ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
âś” Screen with a bright QHD 16:10 aspect ratio
âś” A reasonable amount of performance for the cost.
âś” battery life for the entire day
âś” Surprisingly high quality for a webcam
CONS
❌ To my regret, there are none of those wonderful lights.
❌ Simple screen with 120 hertz refresh rate Chunky for a 14-inch device
Regular readers of The GGT may recall that I did not hold the most favorable opinion of the most current ROG Zephyrus G14. The model that was sent to us had a number of fantastic features; for example, Asus had made the aspect ratio better, included a webcam, increased the size of the touchpad, and addressed virtually all of the other issues that I had with previous generations of G14s.
However, the model that I had in my possession for evaluation was the most expensive SKU available, and it was beyond my budget.
To be more specific, the Radeon RX 6800S / Ryzen 9 6900HS combination that I purchased was listed at a price of $2,499.99. This put it in the same price range as some of the most premium 15-inch gaming rigs on the market, such as Razer’s Blade 15 Advanced; nonetheless, it cost far more than the larger and more capable G15. It was not a favorable trade at all. However, I did mention in the article that Asus planned to sell lesser models of the G14, and that those models, provided that they generated equivalent frame rates, might be incredible deals if they were priced competitively.
I’m happy to report that I’ve recently acquired one of those more affordable ones. This is being typed on a model of the Zephyrus G14 that retails for $1,649.99 and features the identical Ryzen 9 6900HS processor. However, instead of the 6800S GPU, it has a 6700S, which is a GPU with a little bit less power. I have had a sneaking suspicion for several months now that this configuration will deliver quite similar performance to that of its counterpart that costs $2,499.99.
And people, it appears that our hunch was right all along. Although there is a difference between frame rates, it is not one that warrants a premium price. The 6700S variant has a longer battery life than the other models. It is also considerably less heavy. The one thing that it does not have that the 6800S does is a sophisticated moving light display that is located on the lid of the device. The light display is extremely cool, and you can go ahead and spend the additional $850 if you want to, but I will say that the model that costs $1,6499.99 is the better option for the majority of people to purchase. It is without a doubt a more advantageous offer.
Please refer to the review of the 6800S G14 that I wrote and published in February for any and all information regarding the chassis of the G14. In that section, I went into detail on the keyboard, touchpad, webcam, screen, and other components of the design and hardware. Since those aspects of the 6700S model are all identical, I will instead focus on the various ways in which it performs differently.
ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G15 SPECS (AS REVIEWED)
- WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 120Hz, non-touch
- AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS
- 16GB DDR5
- 1TB SSD storage
- 720p camera
- Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax 2×2
- 75Whr battery
- 240W adapter
In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the more affordable G14 managed an average frame rate of 189 at the game’s highest settings and native resolution (2560 by 1600). The previous model ran at an average of 202 frames per second. Because the G14’s 120Hz screen is only capable of displaying 120 frames per second at its greatest refresh rate, this change will not be perceptible to anyone who uses these devices.
There is a possibility that this will have an effect on other titles, but not one that is worth $850. The 6700S had some issues with ray tracing, which virtually halved the frame rates, but we noticed the same thing with the 6800S as well. The more affordable device achieved an average of 63 frames per second when ray tracing was disabled, whereas the older model achieved an average of 70 frames per second and 37 frames per second, respectively. Like I said, little potatoes.
In addition, the more affordable version of Red Dead Redemption 2 ran at an average of 45 frames per second whereas the more expensive version ran at an average of 49 frames per second. I can guarantee that watching those four movies will not change your life in any way.
YOUR LIFE WILL NOT BE AFFECTED IN ANY WAY BY THESE FOUR FRAMEWORKS
Both the fan noise and the level of heat were comparable to what I experienced with the 6800S model, which is to say that they were satisfactory. When I switched the device to the Silent profile for general work, it did, in fact, become silent. The noise wasn’t particularly bothersome when I was playing the game, and it didn’t interfere with the game audio in any way. There was never more than a little degree of warmth on the keyboard, even when there was a significant amount of work going on and an external display was involved. During gameplay, the palm rests got warm to the touch, although not to an uncomfortable degree.
When it came to the length of time the battery lasted, I did notice a change. The 6700S model has an average battery life of eight hours and 55 minutes when used in general at medium brightness, which is an improvement of one full hour over the 6800S. This metric places the G14 back on the map as one of the gaming laptops that has the potential to endure the longest over the past few years. However, there was not exactly the same improvement seen in the gaming battery. Although it is difficult to draw conclusions about gaming battery life, I was able to play Red Dead Redemption 2 for 46 minutes with roughly 39 minutes of playable time on the less costly device, while I was able to get 54 and 46 minutes out of the more expensive unit. The same amount of time was required to charge the device to 60 percent, exactly 41 minutes.
WHERE I DID SEE SOMETHING OF A DIFFERENCE WAS BATTERY LIFE
The size is the one additional distinction that can be made between this model and the 6800S. It weighs 3.64 pounds, which is less than the 6800S’s 3.79 pounds, and it’s slightly thinner (0.73 inches to 0.77 inches). This is clearly not the most significant change in the world, and regardless of which option you choose, it’s still quite a light gaming laptop. However, this is just another insignificant benefit that comes with the more affordable variant. It is that much more compact and that much lighter compared to larger devices that are able to produce comparable frame rates. The Razer Blade 14 is its main competitor. When I was traveling abroad, I carried along this device, and I couldn’t believe how little space it took up in my backpack despite the fact that it included all of my essentials.
The Zephyrus G14 is, consequently, one of the greatest gaming laptops that are now available for purchase. Unless you’re really into fancy animated lights, you can just go ahead and purchase this model of the 6700S without any further consideration. This model is price-competitive with the premium sphere in a way that the animated light model isn’t: the closest Razer Blade 14 would be $2,599.99 ($950 more, albeit with a higher refresh rate screen), and a comparable Alienware X14 (with a lower-resolution screen) would be $1,949. And it undercuts larger competitors significantly: the Blade 15 Advanced with an RTX 3070 Ti is now advertised for $2,999.99 (a price increase of $950), and the RTX 3070 Ti Blade 15 Base is also available for that price (with a lower resolution).
And that’s not even taking into account the G14‘s other benefits over the majority of its rivals, like as its lightweight chassis, keyboard that leads the pack in its category, and (particularly) 16:10 screen. The price point of $1,649.99 makes it much easier (and more justifiable) to appreciate the true advances that Asus has made, and continues to make, in this arena. Asus has a long history of being a pioneer in the computer hardware industry.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
âś” Screen with a bright QHD 16:10 aspect ratio
âś” A reasonable amount of performance for the cost.
âś” battery life for the entire day
âś” Surprisingly high quality for a webcam
CONS
❌ To my regret, there are none of those wonderful lights.
❌ Simple screen with 120 hertz refresh rate Chunky for a 14-inch device
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