1% low)
This configuration can easily handle all the modern games at QHD+ resolution and Ultra settings.
RT Ultra settings are a tougher chore, though, and you’ll most likely want to enable DLSS, especially in the titles that support DLSS3. However, for some reason, Witcher 3 performed glitchy on RT on this unit, running at lower framerates with DLSS on than with DLSS Off, despite the 4.02 latest hotfix that’s supposed to address this exact issue: performance on DLLS settings. Not sure what’s that about. Weird.
With that out of the way, let’s go over some performance and temperature logs.
The Turbo mode ramps up the fans to levels of ~45 dB, which is quieter than the Turbo mode on all the other ROG laptops that I’ve tested lately.
With the laptop on the desk, though, the CPU runs at between 82 to 90 degrees Celsius in the tested titles, but the GPU heats up to the throttling point of 87 degrees Celsius, and even clocks down in order to cope with this heat. That means the GPU throttles in this scenario, by about 5-10% from its peak potential.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve read out past reviews of the Flow X16 2022 models, and is mostly a downside of this device being a 2-in-1 format. In order to allow for the tablet mode, Asus could only implement some slim rubber feet on the bottom of this laptop, and those limit the airflow and choke the fans when having the laptop on the desk.
However, things change drastically when placing this in tent mode or on a raiser stand or pretty much any other method that unchokes the intakes.
On the same Turbo mode, but with the back raised up from the desk, the CPU runs at 75-80 degrees Celsius and the GPU drops under 80 degrees as well. Furthermore, the performance is no longer throttled in any way in this mode.
You could also opt for the Manual profile which allows customizing the power setting and fan profiles. For testing, I’ve pushed all the fans to 100% rpms, bumped the laptop on a raiser stand, and kept the power settings as they come by default, but that’s hardly worth it on this laptop. Other sorts of tweaks might be worth pursuing, though, but I’ll let you play around with the settings.
Instead, if you’re willing to sacrifice the framerates to some extent and get a quieter gaming experience, the Performance and Silent profiles are worth pursuing.
On our unit, the Performance profile drops the fans’ noise to ~40 dBA at head level, and marginally limits the CPU and GPU power. This translates into a 5-8% reduction in framerates, which is barely more than a rounding error.
However, temperatures are once again very high with the laptop on the desk, but once more excellent with the laptop raised up in order to facilitate proper airflow into the bottom fans.
Here are the logs for Performance mode with the laptop on the desk.
And here are the logs for Performance mode with the back bumped up. BIG difference of 10-15 degrees on the CPU/GPU between them.
The Silent profile caps the GPU more aggressively, at around 55-60W of power, but also pushes the fan noise to sub 35 dBA. This mode isn’t ideal for high framerates, but makes perfect sense for casual gaming at FHD+ resolution and high settings.
Plus, the CPU/GPU temperatures are no longer a concern in this mode even when having the laptop on the desk, unlike on the other profiles.
Finally, I’ll mention the gaming performance on battery power, on the Performance profile.
This sample limits the GPU to around 55W of power on this profile, which translated into similar performance as on Silent mode – plugged in. But don’t expect more than one hour of gaming on battery power, at least with the current software.
Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others Asus implements a complex thermal module on this laptop, different in a few ways from what they implement on their other portable designs.
This cooling module uses a multitude of heat pipes and three fans. Two of them are placed as you’d expect, flanking the components, with a big radiator that goes across the entire rear-edges of the laptop, and an extra side radiator on the GPU side.
Furthermore, Asus implemented a handful of foam elements designed to channel the flow of air from the middle fan, over the heatpipes, and onto the back exhaust. Foam elements are also used on top of the main fans, in order to isolate them from the reminding of the components and better channel air into these main fans.
All these combined allow the Flow X16 to properly cool the components in this chassis with lower fan noise levels than on other designs. Turbo spins the fans at 45 dBA on the Flow, but closer and over 50 dBA on the ROG Zephyrus models of the 2023 generation.
However, you have to understand and accept that this laptop won’t perform at its best of its abilities while flat on the desk, because of the low-profile rubber feet that choke the intakes, as explained in the previous section. Hence, you should use this on a raiser stand or in tent mode for long work/gaming sessions.
With that out of the way, here’s a quick recap on the fan noise on the available power profiles: 45 dBA on Turbo, ~40 dBA of Performance, and sub-35 dBA on the Silent profile.
