REVIEW | ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) – slim, beautiful, powerful

Introduction

If you are doing a lot of creative work or diving into the latest AAA games, I think the Zephyrus G16 the device you would want for increased productivity and gaming experience. By far, this is one of the most powerful gaming laptops that I have tested in quite a while that offers performance and style in one package.

Let’s explore why this laptop powered by an Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4080 GPU is a true next gen device for those who are looking to buy a powerful piece of gear for their work and gaming needs.

Who is the ROG Zephyrus G16 For?

If you are someone who thinks aesthetics matters as much as the performance, then this one is for you. You may be someone who is a content creator or you maybe you are someone who is a professional adult, earning real adult money and at the same time you enjoy high-end gaming in your downtime. The ROG Zephyrus G16 packs a lot of power and features that will allow you to do everything, even all at once, and you will look good doing it.

ASUS Zephyrus G16 (GU605MZ-QR100WS) Specs

This laptop also provides a generous amount ports: two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt support, and HDMI port, Headphone jack, a pair of USB-A ports, and a full-sized SD Card slot which is perfect for photographers and videographers who wants to dump their files from cameras right away for fast editing.

Zephyrus G16 Performance

Cinebench R23

Inside the Zephyrus G16 lies the Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor, which has exceptionally strong single core and multi-core performance as shown on our Cinebench R23 run.

3DMark Steel Nomad

I gave 3DMark’s new synthetic benchmark Steel Nomad a couple of runs just to get a baseline of the overall gaming performance without Ray tracing in DX12. The Zephyrus G16 scored a decent 3,373 points with the results saying that I can expect around 135+ FPS in 1440p on Battlefield V (unfortunately this game is not part of my gaming benchmark suite as you’ll see later).

We also see that the benchmark pushed the CPU clock speeds at around 3.89GHz which typical for multi-core loads. On the other hand, we can see that the GPU clocked at 1.71Ghz, which means that GPU is not being pushed to its rated 1.8-2.2Ghz clock speed most likely because of the power limits imposed on this laptop.

Delving into more details of the Steel Nomad benchmark run we can see the CPU temperature levelled out at roughly 81°C and the GPU at 77.8°C.

CrystalDiskMark

As for the included 2TB SSD, we ran CrystalDiskMark and were able to see a decent performance of around 7.1Gb/s read speeds and 5.2Gb/s write speeds. A fast SSD can really make a difference in making the machine feel fast and responsive.

Zephyrus G16 Gaming

Now for our gaming tests, I am pretty positive that I will have a good time as the Zephyrus G16 is equipped with the NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4080 Laptop GPU which in itself is a powerful GPU and gives you access to many RTX exclusive features including Ray Tracing, DLSS, Frame Generation and many AI accelerated applications such as NVIDIA Broadcast.

I put this laptop through a couple of games that I’ve been playing recently, with some of them utilizing RTX™ 40 Series exclusive features such as the updated DLSS 3.5 with Ray Reconstruction, and Frame Generation.

Games are tested with the Turbo profile from the ASUS Armoury Crate and using native display resolution.

Starting off with Cyberpunk 20277 on the Ultra graphics preset, you can see that we are almost averaging at almost 70 FPS, and there is a 0.7% low stutter mainly because of shaders initialization. But most of the time, the game ran smooth and it was an overall good experience.

Then using a different graphics preset, which is Ray Tracing Overdrive, which should be heavily taxing on GPU performance. With that, I also turned on DLSS on Auto and Frame Generation and we were able to maintain similar FPS numbers from the non-raytracing preset but way more graphical eye candy, and even smoother performance without any stutters. I would honestly say I am impressed with this.

A similar story can be found with another game, Ready or Not. With the highest graphical preset, Epic, we were able to achieve an average of 103.4 FPS.

Turning on DLSS and Frame Generation allows us more FPS gains averaging at 163 FPS. The small stutter recorded is a small variance of loading up the shaders but still an impressive result nonetheless.

Another fairly new game that I’ve been playing is The First Descendant, which an MMO shooter that suffers on major FPS drops probably because of the game servers acting up when a lot of people in one area, so on Ultra Settings, we have had a little bit of difficulty getting high FPS and averaging only at 62.4 FPS.

Thankfully, this game supports DLSS and Frame gen which shouldered most of the rendering load ang gave us a massive FPS boost averaging at 122.9 FPS on the Ultra Preset with Ray Tracing turned on.

While I don’t have any other similar spec laptop to pit it up against, I know some may argue that the Zephyrus G16 may have diminished performance compared to other laptops due to thermal and power limitations that allowed this device to be as thin as it is. That may be true, but I would argue back to stop looking at raw FPS numbers as they don’t always give the big picture that is beyond the FPS counter.

The Zephyrus G16 is meant to be a slim and sexy laptop that gets the job done. It offers a satisfying experience in both gaming and creative work for a certain audience that wants this form factor, along with the beautiful OLED screen.

Display and Design

The Zephyrus G16 is equipped with the ROG Nebula OLED Display: A 16″ WQXGA screen offers 240Hz refresh rate, G-SYNC support, and HDR peak brightness of 500 nits. The OLED panel truly shines with vibrant colors, but it can also show true black images as if you’re staring into a void. Whether you’re editing high-res videos or exploring expansive game worlds, the screen is awesome and it has a color accuracy of 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.

Aesthetically, the CNC-machined aluminum body, weighing just 1.85kg, feels premium but is also highly portable.

Comfort and Usability

Another big win for the G16 is the comfort factor. Carrying it around in my laptop bag is very easy on my poor back, but ASUS also enlarged the keycaps by 12% making typing during extended work and gaming sessions less fatiguing. The 16:10 trackpad is also larger than previous models, providing more space for precise navigation. I quite like it.

Battery life is another key aspect for a device that allows you to be mobile. With a fast charge time of 0-50% in just 30 minutes and dual USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, you can confidently take the G16 on the go without worrying about frequent recharges. I ran the Battery Eater test overnight, I’m happy to report that the battery of this laptop lasted around 6 hours on medium screen brightness, and airplane mode turned on. If we use the power saving features as well as turning down the screen refresh rate, I believe it will last even longer.

The Bottom Line

The ROG Zephyrus G16 is a machine built for power, precision, and style. The combination of the Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor, NVIDIA RTX™ 4080 Laptop GPU, and an OLED display, this laptop is somewhat future proof. I don’t think you’ll be needing to upgrade for at least another five years after investing on this machine (given its hefty price tag as well). The amount of work and gaming you can do on such a fast machine can definitely pay for the laptop itself and make ROI over time.

If I have the opportunity, I will definitely get the ROG Zephyrus G16 for myself as it is a solid investment. Priced at ₱249,995, it’s definitely a premium device, one that blends performance with style. I highly recommend it.

Find out more about the Zephyrus G16 here:  https://ph.rog.gg/G16_PRODSPEC

Learn about ASUS 4A Quality and Service Warranty: https://ph.rog.gg/ASUS&ROG4AQuality&Service

Where to buy: https://ph.rog.gg/G16_PRODSPEC