ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Review – Powerful but not practical

ASUS has manufactured a wide range of laptops for every type of user. Even for its ROG series aimed at gamers, there has been a lot of movement. Earlier this year, the brand launched its new ROG Flow line. Having already reviewed the Flow X16, I couldn't wait to get my hands on their latest offering in the form of the ASUS ROG Flow Z13.

The specific model received for review was the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 GZ301ZE. While the Flow X16 had an AMD configuration, the Z13 range has an Intel chipset. Despite these distinctions, there is one commonality between the two, its GPU. Both units feature the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, highlighting its gaming prowess. You might think you have to choose between Intel and AMD chipsets between these two laptops, but there are actually quite a few choices. differences between them.

As an aside, I found it interesting that in the span of a few weeks I reviewed two laptops from different brands, both with the Z13 name.

RELATED: ASUS ROG Flow X16 (GV601R): review – Be productive and play!

ASUS ROG Flow Z13: build and design

One of the main differences between the X16, X13 and Z13 series is their form factor. The X16 and X13 offer tablet mode options with their 180° hinge, allowing users to switch between laptop and tablet mode. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is a tablet first with laptop capabilities and support.

We've seen a number of different form factors from ASUS over the past few months as they try to appeal to a wider audience. With the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, Zenbook Duo, and ROG Flow, there are plenty of laptop variations available to suit your productivity or gaming needs.

In its most basic version, the ROG Flow Z13 is a 13.4-inch tablet. It's not the most compact tablet on the market, compared to the iOS and Android options, but it has a lot more to offer. Its chassis measures 302x204x12mm, which is not that big. However, compared to a typical laptop which weighs around 500g, the Z13 weighs 1.18kg. It's quite heavy.

Given that it is a tablet, it is not difficult to imagine how to use the device. However, due to its weight, it is not always easy to maintain this use over a period of time. In fact, after just a few minutes of holding the tablet in hand, it would become increasingly difficult. As a result, ASUS has implemented two options to facilitate its use.

The first of these is to use the kickstand located on the back of the device. Thanks to the latter, users can more easily work on the Z13 when it is positioned on a flat surface. This kickstand is quite thin, and while it works, it doesn't allow you to turn the device into a laptop. After just a few minutes, you won't want to use it like this anymore because it digs into your knees.

However, ASUS has also included a detachable keyboard to completely convert it to laptop mode. It fits brilliantly, thanks to the magnetic strip located under the Z13. It also draws its power from the magnetic strip and not from Bluetooth.

Despite its conventional appearance at the front, it has a more engaging aesthetic at the rear. In addition to some engraved details on the frame, there are a few additional elements that make it stand out. The most important of these is the transparent panel located under the kickstand. The kickstand has a small cutout that allows you to see the transparent panel at all times. Its RGB lighting, which illuminates a small part of the motherboard, is very aesthetic. I don't know what it is, but there's something about the light circuits that make the visual intrigue really interesting.

Ultimately, it may not be the best in terms of build, considering its weight and size as a laptop, but it more than makes up for it with a few aesthetic elements that set it apart.

RELATED: ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED: First impression, last impression

ASUS ROG Flow Z13 ports and inputs

As previously noted, the Z13 has a detachable keyboard attached via a magnetic strip to the underside of the unit. The keyboard itself works perfectly and is thin enough that once close to the Z13's screen there is very little added in terms of size and weight. The only thing missing is auto power off or sleep mode when closing the keyboard like a lid, as would be the case on a regular laptop. Instead, the screen turns off and on when opened.

But the only thing that gave me trouble was the incredibly small touchpad. As a result, I didn't use this option at all, other than for a few tests, and opted for the mouse and keyboard option.

Although this is a tablet type, I found the number of ports available around the frame quite surprising. Here is the complete summary of the port types available on the Z13:

• 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack

• 1x USB 2.0 Type-A

• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C

• 1x Thunderbolt™ 4 DisplayPort™ support

• 1x ROG XG Mobile Interface

• 1x card reader (microSD) (UHS-II)

• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C DisplayPort™ support / power delivery / G-SYNC

This is an impressive range, even on a conventional laptop. The only thing worth developing is the ROG XG mobile interface. It opens up a world of options for extreme portability for any modern ASUS product, allowing you to convert a standard gaming laptop into a powerhouse. Although there are many possibilities for using the ROG XG port, for now it is used in conjunction with the ASUS ROG XG Mobile.

Screen and display

The tablet form factor means the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 focuses on the screen. The device is equipped with a 13.4-inch LCD panel marked “ID+Colour 1A-Black”. The LCD screen is an IPS touchscreen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate and has a glossy finish. This means it is a bit dazzling when used under lights or outdoors.

As for the screen display, it has an FHD resolution of 1920x1200px. The display is also validated by Pantone in terms of color balance with 100% sRGB color and 500+ nits brightness. Additionally, it is also compatible with the included stylus.