As far as the outer case temperatures go, the armrest and the areas around the WASD keys and arrows barely go just over 40 degrees Celsius, but there’s a hotter spot in the middle of the keyboard that goes over 50 degrees on all modes. However, keep in mind that I’ve recorded these FLIR images with the laptop sitting on the desk, and they’ll drop by a few degrees if you place the laptop on a raiser stand, as a result of the better airflow and of the internals running cooler.
*Gaming – Silent – playing Cyberpunk for 30 minutes, Silent profile, fans at ~35 dB *Gaming – Performance – playing Cyberpunk for 30 minutes, fans at ~40 dB
Gaming aside, this laptop is a breeze with daily use, with light multitasking, browsing, or video streaming.
The 0dB Technology allows the fans to completely switch off with light use on the Silent profile, as long as the hardware stays under 50 C, which is most of the time. And that’s both on battery or when plugged in.
However, the fans will spin if you keep the laptop on Performance or Turbo, regardless of the CPU/GPU temperatures. They spin quietly with light use, at sub 30 dB, but that’s still enough to hear them in quiet environments. I just wish the 0dB technology would work on the other profiles as well, so I wouldn’t have to manually switch between these power modes during daily use.
I’ll also add that I haven’t noticed any sort of coil whining or electronic noises on this sample. However, make sure to carefully listen for any on your unit, just to make sure you haven’t drawn a short stick.
*Daily Use – streaming Netflix in EDGE for 30 minutes, Silent profile, fans at 0 dB
For connectivity, there’s Wireless 6E and Bluetooth 5 on this unit, with a triple-band implementation. This sample performed well on Wi-Fi with my setup, although the wifi speeds drop a fair bit when going further way from the router, at 30+ feet with two walls in between.
What I did notice is that by default the laptop comes with an SSD in the right slot, and has an extra free M.2 slot that goes over the wifi module. Adding an additional SSD in that second slot impacted the wifi speeds in some way, causing them to drop to only 100-150 Mpbs at 6-10 meters away from the router, where the default configuration with the single right SSD worked at 300++ Mbps. The reason I tested this was that it was pointed out by a reader in the comments section of the Zephyrus M16 review, and I was curious whether this was an isolated issue. Looks like it might not be and I’m waiting for an update from Asus on this matter, as they were working on reproducing it on their units.
The audio quality here is pretty good for laptop speakers, with the dual-side audio solutions that are also implemented in the Zephyrus G15/M16 (but without the extra tweeters available with those). I measured volumes above 80 dB at head level, good mids, and even some decent bass. The chassis doesn’t vibrate in a noticeable way at high volumes either.
Finally, a camera is placed at the top of the screen and flanked by microphones. It’s FHD resolution, so decent quality in good lighting, and includes IR with support for Windows Hello.
Battery life There’s a 90Wh battery inside all the 2023 ROG models, including this Flow X16.
The system is also set to automatically switch the screen’s refresh to 60 Hz when using the laptop on battery power, so if you’ll notice a quick screen flicker when you disconnect the laptop from the wall, that’s a side-effect of this tweak. I’ll also add that if you’re looking to maximize runtimes, it’s important to use the laptop on any option but the Ultimate dGPU mode in Armory Crate – ideally on the Silent Profile and on Standard/Eco dGPU mode.
Here’s what we got on our review unit in terms of battery life, with the laptop on the Standard GPU mode and the screen set on single-zone lighting mode and a brightness of around 120 nits (~50% brightness).
11 W (~8 h of use) – idle, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;16.5 W (~5-6 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;14 W (~6 h of use) – 4K fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;14 W (~6 h of use) – Netflix 4K HDR fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;22 W (~4-5 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON;85 W (~1 h of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Performance Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON, no fps limit.
Not bad, but not great either. The miniLED panel most likely takes a toll, based on what we’ve seen on IPS configurations of the same i9-13900H platform.
I’ll also add that having the laptop on either single or multi-zone screen mode doesn’t impact the runtimes in any notable way, per our tests. Multi-zone might allow the display to consume less power with some content, but the differences are within the margin of error.
For comparison, here’s what the previous 2022 ROG Flow X16 + mini LED display variant offered in battery life, on the AMD Ryzen 9 platform.
