Asus has updated its ROG Flow series laptops in India with the launch of the Flow X13 and Flow X16. The new Flow series ROG laptops in India feature the new Ryzen 9 6900HS processor and Nvidia’s RTX 3050Ti. The choice of chipset makes the Flow X13 a powerful, compact machine enabling performance on the go.
We have been using the Asus Flow X13 as our primary work machine for a couple of weeks. While the machine hits it out of the park when it comes to performance, does it cover all other areas to offer a well-rounded user experience? We share our thoughts in our Asus Flow X13 review.
Asus Flow X13 review
Performance and battery life
The ROG Flow X13 comes with AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS and Ryzen 9 6900HS processor options. Our variant comes with the top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 6900HS processor paired with a 4GB Nvidia RTX 3050Ti GPU. Goes without saying, the Flow X13 can handle almost any CPU-intensive tasks that you throw at it. My workflow includes filing stories that you see on India Today Tech, handling the CMS, editing photos, browsing some stuff on the web, etc.
Yes, my workflow does not demand the Ryzen 9 6900HS processor and the RTX 3050Ti to work at full capacity, but benchmark scores reveal that the laptop can handle intensive tasks without breaking a sweat. The Flow X13 scored 1470 and 11300 in Cinebench R23’s single-core and multi-core tests. In PCMark10, the laptop scored 6100.
The ROG Flow X13 also comes with a MUX switch, which allows the system’s display to communicate directly with the dedicated GPU (RTX 3050Ti in this case) to make full use of its graphical capabilities. The result is higher frame rates and maximum performance while playing games. I am not a heavy gamer, but the games I played on Flow X13 ran smoothly when connected to power. The list includes Forza Horizon 5, Rocket League, Cricket 22 and Far Cry 5. For more demanding titles or workflow, Asus is giving users the option to get the optional XG Mobile, which is a custom RTX 3080 eGPU.
The Flow X13 does heat quite a bit, courtesy of the more powerful performance unit packed inside a compact machine. To combat the heat, the laptop has flat heat pipes connected to full-sized heatsinks and bigger fan outlets. But despite the two fans under the hood, the top portion of the keyboard and the area below the display get very hot to the touch.
Battery life will vary as per the use case, of course. The Asus ROG Flow X13 packs a 62WHr cell and supports 100W charging. The best battery life that I managed to get was about 5 hours. This was when I was only filing stories on MS Word and having a few tabs open on Chrome with about 50-60 per cent of brightness. With a mix of gameplay and work, the battery lasted for about 3 hours and a few minutes.
Regarding the RAM and storage situation, our ROG Flow X13 review unit came with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of M2 PCIe 4.0 SSD, which is the most that you can configure. Lastly, the ROG Flow X13 boots Windows 11 out of the box.
Design and display
The Flow X13 comes with a 13.4-inch IPS LCD. Users can pick between a 120Hz WUXGA display or a 60Hz 4K panel. Our variant is the former, which is also slightly brighter than the 4K display variant at 500 nits. The Full HD+ touch panel comes with 100 per cent sRGB colours. It is also Dolby Vision-certified along with Pantone validation for colour accuracy. This means that photographers and creators can use the machine for accurate colour correction and editing purposes. To make things even better for creators, the laptop comes bundled with the Asus Pen stylus.
The 360-degree hinge lets users use the laptop in four different modes – Laptop, Stand, Tent and Tablet mode. There is a 720p webcam at the top of the display.
While the performance unit packs a punch, the design does not make the Flow X13 scream like one. It has a minimal design with diagonal lines running throughout the metal lid. While the black colour helps with the minimal look and feel, it attracts smudges easily. The inside of the laptop is made up of plastic but doesn’t feel cheap. It also weighs quite light at 1.3 kgs.
The Flow X13 is not short of I/O ports either. You get a proprietary port for the XG Mobile, a USB Type-A port, two USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The laptop also comes with a fingerprint scanner embedded inside the power button on the right side.
Keyboard and trackpad
Despite being a compact machine, the ROG Flow X13 gets a full-size, backlit keyboard. The backlight is white and not RGB like most ROG laptops. The keys are well-spaced out and offer a good typing experience, thanks to a 1.7mm key travel.
The ROG Flow X13 also has four hotkeys that you can customise for vital functions. The trackpad is quite small in comparison, but that is the case with most Windows laptops.
Verdict
The Asus ROG Flow X13 comes with a starting price of Rs 1,21,990 for the Ryzen 7 6800HS variant. Our top-spec model with the Ryzen 9 6900HS is priced at Rs 1,71,990. For the price, the machine certainly offers a capable performance unit and a display that takes advantage of it. And because the ROG Flow X13 is a 2-in-1 laptop, it is suitable for multiple workflows and use cases.
Those considering buying a lightweight machine that is compact and does not compromise on performance can certainly consider buying the Asus ROG Flow X13.
— ENDS —
Asus ROG Flow X13 review
Pros
- Top-notch performance for the price
- Minimal design
- Good display
- Battery life gets a thumbs up
Cons
- Laptop attracts smudges easily
- Trackpad could have been bigger
