ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) has announced its blockbuster lineup of laptops and gaming accessories for 2024, revealing an impressive slate at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The flagship models unveiled during proceedings include the refreshed ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 laptops, as well as the ROG Strix SCAR 16 and 18 laptops – all of which are designed with high speed, performance, and style in mind.
For most people, the ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 will do the trick, with these laptops sporting hearty performance, as well as new, more impressive ROG Nebula Display OLED panels. The ROG Strix SCAR 16 and 18, meanwhile, are powerhouses designed for esports enthusiasts, and those looking for absolutely gut-busting power.
Per ASUS, the Strix SCAR 16 and SCAR 18 will be powered by up to the Intel Core i9 processor 14900HX, and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, with optimal cooling via Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal, ensuring longer gaming sessions are well-supported. They also feature Mini LED 2.5K 240Hz ROG Nebula HDR displays, ROG’s first 18-inch Mini LED display.
To accompany this laptop slate, ASUS ROG has also announced an array of snazzy peripherals, including the Keris 2 Ace mouse, with a focus on accurate FPS gameplay, the Falchion RX Low Profile customisable keyboard, the Tetra True Wireless Speednova earplugs with ultra low-latency audio, and the Carnyx, a new cardioid microphone designed with streaming in mind.
And that’s not all – ROG also announced the brand new ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro at CES 2024, with both phones targeting great portable performance for gaming while rocking crisp camera features, and neat AMOLED displays.
That’s not to mention the sheer number of other ASUS products announced at CES 2024 – new Vivobooks, Zenbooks, Expertbooks, Chromebooks, and more. In short, ASUS has been incredibly busy.
It looks like 2024 will be another big year for the company, following successful launches for gaming and lifestyle-focused products like the ASUS ROG Ally, the ROG Strix G16, and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate in 2023.
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ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16: Features
Of the recent products announced, the Zephyrus G14 and G16 are the flagships for ROG, with these laptops representing a major leap. As detailed, the laptops are compatible with the latest GPU and CPU hardware, and supported by an array of robust features and model improvements.
The G14 is just 1.59cm thin and weighs 1.5 kilograms, while the G16 is 1.49cm thin and weighs in at 1.85 kilograms. Both rock new slimline, minimalist designs that aid portability and ease of use. They’re also available in either Eclipse Gray or Platinum White, with these lighter colours lending a neat sense of class.
That extends to the displays on both laptops. As revealed, these are the first laptops to feature ROG Nebula Display OLED panels. The G14 features a 3K 120Hz panel with vivid colour, and the G16 sports a 2.5K display with a whopping 240Hz refresh rate. Realistically, that’s all just numbers – but in practicality, it means smooth and crisp gameplay, and a very well-defined visual colour palette.
Both displays feature a 16:10 aspect ratio, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio to aid that visual dynamism. Hi-Res Audio and Dolby Atmos tech is also included in both laptops, to push a sense of immersion.
As detailed, the Zephyrus G14 supports up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8940H processor, and the G16 supports up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 185H. For those looking for the best performance, the G16 will be available with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU on board.
ROG Intelligent Cooling will aid those higher performance ambitions, ensuring the Zephyrus remains a lap-friendly laptop.
ROG Zephyrus G16: Specs Rundown
Here’s a brief specs overview of the flagship ROG Zephyrus G16.
ROG Zephyrus G16
- CPU: Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
- GPU: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU
- RAM: Up to 32GB LPDDR5X 7467 MHz
- Display: 16″ ROG Nebula Display OLED 2.5K (2560 × 1600), 240 Hz / 0.2 ms, 100% DCI-P3, with G-SYNC®
- Size and weight: 1.49cm thin, 1.85kg
- Battery: 240W / 200W, 50% in 30 mins
- Charging: 90Wh with fast charging support
- Wi-Fi: 6E supported
ROG Zephyrus G16 – Preview
Ahead of CES 2024, ASUS sent over the ROG Zephyrus G16 for preview, and so far it’s proved to be a mightily impressive machine. It makes an immediate impression out of the box, thanks to its thin design and weight, which is more in line with standard laptops. To look at it, you wouldn’t expect it to house an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU and Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, but that’s exactly what was under the hood of the model provided to GamesHub – and it’s easy to prove that once you get games going on the laptop.