11.1 W (~8 h 6 min of use) – idle, Quiet mode with battery saver on, screen at 0%, Wi-Fi ON, backlighting off;15.9 W (~5 h 40 min of use) – text editing in Word/Excel with light internet use, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;14.4 W (~6 h 15 min of use) – 1440p 60hz Youtube fullscreen in Chrome, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;13.9 W (~4 h 56 min of use) – 1080p Hulu fullscreen video in Chrome, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;20.7 W (~4 h 21 min of use) – heavy browsing in Chrome, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON;64.5 W (~1 h 24 min of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3 60fps, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON.
This shows that there’s barely a notable difference in efficiency between the two generations, despite one being Intel and the other being AMD.
And here’s the same 2022 Ryzen 9 model, but this time with an IPS screen:
14 W (~6-7 h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;12.5 W (~7+ h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;11.5 W (~8+ h of use) – Netflix 4K fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;17 W (~6-7 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Balanced Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON;85 W (~1+ h of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Balanced Mode, screen at 60%, WiFi ON, no fps limit.
This variant ran more efficiently, and that’s all due to the less power-hungry IPS display. Thus, if runtimes are that important to you, aim for an IPS display configuration (if available in your region, for either the 2022 or 2023 generations).
I’ll also add that the 2023 ROG ROG Flow X16 comes with a 240W power brick on all models, which is mid-sized by today’s standards. The battery fully charges from 10% in about 2 hours, with fast charging for the first half an hour, and USB-C charging is supported as well, up to 100W. A 100W ROG USB-C charger is bundled in with this GV601VI configuration, at least over here.
Price and availability- 2023 Asus ROG Flow X16 The 2023 Asus ROG Flow X16 is listed in some markets at the time of this article, but not all the configurations are available everywhere.
The top-tier ROG Flow X16 GV601VI model reviewed here, with the i9-13900H, RTX 4070 Laptop dGPU, 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB of SSD storage, and the mini LED display, is listed at around 2999 EUR here in Europe and 2699 GBP in the UK. I couldn’t find it on the US market, for now, but I’d expect it to go for around 2500 USD, more or less.
Lower specced models are also available here in Europe. The base-model Flow X16 GV601VU (i9 + 16 GB + 1 TB SSD + RTX 4050 + IPS display) is listed at 2299 EUR on the German/French markets, while the Flow X16 GV601VV (i9 + 16 GB + 1 TB SSD + RTX 4060 + IPS display) is listed at 2149 GBP on the UK market.
We’ll update this section in the future. In the meantime, though, follow this link for updated configurations and prices in your region at the time you’re reading this article.
Final thoughts- 2023 Asus ROG Flow X16 review The ROG Flow X16 remains one of the best portable all-purpose laptops that you can buy today, and pretty much without a direct-tier alternative even in 2023.
The 2-in-1 format with a touch display, the awesome mini LED panel, and the balanced performance/cooling design are its primary differentiators over the other options out there. But the solid build quality and excellent ergonomics, the uncompromised IO, the punchy speakers, the overall performance capabilities, and even the fair battery life are also strong selling points for this series.
At the same time, though, this Flow demands a premium over the clamshell Asus ROG Zephyrus lineups, and is only available with mid-tier GPU specs. That means the top-specced 2023 generation is pretty much on par in gaming and GPU capabilities with the top-tier 2022 model, and that might not suffice for some of you. Hence, a 4080 configuration would have addressed this part.
But thing is, if performance is what you’re primarily after, you’re most likely better off with something else anyway. The ROG Zephyrus M16 is an interesting option in the portable space, while the full-size space offers many competitive alternatives with faster CPUs and graphics and cooler-running internals.
Speaking of, when opting for a Flow X16 you must understand the design limitation that derives from the 2-in-1 format: slim-profile rubber feet must pe placed on the bottom of the chassis in order to allow for the tablet mode. These lead to the fans being choked while using the laptop flat on the desk for demanding activities, which translate into very high CPU/GPU temperatures and some performance throttling. Bumping this on a stand or using it in tent mode or pretty much any other way that un-blocks the air-intakes on the underside addresses the issue and allows this Flow X16 to function properly within its power limits, while keeping quieter than most of the other options out there.
Furthermore, when opting for a mini LED configuration of this laptop, you must understand that the mini LED panel takes a toll on battery life, so this won’t be able to last as long on a charge as a configuration with an IPS display.
As long as you’re fine with all these, the ROG FLow X16 is going to be an excellent choice for you. Hence, it earns a 4.5 rating and our overall recommendation.
