I ’ve never had such a conflicted relationship with a gadget , and it ’s agonizing . You see , Asus made a really cool thing , but I ’m experience a backbreaking fourth dimension recommending it . It ’s not so much the execution , but rather the price and , well , the entire concept . OK , so allow me get to it : the gimmick I ’m talking about is theAsus ROG Flow Z13 , a gaming pad of paper with a detachable keyboard and an optional outside GPU .
Somewhere between an engineering marvel and an impractical experimentation , the Flow Z13 is essentially aMicrosoft Surfaceturned gambling rig . I do n’t mean something that can stream from the cloud or operate Android games — this is a right gaming machine , complete with a discrete GPU . If that was n’t unpaired enough , the Flow Z13 gain serious horsepower when connect to Asus ’ proprietary eGPU , the XG Mobile .
In possibility , the ROG Flow Z13 provides wads of power in a compact chassis along with the flexibility to turn into a gaming workhorse when stationary . It mostly achieves that hope ; the Flow Z13 is a up to tablet — with or without the eGPU — thanks to its speedy performance , honorable display , and comfortable keyboard . There are just a few problems : it ’s expensive ( very expensive when you append the eGPU ) , awkward to restrain or utilise in your circuit , and the stamp battery life is well below norm . That said , if you desire a Surface Pro - like gadget with more graphics oomph , this is your respectable ( and only ) stakes — otherwise , look elsewhere .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Asus ROG Flow Z13
Asus ' ROG Flow Z13 , a play tablet , while an impressive engineering feat , at long last fails as a concept .
What is it ?
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
A portable gaming pad that can join to an eGPU with an RTX 3080
Mary Leontyne Price
kickoff at $ 1,799 ( review at $ 1,899 ) ; $ 3,299 with XG Mobile bob
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
pro
wondrously overdesigned , More portable than most laptops , Fast performance , Bright presentation , Comfortable keyboard
Cons
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Prohibitively expensive with XG Mobile , Poor biotechnology , Subpar battery life , No IR camera
Price and configurations
The ROG Flow Z13 I tested comes with an Intel Core i9 - 12900H CPU , an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU , 16 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , an RTX 3050 Ti GPU , and a 13.4 - inch , 1920 x 1200 - picture element at 120Hz display . It costs $ 1,899 at Best Buy . you’re able to grease one’s palms it bundle with the XG Mobile Dock with an RTX 3080 GPU for — sit down for this—$3,300 .
There is a slightly gimcrack modelling , though the political economy do n’t contribute up . For $ 1,799 , just $ 100 less , you may corrupt a immoral model with a Core i7 - 12700 CPU , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and an RTX 3050 GPU . The XG Mobile , which can also be fit with a Radeon RX 6850 M XT GPU , should cost $ 1,500 standalone , though I ’m having trouble find any in ancestry as of time of writing .
Asus ’ web site also shows 4 atomic number 19 and Core i5 versions of the Flow Z13 , but again , those are either not in farm animal yet or only available in other part .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Pretty but impractical
“ tawdry ” come to psyche when looking at the Flow Z13 . While I typically favour an understated looking , I ’m sell on the brassy appearance of this lozenge , even if it ’s all a piece … extra . distinctly , Asus did n’t get the memo about the market’srecent shiftaway from overtly “ gamery ” esthetic , because the Z13 has them all . RGB ignition illuminates the keys and a glass panel on the buttocks ( more on this below ) ; sharp , aggressive cutouts ( a outlet in the shape of “ 06 ” ) and decalcomania ( an center - roll - stimulate “ For those who dare ” motto ) are mapped across the back panel , and there are even soda of cherry accent mark here and there . There is so much going on that your eyes have no idea where to focus .
At least , once they ’re done marvel at the rearward glass windows , beneath which you’re able to see a section of the motherboard highlighted in rainbow - hued RGB firing . I get the same vertiginous fervour staring at this affair from an inch away as I do peak through a glass desktop typeface at a sea of RGB . It ’s all very sci - fi , and as much as I hear to act mature , I ca n’t abnegate that something about this aim speaks to my childish nerd . Whoever designed the Z13 just wanted to make something cool , and this thing front sick .
It ’s just an ergonomic painfulness in the American Samoa . I say that about most detachable tablets , but this one can be specially incense . That glass windowpane I talk up is raised , so the pill shimmy when you place it on a flat surface . A part of me dies every clock time I pick up it kowtow against my glass desk . Asus , why is n’t it flush ? !
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Then there ’s the broader problem of rotating a kickstand each meter you want to go into laptop mode , and how unsteady the lozenge feels on your circle . The latter complaint , it should be observe , is barely a knock against the Flow Z13 — it feels as sturdy as any Surface Pro . What ’s nice about this form broker is that kickstand manner puts your gameplay front and substance , with no keyboard between you and the screen .
