Combine that with the cleanest layout ever on an ASUS machine, and you have an evolutionary design leap for the company. (It’s especially shocking next to the new ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED, which looks practically ancient by comparison.) We’ve been calling Razer’s Blade laptops the gaming equivalent of Apple’s MacBook Pro for years — but now the torch may have been passed to ASUS. . The Zephyrus G14 looks more like the updated boxy aesthetic from Apple’s Pro machines. (If you’re looking for a bigger screen, there’s also a new G16 with the same design, which can hold more powerful hardware like NVIDIA’s RTX 4090.)
The G14 isn’t just a design showcase, it’s also a better gaming laptop than before. Its new keyboard, with 12 percent larger keycaps, works for hours Halo Infinite the matches feel more comfortable because there is more room for my fingers to spread. Almost everything shines on its new 3K 120 Hz OLED screen, which makes colors pop perfectly. Even when I was too lazy to grab a pair of headphones, I was able to hear a decent amount of positional audio from its updated speakers (20 percent larger than before).
While I can’t divulge any benchmarks from our RTX 4070-equipped preview unit, I can say that Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring and the new uber-chic Metroidvania Root cutter all played like a dream at the G14’s native resolution with maximum graphics quality. Root cutter, with its fluid and expressive art style, is practically designed to be displayed on OLED screens. And in it CyberpunkThe G14’s HDR capability made the neon lights in Night City shine almost brilliantly.
The Zephyrus G14 also excelled in game streaming, which I like to test to highlight the laptop’s networking capabilities. I was able to enter Forza Horizon 5 In about 30 seconds while sitting 20 feet and a floor away from my router. And once I got going, I was able to zoom in on a few races without any noticeable video artifacts, tearing, or slowdown. Anyone passing by might think I play the game locally.
Aside from gaming, I was surprised and delighted by the G14. Its larger keyboard feels great to type on, with more depth and sensitivity than before. Its touchpad is one of the smoothest I’ve used on a Windows laptop. I can’t help but love that it has all the ports I want: HDMI, mini-SD, and both USB-C and Type A on both sides of the case. I’m less impressed with ASUS’ new power connector – it’s a little stiff, and a slight tug can easily make the G14 fly off. It would be nice to see a pure USB-C charging solution, but the company told our senior reporter Sam Rutherford that the cost and efficiency of using this port for high-power charging is still not good enough for widespread adoption.
I look forward to spending more time with the ROG Zephyrus G14 during our review. But until then, we’ll always have CES 2024.
We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas, January 6-12. Stay up to date with the latest news from the show here.