That’s pretty much my review of the 2023 Asus ROG Flow X16 model. Looking for your thoughts, feedback, and questions on the series in the comments section down below.
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Navigation: Ultrabookreview.com » Asus
Review by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com . I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.
John
March 29, 2023 at 2:21 pm
I'm very curious about the 4060 version review, since it'll probably be what most people will aim for.
Andrei Girbea
March 29, 2023 at 2:23 pm
I guess you haven't read the performance section carefully, have you? Here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/62670-asus-rog-flow-x16-gen2-review/#a5:~:text=i9%20(13th%20gen)%20%2B%20RTX%204070%20or%204060%20performance
Piotr
March 30, 2023 at 12:15 am
Or 4050 for less heat and using XG Mobile for actual gaming.
Andrei Girbea
March 30, 2023 at 9:42 am
The 4060, 4070 are all 120W designs, so the temperatures should not differ significantly between them.
Edited: 4050 is indeed lower power at 105W
Piotr
March 30, 2023 at 10:44 am
Isn't 4050 105W? (on asus specs list)
Andrei Girbea
March 30, 2023 at 10:48 am
Ha, you're right. My bad
Leroy
March 29, 2023 at 5:57 pm
4070 in Performance mode seems to be much better than 3070 Ti in the same mode. My graphics scores at least are like 20-30% lower. And if you add DLSS 3 as a significant bonus, it’s a bit harsh to say it’s not an upgrade. Or is everyone using Turbo (jet engine benchmark mode)?
A 4080 would be a new higher tier in general IMHO which would have been great. This is a missed opportunity for sure. And the feet should have been higher.
Andrei Girbea
March 29, 2023 at 6:06 pm
Well, Turbo is the reference of what these systems can do imo, especially on this one that runs quieter than mostly everything else. But yeah, Perf and Silent modes are very interesting here, and there's also the DLSS part.
H Singh
March 30, 2023 at 12:05 pm
Great article, will you be doing a review of the x13 2023 model and ideally a comparison against the z13 2023 model as I'm struggling on which model to go for!
Andrei Girbea
March 30, 2023 at 3:01 pm
at some point, yes
federick
March 30, 2023 at 9:19 am
Hi,Has Asus improved the hinges in the 2023 model or are they the same as before? 2-can we expect better battery life maybe 1-2 hrs more with non mini led and 13700h model(theoretical)? battery is very important for me 3- do you test the pen? how is feeling maybe like slim pen 2? thanks
Andrei Girbea
March 30, 2023 at 9:44 am
1. the hinges are the same.
2. read the battery life section
3. It's an Asus pen 2.0. You'll find details about it online. I haven't used it much, I don't have enough experience with pens to post proper feedback on it. It works, but I can't tell whether it's better or worse than other options.
william ogle
April 1, 2023 at 10:12 pm
I just received my GV601VI and love it. My only gripe is that I do not see a pen included in the box. Am I the only one that did not receive a pen?
tom
April 1, 2023 at 8:48 am
Hey Andrei,I am curious to know which country you are from? You review laptops much earlier than others.well done
Andrei Girbea
April 1, 2023 at 9:51 am
I'm based in Romania.
Rudi
April 1, 2023 at 9:24 am
I have neither the 2022, nor the 2023 variant. Could you please give your personal opinion if generally 2023 is worth the buy? Found the maxed out version of 2022 for 2600 bucks and I understood the story with the new GPU too being meh. Thanks in advance🐣
Andrei Girbea
April 1, 2023 at 9:52 am
Better screen and better CPU performance with the 2023 model. Slightly quieter and better temps with the 2022 model. I'd go for the 2023 if they're roughly the same price for the 4070 2023 vs 3070Ti 2023.
Rudi
April 1, 2023 at 9:56 am
Thanks alot. I also have the FHD Webcam in mind right now since I communicate alot on video and the futuristic thunderbolt and USB 4 together with the double multizones number for the screen compared to last year model. I finally can take a decision. Thanks🔥
Juha Kolari
April 2, 2023 at 11:01 am
In which country is this made?
William Ogle
April 3, 2023 at 6:23 pm
Hi All,
An important note. The review says the pen in included however at least in the US it is not included. Just received mine Saturday and there is not a pen. I called Asus and they said it is not included. Love the laptop however this is the first pen display laptop I have purchased that does not include the pen. Should have been included.
Andrei Girbea
April 3, 2023 at 6:39 pm
Thanks for the update! Mine came with an included pen in the box, here in Europe. Also two chargers, main and USB-C. I'll have an update in the article.