The Flow Z13 is predictably chunkier than your average pad , at 11.9 x 8.0 x 0.5 inch and 2.6 lb without the included keyboard . sum the appurtenance , and the heaviness jumps to 0.7 inches while the graduated table lead to 3.4 pounds . For comparison , the Surface Pro 8 come in at 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches and 2 pounds , while theAsus ROG Zephyrus G14is 12.3 x 8.9 x 0.73 inches and 3.8 Sudanese pound .
TheROG Flow Z13was always going to be goodly than other tablets on the market given that it houses a discrete Nvidia GPU . If there ’s a silver lining , it ’s that the additional thickness allows enough blank space for a USB 2.0 Type - A port . Only one , though , to go along with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type - C stimulant , a microSD card one-armed bandit ( under the hinge ) , and a phone squat . The power release located above a volume rocker doubles as a fingerprint sensor . And while we ’re babble Windows Hello , the Flow Z13 lacks an IR camera for facial recognition , a feature that should really be included at this price .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Keyboard worthy of a gamer
Those who will in reality bet on on this thing will be proud of to know that it ships with one of the better detachable keyboard I ’ve used with a pad of paper . It reminds me of Microsoft ’s Type Cover keyboard in that the keys are cheerily bouncy and have astonishingly abstruse travelling . My fingers effortlessly sprung from one letter to the next and were meet each time with plush , resilient feedback .
The keys should be gravid enough for all but those with monolithic workforce . They are a tad diminished than what you find on most laptop computer , but much more comfortable than other keyboard accessories . And in keep with the overall design , these key are single - zone RGB backlit . For what it ’s worth , I typed at 126 lyric per minute with a 97 % truth rate , which is correct around my good upshot on any keyboard — tablet , laptop computer , or mechanical . Below the keyboard is a touchpad that gets the problem done . It ’s on the small side , but antiphonal and smooth to the touch .
Featherweight chassis, heavyweight punch
Let ’s not neutralise any more time . The real query is whether Asus was botch smoke or if the Flow Z13 can actually encounter game without connecting to the eGPU . The little answer : yes , it can . The pill ’s Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU will run most modern game at the 1920 x 1200 - pixel resolution on gamy graphics at well above 30 frames per secondly .
We benchmark at Ultra preferences , and even then the ROG Flow Z13 perform admirably , power Far Cry 5 at 1080p at a smooth 52 frames per second , well above the 30 - fps “ playability ” standard . coincidently , I got the same results on the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark , meaning you wo n’t have any issues playing those popular titles using the build - in graphics card . Metro Exodus , however , was a different story , averaging a lowly 30 - fps and often dropping well below that threshold during the test . I was also surprise by Total War : Warhammer II , which averaged 41 fps , a enough resolution but less headroom than I ’d prefer .
If you want more graphical oomph for high frame rates or better graphics , the Flow Z13 connects to Asus ’ XG Mobile eGPU via a proprietary connection on the left side of the tablet . For those who lose ourROG Flow X13review , the XG Mobile is essentially a tying up post that houses a mobile Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU . It gets you all the ports you could possibly postulate : HDMI 2.1 , DisplayPort 1.4 , RJ-45 Ethernet , four USB 3.2 character - A inputs , and an SD card proofreader .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
I ’m just not certain it ’s worth the trouble unless you have really high-pitched play demands . For one , the XG Mobile is n’t all that Mobile River . Combine its 2.6 pound with the Flow Z13 ’s weighting , and suddenly the entire setup is importantly heavier than portable gaming laptops , like Asus ’ own 3.8 - pound Zephyrus G14 or the Alienware x15 ( 5 dog pound ) . With such a brawny GPU under the tough , the XG Mobile command its own power reference , which come via a chunky 280W power arranger — just the sort of affair you were hoping to avoid by buying this arrangement .
The proprietary connector that plugs into the leftover side of the pad of paper remind me of a VGA port in all the wrong ways . It ’s chunky , inflexible , and a lock away slider needs to be enable for the eGPU to work . Once you ’ve touch base , the system will take a few minute of arc to switch over to the eGPU . If you unplug the XG Mobile before doing so safely via the Windows Taskbar , the Z13 will get wild and storm you to restart the next time or ask you to “ have the endangerment . ”
Anyhow , once it ’s running , it sprint . The RTX 3080 in the XG Mobile supercharged this pill , which hunt Total War : Warhammer II at 99 Federal Protective Service , a 58 - frame step-up . Even the sturdy of these games — Metro Exodus — played at a cool 78 fps with the stage setting on Ultra . Tomb Raider read full advantage of the 120Hz screen , running at 125 fps while Far Cry 5 was n’t far behind at 117 fps .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
TheFlow Z13also did well on our computer science benchmarks thanks to its Intel Core i9 - 12900H CPU , 16 GB of RAM , and 512 TB SSD . The pill scored an 11,358 on the Geekbench 5 overall performance trial , pass the Zephyrus G14 ( 9,830),Alienware x15(9,339 ) , and decimating the Surface Pro 8 ( 5,873 ) .
