Two-minute review
Before we deep dive into the review of the Asus ROG Flow Z13, you should understand that most gaming laptops in the ROG branding are premium. They offer some of the best bling and gaming features that were once seen only in Dell’s Alienware laptops. However, since the launch of the ROG Flow Z13, it has become a favourite device for me. So much so, that I regretted using my now 6-month-old 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro.
First and foremost, I must say that the ROG Flow Z13 would be one of the best choices for a portable gaming laptop just for the build and design. You get a sturdy chassis that is made out of aluminium alloy. The entire laptop with the folded keyboard weighs in at just approximately 1.2 kgs. You also get a 170° kickstand which allows you to lay the laptop flat for more creative tasks like drawing and editing photos. You also get a sneak peek into a section of the hardware within the Asus ROG Flow Z13 at the back which is RGB-lit.
The second reason to consider getting the Asus ROG Flow Z13 would be the accessories provided. The laptop comes with an RGB detachable keyboard, a stylus and a carry case for the laptop. All of that at no extra cost. The keyboard comes with chicklet-style keys that are comfortable to type on and the trackpad is also responsive. It comes with a rubberized texture which adds to the premium quality of the product.
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 comes in a compact form with a similar 13-inch display. So, I immediately felt comfortable using the convertible laptop since I was already travelling. It features a touchscreen panel and is also useful when paired with the stylus that comes in the box. The colours on the display are vibrant and are capable of handling HDR content as well.
The battery life on the ROG Flow Z13 is what you would expect from any gaming PC. If used at bare minimum power usage, the laptop is available to stretch up to 6 hours. This is after we reduced the brightness and set the profile to “Windows” through the Asus Armoury app. Gaming will reduce the usage time, but surprisingly the system performs better when plugged directly into a power source. It supports fast charging, so juicing up the laptop in a hurry isn’t an issue.
The hardware within the laptop is similar to most other gaming laptops in this price range. The laptop comes with the latest 12th generation Intel Core CPUs and features the RTX 3050 series of graphics cards (except the base Intel Core i5 model that comes with Iris Xe graphics).
The only downside to the system would be that a 13-inch display may not be as immersive for those who’re looking for a portable gaming machine. To put the system through its full potential, the Asus ROG XG Mobile can be used to convert the laptop into a gaming beast. However, this is still a premium product sold separately.
Pricing and availability
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is available in various configurations. The base variant of the convertible laptop which costs Rs. 1,28,700 features the 12th generation Intel Core i5 chipset with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. It comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage on board. The display is Full HD with a 120Hz refresh rate. This is the only model in the lineup that features an integrated graphics card.
You can get the Intel i7 variant with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 at Rs. 1,64,990. The Intel i9 models come with the RTX 3050 Ti and 1TB of SSD storage but can be configured with a Full HD high refresh rate display at Rs. 1,81,990 or a 60Hz Ultra HD display at Rs. 1,91,990. The laptop is also available at a very premium price with the ROG XG Mobile bundled.
Design
The design of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is what I’ve fallen in love with. You could categorise the Flow Z13 as a tablet PC, but at the core, it still is a laptop thanks to the detachable keyboard. The entire system may look bulky and thick. But this is not much of a problem considering the hardware and cooling system within the aluminium chassis.
As mentioned previously, the laptop comes with a kickstand that can help to keep the laptop flat facing upwards. The hinges are pretty strong. You don’t need to worry if the slightest nudge would fold the stand and cause the laptop to fall on its back. A micro SD card slot is hidden just below the kickstand as well.
Even in this small form factor, the laptop was able to pack in a full-size USB port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Type-C port for charging and data transfer as well as the ROG XG Mobile interface. The ROG Flow Z13 also come with stereo speakers on either side and support Dolby Atmos. This provides an immersive entertainment experience when watching movies and TV shows.
The vents for the laptop are located at the top which is accompanied by the Republic of Gamers name. The power button has an integrated fingerprint scanner and supports Windows Hello sign-in.
I’m really happy with the unique design of the ROG Flow Z13. The laptop/tablet PC is compact, portable and has powerful internals.
Performance
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a well-balanced laptop that can be used for both work and light gaming sessions. Our review unit laptop came with a 12th generation Intel Core i9-12900H processor clubbed with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD. The chipset is capable of handling multiple applications and there were no lags at all. Of course, this is the high-end variant but can expect to see similar performance even in the Intel i7 models too. You can expand the storage through another M.2 2230 SSD slot that is located behind the kickstand.
The display on the review unit was a Quad HD+ display with a 60 Hz refresh rate. However, we would suggest users go for the Full HD models to get the best gaming experience. Higher refresh rates are anytime better than higher resolution. All of the models come with the same Dolby Vision display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The brightness levels are good even for outdoor conditions and the touch response is also accurate.
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 also comes with cameras on the front and rear. The front-facing 720p camera is decent for video calls and the 8MP rear camera is only mostly helping with scanning documents. Anyone rarely clicks pictures with a tablet PC.
As a gaming laptop, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 came with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti which has a 4GB VRAM. The graphic card is capable of playing most triple-A games at Full HD resolution at high settings. During my testing, the laptop performed well and the gaming was smooth. I played a bit of Apex Legends and Battlefield 2042. The frame rates were stable between 50 and 55 frames per second. With the Full HD models, you get a 120Hz refresh rate and it will make the gaming experience better.
You can expand the capabilities of the ROG Flow Z13 using the XG Mobile external GPU unit. Retailing as a separate accessory, it comes with a dedicated RTX graphic card that can improve performance and quality. So, if you’re still happy with an Ultra HD display but want to get better quality for gaming, then the XG interface on the laptop will come in handy. If you do invest in an external graphics card unit, this will be compatible with other Asus ROG products that have an XG Mobile interface like the ROG Flow X13.
In terms of thermal management, the device can dissipate heat well. The exhaust vents at the top do push out warm air during gaming. The fans do tend to spin faster and louder as you continue playing games at high settings and leave the system plugged into a power source. We would recommend that you connect the device to power and play games to get the full capabilities of the laptop. Even though the chassis does heat up at the back, there is no cause for worry and it cools down if you leave the system with the stand propped open. These are normal for a gaming laptop and are not deal-breakers at all.
Battery life
Battery life on the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is similar to any portable gaming laptop. When playing games on battery, the laptop manages to provide just more than an hour with graphics set at high. I did lower the resolution and increased the quality to very high and got only marginally better results. That’s not to say that it’s bad.
The laptop is more of a productivity and gaming machine in one. Anyone who is travelling and wants to get some work done would be able to get close to 5 hours of usage time. Reducing the brightness and turning on “Windows” mode does help to concentrate the resources more towards the chipset.
You can also improve the battery life by turning off the MUX Switch through Asus Armoury. The MUX Switch helps to redirect the graphical processing from the graphic card directly to the display when turned on. The graphic card uses more power and can provide a lag-free gaming experience. Turning off the feature will reduce power consumption and improve battery life.
Should you buy the Asus ROG Flow Z13?