William Ogle
April 3, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Cool, thanks Andrei!
Aurelio
April 5, 2023 at 10:15 pm
I am not a gamer (my gaming days – on 486 machines – have been long gone), but…
…if I was, I am always wondering on the battery section if it wouldn't be more interesting to have a different entry as well (like you have 2 video entries e.g. YouTube + NetFlix).
I imagine if I was a gamer what would be the circumstances I would like to game on battery:
– maybe at the University, between classes
– maybe commuting on the bus or on the train or on a long trip
Either way, it is likely that gaming on battery would be considered "very casual gaming" and therefore all kinds of compromises would be acceptable:
– lower resolution
– lower specs/quality modes
– lower screen brightness, like 30% (still very acceptable on some laptops under shade or at night)
– lower performance modes
– lower fps
My question is:
Isn't there a way to game on battery (with lots of compromises) that would allow for more than these somewhat "typical" 1 hour limits one these machines?
For example, something on this x16 that would result in a consumption level of 35 or 40W instead of the listed 85W?
Also (and I know this is a stretch), lots of buses, trains and airplanes (and their respective terminals) now have usb ports available on the seats for you to use.
So, another curiosity of mine would be:
How much longer could you possibly take this "gaming on battery" experience if you connect a charger on these somewhat limited usb ports?
Andrei Girbea
April 6, 2023 at 9:13 am
That's a good question, but I never quite got into running these sorts of tests. I will look into it at some point, but not sure when I'll find the time.
As for those USB ports, they're most likely not providing power via USB, so can't be used for charging.
Simon H
September 14, 2023 at 9:36 am
I own the 2021 rog flow x13. I went camping off grid and brought my 20000mah powerbank with PD 2.0 18W. It extended my Netflix binge sessions significantly (a few more hours of battery life, when connected to my smartphones 4g hotspot). I think the laptop maxes out on 28W PD, when connected to a 3rd party charger. I guess if you could find a high wattage PD powerbank, you could extend your gaming sessions while on battery.
Spaghetti lover
April 13, 2023 at 7:35 pm
While I understand why the same panel of (now old) games are tested on every laptop, it might be beneficial to run newer games especially ones that are starting to use more than 8 GB VRAM- such as The Last of Us part1. We’re buying new laptops to play the newest games- if new games crash/ run at unplayable frames, there’s no point buying. Hardware Unboxed showed the 3070 basically unable to run RE 4 remake and the last of us. Now we do not have a laptop comparison though, so this would be highly appreciated if you incorporate these metrics.
If the 4070 laptop behaves the same as 3070 desktop that HUB reported, then I respectfully feel this is not worth it- 4060 for entry option is reasonable, and then 4080 with 12 GB VRAM is reasonable. In that case, the Flow x16 with its $2500 tag in the US is simply not worth a recommendation if it cannot run new games in QHD (it’s native resolution) at all- either the 4060 Flow (cost) or the 4080 m16 (performance) are decent alternatives. What do you think?
Andrei Girbea
April 14, 2023 at 11:30 am
Which newer games? I update the games that I'm testing once or twice a year, adding new titles.
PS: I'm adding RE 4 to the batch of tested games for the next review.
Spaghetti lover
April 15, 2023 at 6:20 pm
All at QHD:
1) Last of Us part 1
2) RE 4 remake
3) Plague tale Requiem ray traced
4) Callisto protocol ray traced
Below is the link by hardware unboxed which goes over these. 8 GB VRAM is basically unplayable for all of these, and these are all new, AAA games that one would expect a 2023 laptop to run reasonably well (especially at the 4070 version of the laptop which would likely cost $2500+). This is especially egregious as the RX 6800 desktop and even the laptop 6800M (12GB VRAM) on the Asus G15 advantage edition can play all of these (with ray tracing) at 30-60 fps, and the laptop costs $1400 now (even lower on sale).
https://youtu.be/Rh7kFgHe21k
IMO 4070 laptop is in a tough spot (unlike the 4070 desktop which has 12GB VRAM).
s y
April 18, 2023 at 9:41 pm
Thank you so much for bringing this to attention, I was literally sold on this model, literally just waiting for a good price, but this is a total dealbreaker. The problem is the models that do carry 4080 mobile or 4090 have their own issues, and lack the touch and digitizer functions of this model…I may have to wait out this year as well.