When I used the touchscreen, it was quite accurate to the touch. I had no problem selecting what I wanted or using the double-tap function in Windows. It worked great with no bugs, lag or anything of that nature to report.

When it comes to display capabilities, things aren't that simple. For the most part, the 500 nits brightness and 100% sRGB colors are bold and beautiful to look at. Switching between games and videos maintains a pleasing aesthetic.

However, when you really want to get to work using the pen, I couldn't help but be surprised by the pixelation visible on the screen. Obviously this is because when I was drawing I was almost against the screen on several occasions, but it still wasn't an ideal experience. This is especially notable, considering that most other pen-compatible ASUS devices I've covered in 2022 don't have the same problem.

Specifications

In terms of overall specs, there's quite a bit packed into this little frame. For starters, it is equipped with an Intel Core i9 12900H processor. It’s quite a surprise to integrate one of the most powerful consumer chipsets into the ASUS ROG Flow Z13. Added to this is 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Unfortunately, it doesn't support the 32GB (or more) variant. This may be a limiting factor for some designers, editors, and developers, but it's not a significant impact for most.

The Z13 is equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, as noted in the introduction. On its own, it is more than capable of producing great graphics for AAA games with a stable FPS to boot.

As for storage, the reference model includes a 1TB PCIe G4 SSD. This is more than enough for beginners, whether gaming or video editing. You won't need to use an external drive as a backup for a long time.

ASUS has installed a 4Cell 56wH unit for the battery under the hood. It's not a bad battery to fit inside the tablet frame on a gaming unit. I'll talk more about its performance in the section below.

Performance and battery

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 won't let you down when it comes to performance. I was able to pass all the standard tests when it came to everyday tasks, like streaming multi-tab browsing, downloading games in the background, and a few other multitasking activities. Over the few weeks of testing, I didn't experience much, if any, lag or performance drop. In fact, I purposely pushed the device at regular intervals during use to test the Core i9 processor, which didn't let me down.

In most tasks the unit runs at around 50W using around 60-70% of CPU performance. You can increase this consumption using the Armory Crate software, but this was never a requirement – ​​only during testing. Using Turbo mode, consumption reaches almost 100 W at 100% CPU usage.

Most hardware limitations are due to temperatures within the tablet's frame. However, ASUS achieves this too, operating around 70° to keep things under control at all times. At the same time, the fans almost never sweat either, reaching only 40 dB of noise under load. This means that there is still quite a bit of potential to unlock under the hood. Perhaps future software updates will allow the Z13 to run at higher temperatures and fan speeds, resulting in better CPU performance when needed.

Game modes and benchmarks were also impressive on the gaming tablet. For most games, I used medium graphics settings and monitored lots of FPS. On average, the tablet runs at an impressive 80-90 FPS for most AAA titles. This includes Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DotA 2, Spider-Man Miles Morales and others. Switching to RTX settings and boosting the graphics to Ultra, things dropped quite substantially to around 30FPS, with some titles a bit higher, around 40-50FPS. That's not bad at all considering you're using an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti laptop GPU in such a small frame.

To use the 120Hz refresh rate, I had to lower the resolution a bit, which I think goes against the display's native performance. So, using medium graphics and 1080px resolution was the norm for testing the native GPU.

Under normal working conditions – including document editing, Teams meetings and emails – the load on the battery was around 11W. This means I could get four to six hours of battery life.

When watching YouTube videos at 1080p with standard brightness, the battery consumption is reduced to around 8W. So I can extend the battery life by two to three hours, giving me six to eight hours of battery life.

However, under a gaming load, the consumption would be pushed up to around 50-60W, resulting in sub-hourly benchmarks. This is the norm when using a decent GPU, which can easily pull a heavy load. Results vary depending on resolution and settings, but these are the averages of all tests.

Overall, this computer is pretty serviceable in terms of battery life for its size, but it's no match for larger, more conventional laptops. A bit of concessions in the end.

Is the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 worth it?

There's a lot to summarize when it comes to the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 GZ301ZE. It offers lots of fun and creativity in a portable setting. Its potential is endless, especially considering its forward-looking ASUS ROG XG port. However, it's pretty rough around the edges when it comes to a laptop. I would rather see it as a tablet with laptop functionality rather than the other way around.

There are a few variants of the model on sale in the country, with the most readily available being the ROG Flow Z13 GZ301ZE with a Core i9 processor, 1TB SSD, 8GB RAM, 120hz display, and GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU for laptop. All things considered, that's not a bad starting price, with the X16 starting in a similar price range.

As the review title suggests, the device isn't always practical, especially if your primary use case is running a laptop for everyday tasks and the like. For all its flaws, this is one of my favorite ASUS laptops reviewed in 2022, trailing only the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.

Note: I also received the ASUS ROG XG Mobile a few days later as part of the review, which I'll cover in a separate article. Stay tuned for this article.