Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GA605 review

Our VerdictThe gaming laptop I’d buy today. All thanks to a carefully balanced spec sheet, gorgeous chassis, and punchy display.

Our Verdict

The gaming laptop I’d buy today. All thanks to a carefully balanced spec sheet, gorgeous chassis, and punchy display.

ForSuperb chassis designSlim sizePunchy OLED screenResponsive trackpadGreat speakersSolid performanceSpare NVMe slotAgainstYou could buy a faster RTX 4070 laptopSoldered RAM

ForSuperb chassis designSlim sizePunchy OLED screenResponsive trackpadGreat speakersSolid performanceSpare NVMe slot

AgainstYou could buy a faster RTX 4070 laptopSoldered RAM

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ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming…

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$1,999$1,529

$1,529

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ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming…

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I’ve run through what’s new in AMD’s Ryzen AI 300-series in greater detail in my recent story all abouttesting AMD’s Strix Point chip. But let me quickly break it down for you here:

Got all that? A great deal of new silicon stuffed inside one monolithic mobile processor, that’s for sure, and it shows when it comes to the benchmarks as we’ll get to shortly.

G16 2024 specs(Image credit: Future)CPU:AMD Ryzen AI HX 370GPU:Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (105 W)Memory:32 GB LPDDR5X 7467 RAMStorage:2 TB NVMe SSDScreen size:16-inch ROG Nebula OLEDResolution:2560 x 1600Refresh rate:240 HzBattery:90 WhrDimensions:35.4 x 24.6 x 1.49 ~ 1.74 cmWeight:1.95kg (4.29 lbs)Price:$2,300| £2,400

G16 2024 specs

(Image credit: Future)CPU:AMD Ryzen AI HX 370GPU:Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (105 W)Memory:32 GB LPDDR5X 7467 RAMStorage:2 TB NVMe SSDScreen size:16-inch ROG Nebula OLEDResolution:2560 x 1600Refresh rate:240 HzBattery:90 WhrDimensions:35.4 x 24.6 x 1.49 ~ 1.74 cmWeight:1.95kg (4.29 lbs)Price:$2,300| £2,400

(Image credit: Future)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip inside it.

CPU:AMD Ryzen AI HX 370GPU:Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (105 W)Memory:32 GB LPDDR5X 7467 RAMStorage:2 TB NVMe SSDScreen size:16-inch ROG Nebula OLEDResolution:2560 x 1600Refresh rate:240 HzBattery:90 WhrDimensions:35.4 x 24.6 x 1.49 ~ 1.74 cmWeight:1.95kg (4.29 lbs)Price:$2,300| £2,400

The G16 is slim and light enough to slip into my backpack without much of a second thought. I’ve taken it to and from the office and once found myself checking I hadn’t been robbed on the bus because my backpack felt suspiciously light. Not to worry, it was still there—I managed to avoid a very awkward conversation with Asus—though this laptop was light enough to make me second guess myself. For a regular traveller that lightweight frame is awfully appealing.

The chassis is made possible through the use of LPDDR5X memory. This is a type of RAM we more often expect to find in office thin-and-light laptops, though increasingly it is becoming commonplace in gaming devices, namely handheld gaming PCs but also some thinner gaming laptops, such as this. The reason it’s not so frequently used in gaming machines is due to the fact it’s non-replaceable—or at the very least non-replaceable without some industrial soldering techniques. You can’t just replace the RAM in this laptop yourself.

The non-replaceable RAM is definitely one of the bigger downsides to the G16. The 32 GB capacity is more than enough for my uses and I’m unlikely to want to upgrade that down the line, but I know opinion swings wildly person-to-person on this. I said the same thing in myZephyrus G14 (2024) review, as both new models have fully soldered memory.

(Image credit: Future)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip inside it.

There are a few areas where the G16 is surprisingly stellar. One is the speaker system, complete with reasonably large woofers (for a laptop).

To avoid relitigating Andy’sROG Zephyrus G16 reviewfor the RTX 4090/Intel Meteor Lake model, I’ll instead broadly agree with his sentiment: “these are actually surprisingly punchy. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say they could replace a portable Bluetooth unit, unlike most laptop speakers I’ve heard they actually have some genuinely meaningful bass and mid-range, enough to give you a bit of a kick underneath your wrists when listening to music or cranking up the game audio.”

Well said, Andy.

Another area of excellence is the trackpad. Obviously it’s huge, at 15 x 10 cm, but it’s hella responsive too. My only complaint here is that the deadzone for the physical trackpad click is quite large, at around 1.5 cm from the top of the trackpad, though it isn’t such an issue on a trackpad of this size.

(Image credit: Future)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip inside it.

The OLED screen is another highlight. It’s a Nebula Display, according to Asus, which is a fancy name for a 16:10, 240 Hz glossy OLED. Whatever you want to call it, it’s gorgeous for gaming. What I find more than anything is how much I appreciate the larger 16-inch screen size when playing competitive shooters, which this speedy 0.2 ms panel is well cut-out for. The 14-inch panel is convenient as all heck but 16-inch feels like a much more natural fit for FPS gaming.

The G16 can be anywhere between less than 1% slower and 10% slower than the Lenovo Legion 7i, despite containing the same GPU. The Legion does come with a beefier Intel CPU, however.