HSB
April 19, 2023 at 11:00 pm
What's the deal breaker here sorry?
s y
April 20, 2023 at 1:40 pm
What's the dealbreaker?? This is a premium grade GPU of the latest generation, yet it's already obsolete being unable to run multiple AAA titles properly on 1080P high quality with RT(certain cases can't even run medium quality properly). No amount of rasterization is going to fix that. Having watched that video I will not settle for less than 12GB VRAM in 2023 and 2024, or less than 16GB if I have to spend over $3000 total on the device. If anyone's to blame, it's the gaming studios for optimizing resource consumption of textures so poorly, but also Nvidia for rebranding a 4060 as 4070 on mobile and being so stingy on the VRAM.
The quickest fix is for Nvidia to release a 12GB version of 4070 mobile, but I'm more hoping that Asus will pair this chassis with a 4080 mobile or 4090 mobile. I'll go for whatever's top tier.
Andrei Girbea
April 20, 2023 at 5:25 pm
I doubt they'll have a 4080 configuration for this X16 generation. 4080/4090 are only available on the Zephyrus M16 model.
s y
April 14, 2023 at 7:08 pm
Hi, very helpful review but I don't think it got to an issue that's quite important for all these ROG hybrids: Does the keyboard still work, or can it be set to work, in tablet mode? Because if one buys one of those GPU docks, it will have to be connected to an external display for maximum efficiency, and in that case basically the only logical form of the computer would be tablet mode, so that the screen doesn't get in the way, but most tablet modes automatically disable the keyboard.
Andrei Girbea
April 15, 2023 at 8:57 am
the keyboard is disabled in tablet mode. But, you don't want to use the device in tablet mode for anything demanding anyway, because that mode covers the air intakes. Instead, have the laptop in a vertical stand with he screen closed, and connect and external keyboard/mouse.
s y
April 16, 2023 at 3:23 am
Thanks for the reply, but that really takes 2-3x the desk space required compared to just having the device in tablet mode on a typing stand with the keyboard active. Considering the overall cost and how cumbersome the solution is, it strongly deters against buying the 4090 dock. The air intake shouldn't be much of a problem since the GPU's work is entirely offloaded to the dock and the screen is off.
Ben
April 15, 2023 at 10:55 am
Hi Andrei, have you heard back from Asus regarding the Wifi issue with second SSD slot populated? I plan on using the second slot, but if Wifi is handicapped as a result then it'll be a deal breaker unfortunately.
Andrei Girbea
April 15, 2023 at 11:02 am
We're still back and forth on this one. They weren't able to reproduce the issue on their models, so I'm trying to get back the unit that I had for some further tests.
If you can get the unit with the possibility of free/easy returns, it would be helpful to give it a try and see if the same problems happen for you. At this point, I'm trying to understand if that's widespread or isolated to a few of the early-batch models (the one I and Sascha had)
Ben
April 19, 2023 at 8:27 am
The 2023 X16 is not yet available in my region so I'm still camping as it's currently on top of my list. The Wifi result is definitely interesting, and it may affect my purchase decision. Please do update whenever you have the outcome.
L
May 1, 2023 at 5:52 pm
Hi Andrei, thanks for the thorough review, did Asus get back to you on this? I am on the same boat and it would be good to know if it is individual units or more a widespread problem
Andrei Girbea
May 1, 2023 at 8:21 pm
I don't have any other updates at this point
Joel
April 17, 2023 at 1:46 am
Great review, Andrei. I'm a filmmaker (10 films at Castel in Bucharest!) and do a lot of 4K video editing but also a lot of tablet sketching. Love the versatility of this machine but wondering if you think it can handle 4K video editing (Adobe Premiere)? I'm not a gamer.
Andrei Girbea
April 17, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Yeah, should be a good option for Premiere, preferably with 32 GB of RAM. I haven't run the Puget Premiere tests on this one at the time, but for what is worth, expect around 1300 points. You'll find what this score means and how it compares to other laptops on Puget's website.
Michele Gabriele
May 9, 2023 at 9:46 pm
It would be interesting to know how performance are with an eGFX enclosure that provide 100W of PD on the TB4 ports, with a desktop GPU in it; in this case the 100W of PD by TB4 should mainly feed the CPU cause the external GPU will have its own PSU.
HERNAN
October 30, 2023 at 6:43 pm
What digitizer comes with this Asus Rog Flow x16? Is it a Wacom EMR?