It also did well rendering a 3D ikon in Blender , a labor it involve only 3 bit and 51 second gear to complete , putting it ahead of the Razer Blade 14 ( 5:58 ) and Surface Pro 8 ( 8:25 ) but somewhat behind the Zephyrus G14 ( 3:15 ) . It performed similarly on the Handbrake test , demand only 7 minutes and 11 seconds to win over a 4 special K video to 1080p , a job that fill the Surface Pro 8 more than 12 minutes . This time , the laptops had an edge , with the Razer Blade 14 ( 3:48 ) and Zephyrus G14 ( 3:15 ) turning in faster times .
When Asus first revealed the Flow Z13 , my immediate reverence was the potential for overheat . It did n’t . Not even during long gameplay sessions . A Georgia home boy temperature reading of 120 degrees Fahrenheit might sound live , but it ’s not when compare to most portable gaming laptop computer . The Zephyrus G14 flirted with the 140s while the keyboard remained over 100 degrees throughout my GPU examination — in comparability , the keyboard on the Z13 does n’t warm when the arrangement is running .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Fast and bright display
Bright , colorful , and fast , the 13.4 - column inch , 1920 x 1200 - pixel ( FHD+ ) gore is a delight for watching picture , browsing the web , or playing game .
The 120Hz projection screen kept up as F1 railcar rocketed their way across the screen as I watched the Imola Grand Prix , and the instrument panel did justice to the railroad car ’ colorful delivery . When I watched the trailer for Severance , the screen captured the pure white snow surrounding the ominous office building and match that chromaticity on the exanimate interior wall . I was particularly entranced by the ‘ 90s aesthetic , with its softened people of color and fetid retro technical school .
After playing several rounds of Halo Infinite , there was no doubting that the 120Hz panel improve my kill - to - death ratio ( it still was n’t great , FWIW ) liken to playing on my 60Hz office monitoring gadget . Keep in mind , however , that you need to be plug into to the XG Mobile to make material body rates that ’ll take advantage of the screen ’s high refresh rate .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Whatever was on display — sports , a movie , video plot — looked crisp and detailed . And since the screen gets very shining , at 495 nit , I had no problem using the pill alfresco on a cheery Texas day . I just prefer playing on a prominent screenland , though the size of it restraints are perceivable here .
The three-fold speakers on the Flow Z13 are fine . They were tacky enough to fill my small office and did n’t distort when I move the slider to 100 % . Treble and midrange tone of voice were crisp , if pretty frail , and there was a predictable want of bass . These are beneficial enough for watching YouTube video and casual listening , but gamers should certainly bribe a serious headset , like theHyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless .
The battery life of a gaming rig
The ROG Flow Z13 wants so badly to be a gaming laptop that it followed the pencil lead of its great competitor by last only 6 hours and 26 minutes on our barrage test , which necessitate picture playback at 200 nit of light .
That set it just behind the Razer Blade 14 ( 6:41 ) and several hour little of the Zephyrus G14 ( 9:21 ) . Other tablet , like the Surface Pro 8 ( 8:18 ) , trade the extra graphics sex appeal for longer runtimes .
Should you buy the ROG Flow Z13?
No , you likely should n’t , and it ’s a shame because the gamer swot in me wants to jazz this affair . It has a play intent , a vivid 13.4 - in display , solid functioning , and a decent keyboard that ’s included in the box . It even avoided overheating and remained relatively quiet throughout my examination .
As you’re able to see , the murder is quite dear . I just ca n’t get past the monetary value of the full software : around $ 3,000 with the XG Mobile . I would rather carry through money and purchase a good gaming laptop ; Asus ’ own ROG Zephyrus G14 is a more balanced option and does n’t give too much in the way of life of portability . OK , so it is n’t as speedy as the Flow Z13 with XG Mobile , but it ’s easy to travel with and considerably more muscular on its own than the pill is . Another deal - breaker for me is the poor ergonomics ; I ’d much rather spend this sort of John Cash on the Flow X13 , the laptop computer version of this intercrossed machine .
And yet , I do think the Flow Z13 is the correct machine for someone . Ignore Asus ’ marketing and a more appropriate consultation becomes clear : people who need a Surface Pro 8 but need extra graphic mogul , like 3D room decorator , artists , or developers who jaunt for work . If you fall into that family , one more bit of advice : suss out your credit demarcation before you husk out on the Flow Z13 .
Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
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Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
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