In 2024, Asus revamped its ROG Zephyrus gaming laptops, equipping them with sleek aluminum bodies and stunning OLED screens. The Intel version of the ROG Zephyrus G16 initially seemed like a potential rival to the MacBook Pro due to its slim, lightweight design and impressive power. However, the Core Ultra 9 185H processor caused issues with battery life. Asus later released a new version of the G16 featuring the latest flagship CPU from AMD, making it a well-rounded laptop with improved battery life, comparable to the Zenbook S 16. The AMD model outperformed Intel’s Meteor Lake processors in terms of integrated graphics, efficiency, and raw power, establishing itself as the superior choice despite its high price tag.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) is priced at $2149.99 and offers above-average battery life for a gaming laptop, a thin and light design, exceptional screen and speakers, and overall good build quality. However, it faces competition from Asus’ other offerings, tends to run hot, and falls behind in performance compared to similar laptops. The laptop comes in different variants, with the most expensive model featuring an Nvidia RTX 4070 mobile GPU.
The G16 boasts a remarkable 2560 x 1600, 240Hz OLED display with excellent color accuracy and brightness levels. The keyboard and trackpad are top-notch, while the minimalist design and single RGB lighting zone may disappoint users accustomed to per-key customization. Despite its appearance being more subdued than previous models, the G16 retains some gamer flair with its Slash Lighting feature.
In terms of performance, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H in synthetic benchmarks, showcasing improvements in both single and multicore tasks. While the AMD version excels in CPU-heavy tasks, gaming performance sees noticeable gains at 1080p resolution. However, the RTX 4070 GPU may struggle to achieve 60fps in newer, demanding titles at max settings. Enabling features like DLSS can help improve performance in such cases.
The integrated graphics on the AMD model, powered by the Radeon 890M, offer solid 1080p gaming performance even on battery power. Overall, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU delivers a solid gaming experience, complemented by its exceptional display and sleek design.