During CES 2022 last night, the ASUS Republic of Gamers revealed a sleuth of new, exciting and cutting-edge gaming laptops and accessories that represent a step into the future. Among the new products revealed, ASUS ROG announced the overhauled Zephyrus Duo 16, remodelled Zephyrus G14, Strix series, and brand-new Flow Z13 gaming tablet.
ASUS ROG’s The Rise of Gamers event held during CES 2022 delivered plenty of exciting new announcements. Chief among these was a good selection of striking gaming laptops, including refreshes and overhauls of previous powerhouses.
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ASUS ROG 2022 Gaming Laptops and Accessories
ROG Strix SCAR and Strix G
Designed with esports in mind, the ROG Strix SCAR boasts some impressive specs and features. ROG describes:
“With Windows 11 Pro, a high-refresh display, and ROG Intelligent Cooling with Liquid Metal Conductonaut Extreme. Sporting up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU at 150 W with Dynamic Boost, the Strix SCAR is designed for high-refresh gaming. A MUX Switch ensures top-tier GPU performance, PCIe 4.0 x4 storage boosts lightning-fast load times, and DDR5 4800 MHz RAM provides plenty of memory for multitasking.”
The ROG Strix SCAR will be available in two models: 15-inch and 17-inch. The 15-inch sports three IPS-level display choices: QHD 240 Hz, Full HD 300 Hz, and QHD 165 Hz, The 17-inch model will deliver QHD 240 Hz or Full HD 360 Hz.
Adding to the esports quality of the Strix SCAR, it comes with full Dolby Vision HDR support. The trackpad, which is larger than average, ensures smoother control over precision movements when you aren’t using a mouse. It will also come with the customizable per-key RGB lighting for that extra personalized touch.
Finally, the ROG Strix G15 and G17 laptops, powered by AMD the Ryzen 9 6900HX processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, are sights to behold. The G15 offers Full HD 300 Hz and QHD 165 Hz display options, while the G17 offers Full HD 360 Hz and QHD 240 Hz for competitive gaming. In addition to Dolby Vision which all Strix G models support, the quad-speakers will make use of Dolby Atmos spatial sound for crystal clear audio quality and spatial awareness.
ROG Zephyrus G14, G15, and M16
ASUS ROG also revealed a variety of updated Zephyrus laptops in the form of the G14, G15 and M16. The G14 comes with Windows 11, an AMD Ryzen 9 Series processor and AMD Radeon RX 6000S Series mobile GPUs.
Its design is perhaps the most striking quality about the laptop, available in Eclipse Gray or Moonlight White, featuring a Prismatic Logo nameplate with a holographic, reflective hue. For extra customization, the lid is covered with 14,969 precision CNC milled holes with 1,449 mini LEDs on models with the now-iconic AniMe Matrix display.
Additionally, the G14 is also one of the first ROG laptops to feature their new Nebula display, featuring 120 Hz at QHD with 500 nits of peak brightness, 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, and a 3 ms response time. “With Dolby Vision, Adaptive-Sync, and Pantone validation for a stunning, colour-accurate experience that minimizes stuttering and tearing,” ROG states. “The display has been expanded to a 16:10 aspect ratio, which increases screen real estate without sacrificing portability since its small bezels offer a 91% screen-to-body ratio.”
Both the ROG Zephyrus G15 and M16 have also been refreshed with the latest hardware from AMD and NVIDIA, DDR5 RAM, and WiFi 6E.
ROG Zephyrus Duo 16
The 2022 ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 will surely turn heads thanks to its dual display. ROG’s ScreenPad Plus adds a secondary screen for increased productivity and real estate, useful for streaming gameplay and pairing well with supported games like Dying Light 2. “The ScreenPad Plus rises up and slides back to meet the primary display as the laptop opens, thanks to a new 4-directional hinge,” said ROG. “Compared to the previous generation, this closes the gap between the two displays, providing a nearly bezel-less experience for true immersion.”
Once again coming equipped with Windows 11, the Duo 16 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU at 165 W with Dynamic Boost.
As for cooling, ROG states:
“It’s bolstered by an upgraded Liquid Metal Conductonaut Extreme that decreases CPU temperatures by 15° C compared to traditional thermal pastes. The AAS Plus 2.0 air intake created by the raised secondary screen creates 30% more airflow above the fans, allowing these top-tier components to stay cool for better sustained performance in games and creative apps. A MUX Switch ensures gamers get every frame possible in competitive scenarios.”
For the main display, the Duo 16 offers a more beefed up Nebula HDR, which has all the bells and whistles of ROG’s regular Nebula display but with 512 Mini LED dimming zones, able to reach 1100 nits of peak brightness for stunning levels of contrast and colour. The QHD, 16:10 panel sports a refresh rate of 165 Hz and is VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certified with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio. It’s certainly on the higher end of quality for your gaming and movie-watching experiences.
The ROG-exclusive Dual-Spec panel, co-developed with BOE, is able to switch between 4K 120 Hz and Full HD 240 Hz, letting you prioritize either resolution or framerate on a game-by-game basis. Pixel Acceleration Technology ensures lightning-fast upscaling in the Full HD mode for crystal clear images.
The device will also come with ROG’s NumberPad technology on the trackpad, a keyboard with 1.7 mm of travel and per-key RGB, six speakers with Dual Force-Cancelling Woofers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, and two-way AI Noise Cancelation.
ROG Flow Z13, X13, and XG Mobile
Moving onto gaming tablets, ROG remains at the top of their game with the Flow Z13, touted as being the world’s most powerful gaming tablet – and it’s not hard to see why. Under the hood you’ll find Windows 11, up to a 14-core Intel Core i9-12900H, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti laptop GPU, and 5200 MHz LPDDR5 memory. Additionally, you’ll also find 1 TB of PCIe SSD storage, a MUX Switch, custom vapor chamber cooling, and fast charging via USB Type-C.
The Flow Z13 offers two 16:10 display options: a 4K 60 Hz display with 85% DCI-P3 coverage, or a Full HD 120 Hz screen with 100% sRGB coverage, rounding it off with Adaptive Sync, 500 nits of peak brightness, and Pantone validation for accurate colours.
You’ll be able to play on the Flow Z13 in a variety of ways, with either a traditional mouse or touch input and gamepads. All of its components are located behind the screen rather than under the keyboard, but ROG has ensured that it remains cool with the ROG Intelligent Cooling solution.
The Flow X13 has also been updated with the latest AMD Ryzen 9 6000 Series CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU for this year. Furthermore, both the Z13 and X13 are compatible with the XG Mobile family of external GPUs. ROG explains: “They can connect to the 2021 XG Mobile with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, or this year’s new addition to the XG Mobile family, which includes an AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT GPU. With additional USB ports, DisplayPort and HDMI, and Ethernet, the XG Mobile is ready for anything.”
ROG Archer Bag Series
Finally, ASUS ROG unveiled their brand new accessories in the form of the Archer Bag series, delivering a variety of bags and backpacks to carry your laptops in. The Archer Messenger 14 features plenty of small pockets ROG Phone, portable charger, and other necessities with enough room for a 14-inch laptop. The Archer Backpack 15.6 performs similarly, while the Backpack 17 features plenty of compartments for your accessories, laptops, and even a dedicated tripod strap for photographers. Finally, the Archer Weekender 17 is designed for long trips or travelling, featuring a water- and stain-proof pocket along the bottom with another pocket on top that preserves heated items for up to 6 hours.
As for the availability and pricing of the products above, each will become available in Q1 2022 in South Africa. More information will be available soon.