In early testing, I threw multiple demanding games at this machine – Baldur’s Gate 3, Forza Motorsport, Hitman 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider – and experienced consistently smooth, high fidelity performance, even on high to highest visual quality settings.
It’s not only the visuals that mark out this laptop, though. Its screen is also a wonder, and looks genuinely fantastic in action. As mentioned, the G14 and G16 are the first laptops to sport the ROG Nebula Display OLED panels – and the difference is clear immediately. Colours on the G16 are rich, with bright tones and noticeable crispness. There’s also only a very, very thin, flat bezel around the screen, allowing games to shine in their own right, and without the standard visual barriers created by more stocky bezels.
The laptop’s chassis is similarly well designed, with a neat, minimalist keyboard (backed by RGB lighting, of course) and dual speakers set into the body, placed just right to create an orb of surround sound as you play. As mentioned, the Zephyrus G16 is packed in with solid audio tech, and you can certainly feel the impact as you’re hurtling down tracks in Forza Motorsports, or hearing a loud, booming “Ooh yeah” from Randy Savage in WrestleQuest (one of the less-demanding game I’m very keen to play on the G16).
Beyond these core features, there’s numerous other inclusions that stand out for me. For a minor detail, the laptop’s mousepad is satisfyingly bouncy and clicky – as are the keys. I also appreciate the number of ports on the laptop – there’s multiple USB-C and USB-A ports, which is super convenient when you want to to plug in multiple accessories for gaming or streaming – mice, additional keyboards, cameras, microphones, and the like.
But above all, it’s the Zephyrus G16’s size that’s impressed me most. Pulling it out of the box, my first thought was, “oh, that’s it?” Having spent the last few years gaming on an older 2020 laptop with a much thicker chassis, big screen bezels, and middling performance, it was a surprise to see how much the G16 has seemingly leapt over its similar-cost predecessors.
At only 1.49cm thin and 1.85 kilograms, the Zephyrus G16 has another thing going for it – it’s actually a portable machine. It feels like a laptop in the truest sense of the word – it’s thin, light enough to use in a lap, and easily stowed away. Even the laptop’s main power brick is thin and light, in a way that defies recent maximalist trends in PC gaming.
After years of iteration, the Zephyrus G16 is a laptop that ticks a lot of boxes, and spells a brighter, more portable feature for PC gaming. We’ll have a more comprehensive review of this laptop later in January 2024, after more testing with the latest games, and more time in everyday use – so stay tuned to GamesHub.
ASUS ROG 2024 Lineup: Australian Release Dates and Prices
Before we get there, here’s a rundown of the most significant ASUS ROG announcements from CES 2024, and when you’ll be able to get your hands on these products in Australia:
ROG Zephyrus G14
- The ROG Zephyrus G14 will be available from mid-February 2024 in Australia. Stay tuned for pricing details.
ROG Zephyrus G16
- The ROG Zephyrus G16 will be available from today, 9 January 2024 at ASUS e-Shop, JB Hi-Fi, and Officeworks for up to AUD $3,499.
ROG Strix SCAR 16 and 18
The ROG Strix SCAR 16 and 18 will be available from today, 9 January 2024 at ASUS e-Shop and channel partners:
- Strix SCAR G18 at ASUS e-Shop for AUD $7,699.
- Strix SCAR G16 at ASUS e-Shop for AUD $4,999.
Confirmed Australian release dates and pricing are yet to be confirmed for the Falchion RX Low Profile, Carnyx, Cetra True Wireless Speednova, and Keris 2 Ace accessories from ROG, but more information is likely on the way.
Stay tuned to GamesHub for the latest news and announcements from CES 2024 and beyond, as well as a review of the flagship ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 laptop.