The G16’s power-savvy RTX 4070 does have the benefit of allowing for quieter, less intensive cooling. It’s also a boon to battery. However, Asus has trimmed down the G16’s thickness to such an extent that this RTX 4070 actually runshotterthan most we’ve tested. That’s despite three fans and liquid metal from Thermal Grizzly. That’s not really a massive surprise, but it shows you’re paying for this laptop’s thin chassis in more ways than one.

Buy if…✅ You want a sleek frame:The G16 packs a 16-inch screen in a laptop that feels much thinner and lighter than you’d expect for the screen space.✅ You want to work and play on the same device:A big screen, compact form factor and lovely chassis makes this as good a fit for office life as it is sat on a gaming desk.

Buy if…

✅ You want a sleek frame:The G16 packs a 16-inch screen in a laptop that feels much thinner and lighter than you’d expect for the screen space.✅ You want to work and play on the same device:A big screen, compact form factor and lovely chassis makes this as good a fit for office life as it is sat on a gaming desk.

✅ You want a sleek frame:The G16 packs a 16-inch screen in a laptop that feels much thinner and lighter than you’d expect for the screen space.

✅ You want to work and play on the same device:A big screen, compact form factor and lovely chassis makes this as good a fit for office life as it is sat on a gaming desk.

Don’t buy if…❌ You want top performance from the GPU:The G16 does a smashing job considering its size, though there are moderately larger laptops with higher performance on offer from the same componentry.❌ You want upgradeable RAM:The G16’s slim size comes at the cost of upgradeable memory. Providing you get 32 GB out of the gate, that’s not such a worry, though some might not like the restriction. At least there’s a spare NVMe SSD slot in this model.

Don’t buy if…

❌ You want top performance from the GPU:The G16 does a smashing job considering its size, though there are moderately larger laptops with higher performance on offer from the same componentry.❌ You want upgradeable RAM:The G16’s slim size comes at the cost of upgradeable memory. Providing you get 32 GB out of the gate, that’s not such a worry, though some might not like the restriction. At least there’s a spare NVMe SSD slot in this model.

❌ You want top performance from the GPU:The G16 does a smashing job considering its size, though there are moderately larger laptops with higher performance on offer from the same componentry.

❌ You want upgradeable RAM:The G16’s slim size comes at the cost of upgradeable memory. Providing you get 32 GB out of the gate, that’s not such a worry, though some might not like the restriction. At least there’s a spare NVMe SSD slot in this model.

This model with an RTX 4070 inside it is is preferable to the alternative, which is an RTX 4060. The RTX 4060 will age quicker and you’re stuck with your choice of chip in any gaming laptop. You could buy an RTX 4070 gaming laptop from another manufacturer for less than the price of either model of G16, too—so I’m not sure there’s really a ‘budget option’ to be had here. Stick with the RTX 4070 and you’ll go just fine, however.

But it’s time to face the music. Pricing is a big factor in the gaming laptop biz, and Asus knows it has a competitive package in the G16, even compared to stalwart premium models from Razer. It’s asking for$2,300for our American friends, and while I’m yet to find a specific listing, I’m told it will start out at £2,400 in the UK.

I can see where the money goes, and compared to premium offerings from Razer and the larger 16-inch Blade models, the G16 is notthatexpensive. Though you are undeniably paying for that luscious chassis, sleek form factor and gorgeous screen. That feels a fair deal, and this sensible RTX 4070 and Ryzen AI combo more so than the slightly absurd RTX 4090/14900HS model our Andy reviewed initially.

No doubt if I could pick any gaming laptop to buy with a view to working across both my gaming and work lives, it’d be the Zephyrus G16. And in this exact spec—shame I’ll have to send it back almost imminently, then, isn’t it?

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024): Price Comparison

$1,999$1,529ViewLow Stock$1,999$1,599ViewLow Stock$1,999$1,599ViewLow Stock$1,999$1,619ViewLow StockNo price informationCheck Amazon

$1,999$1,529ViewLow Stock

$1,999$1,529View

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming…

Walmart

$1,999$1,529View

$1,999$1,529

$1,529

Low Stock

$1,999$1,599ViewLow Stock

$1,999$1,599View

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming…

Walmart

$1,999$1,599View

$1,999$1,599

$1,599

Low Stock

$1,999$1,599ViewLow Stock

$1,999$1,599View

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming…

Walmart

$1,999$1,599View

$1,999$1,599

$1,599

Low Stock

$1,999$1,619ViewLow Stock

$1,999$1,619View

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming…

Walmart

$1,999$1,619View

$1,999$1,619

$1,619

Low Stock

No price informationCheck Amazon

Amazon

No price informationCheck Amazon

No price information

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We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

The Verdict92Read our review policyAsus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024The gaming laptop I’d buy today. All thanks to a carefully balanced spec sheet, gorgeous chassis, and punchy display.

The Verdict

92Read our review policyAsus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024The gaming laptop I’d buy today. All thanks to a carefully balanced spec sheet, gorgeous chassis, and punchy display.

92Read our review policy

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024The gaming laptop I’d buy today. All thanks to a carefully balanced spec sheet, gorgeous chassis, and punchy display.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024

The gaming laptop I’d buy today. All thanks to a carefully balanced spec sheet, gorgeous chassis, and punchy display.

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TOPICS

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Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip inside it.

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Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2024 review

LatestValve’s Steam page currently lists a second mystery game alongside Deadlock, sending Half-Life 3 theorists into another frenzy of speculationSee more latest►

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Valve’s Steam page currently lists a second mystery game alongside Deadlock, sending Half-Life 3 theorists into another frenzy of speculation

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Our Verdict#

Our Verdict