This is the 14-inch gaming laptop to beat
ASUS's ROG Zephyrus G14 has been one of our favorites for nearly half a decade. But the 2024 model is on another level. That's because even without the new generation of GPUs from NVIDIA, ASUS went and redesigned the whole thing. And the result is a notebook with a gorgeous aluminum unibody chassis with a more mature design that doesn't need to shove RGB lighting in your face to attract some attention. This version is sleeker and lighter while also offering powerful performance. Although ASUS made some trade-offs compared to its predecessor with a starting price of $1,600, the new ROG Zephyrus G14 is not only a better value than almost all of its 14-inch rivals, but it's also one of the best £ is also. -Approximately £500 worth of gaming laptops.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
For anyone who wants strong performance in a portable design, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is the best choice both pound for pound and dollar for dollar.
- beautiful concise design
- Gorgeous OLED Screen
- strong performance
- good port selection
- sharp speaker
- The vents below can be a little tasty
- The keyboard has only single-zone lighting
- Something is wrong with the Armory Crate app
- RAM is soldered
design
Compared to previous models that were full of RGB or had blinking dot-matrix displays, this year's G14 is an exercise in restraint. It's almost as if Rekha has come out of her awkward adolescence and has become a stylish yet fun-loving adult. The lid is highlighted by a simple diagonal slash with a pair of white (not RGB) LEDs down the middle. Meanwhile, on the inside, there's a sturdy deck with a large touchpad and surprisingly powerful speakers.
One thing I do miss is per-key RGB lighting instead of ASUS's single-zone approach. After all, this is a gaming laptop and if you're going to offer multiple colors, it would be nice to have full customizability.
That said, the G14's redesign isn't just about style, it's also functional. Switching to a unibody aluminum frame has made the entire machine stronger. There is no sign of flex even on normally vulnerable parts like the mesh between the keys. But more importantly, ASUS has reduced the laptop's weight to just 3.3 pounds, which is significantly lighter than rival notebooks with similar metal construction (3.95 pounds). Plus, even with the small size, the G14 has a healthy selection of ports, including a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack, two USB-C (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), two USB-A, and a microSD card reader .
Display
Another shining component of the G14 is its OLED screen. In addition to producing vibrant colors, it has a sharp 2,880 x 1,800 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate and a color gamut that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum. Lately, I've been watching three physical problems And I love the OLED panel's excellent contrast and deep blacks. Plus, because ASUS includes a handful of color-calibrated settings for sRGB, D65 P3, DCI-P3 (but not Adobe RGB), the G14 is a very capable photo and video-editing machine.
One small problem is that because 2,880 x 1,800 is a somewhat unusual resolution, you won't be able to play all your games at their native resolution, which is a problem I encountered while playing. Return.
Display
One big change for the 2024 ROG G14 is that the GPU options now come with an NVIDIA RTX 4070 instead of a 4080 like the previous model. This may be a hassle for some people, but since I prefer laptops that are easy to carry, I'm willing to settle for a slightly top-end option for better portability. And with all models featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS chip with at least 16GB of RAM (or 32GB like my review unit) and 1TB of storage, you won't be short on speed.
On Geekbench 6, the G14 matches the performance of the larger XPS 16 with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip. In games, it reached 90 fps cyberpunk 2077 At Ultra settings, that's slightly less than the much more expensive Razer Blade 14 (101 fps). That said, there are some important details you should know. Unlike previous models, the latest G14's memory is tied to the motherboard, so there's no way to add additional RAM later. Additionally, while the 14-inch systems from both ASUS and Razer appear to have the same RTX 4070 GPU, the G14 is capped at 90 watts versus 140 watts for the Blade, which explains the smaller difference in gaming performance.
It's also worth noting that heat can be a problem in some situations. In normal use, this is not a big deal as fans rarely need to rotate when browsing the web or watching movies. But under load, because the G14's vents are on the bottom of the notebook, your lap may overheat rapidly. Thankfully, this won't be a big problem if you're gaming, as you'll probably want to keep an external mouse on a desk or table.
battery life
Although the G14 doesn't last as long as a traditional ultrabook, it still has enough power to last almost an entire workday. In PCMark 10's Modern Office Rundown test, it lasted 7 hours and 29 minutes, which is slightly better than the Razer Blade 14's time of 6:46. And, new for 2024, ASUS has added its proprietary slim power jack, which if you squint, looks like a USB-C port (but it's not). However, if you want to travel really light, the G14 supports charging via USB-C so you can leave the adapter at home. One caveat is that the USB-PD on this maxes out at 100 watts (vs. 180 watts when using the included brick), so the battery may still discharge when gaming or doing other intensive tasks.
wrap up
Even though we already liked its predecessors, the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G14 has managed to take another huge leap forward. It features an exquisitely crafted chassis as well as a vibrant new display and boomier speakers – all while losing nearly half a pound in weight. On the inside, you still get the RTX 4070 GPU. Sure, it's a little slower than the similarly equipped Blade 14, but our review unit cost $2,000 compared to $2,700 for the nearest equivalent Razer, leaving me with a bit of performance to get a more affordable machine. It's a pleasure to do business. And that's before you even look at the starting price For one with RTX 4060. My biggest complaint is that ASUS's Amory Crate app still feels clunky, thanks to settings that are hard to find or toggles that don't work as you expect. But make no mistake, the G14 is a great laptop – for both gamers and content creators – who want good performance in a portable package. So while I appreciate what the Blade 14 and other high-end notebooks can do, ASUS's latest creation is the one I'd buy.
