Asus makes the most powerfulgaming tabletaround — perhaps , the only hardcore gaming pad of paper you could buy . It ’s a completely unlike animal from most detachable tablet2 - in-1 laptops , which tend to be focused on productivity work and media pulmonary tuberculosis . As I discovered with the 2024Flow Z13 , this pad is aimed at run advanced title at playable frame rates .
The thing is , while the central processor got a substantial upgrade , the GPU choice are now limited to just one , the integrated AMD Radeon 8060S nontextual matter compared to the highest - end selection of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 . In my testing , that get the Flow Z13 a faster car for everything but gambling , which is at sound a step sideways in performance .
Specs and configurations
There are three versions of the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 currently number on the Asus web store . The base model is $ 2,100 , coming with an AMD Ryzen AI MAX 390 chipset , 32 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , and a 13.4 - in QHD+ information processing exhibit ( the only option ) . Upgrading to a Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 chipset adds $ 200 to the price , and the eminent - death contour with a whopping 128 GB of RAM costs $ 2,800 .
That ’s expensive , especially compared to theMicrosoft Surface Pro 11that starts at $ 1,000 . But , you ’re getting a short ton of performance that other tablets plainly can not match .
Design
If you ’re looking for a lozenge because you want a thin and light equipment that you may well take on the road for productivity work , then the ROG Flow Z13 is n’t the best option . It ’s considerably thicker at 0.59 column inch and heavier at 2.65 inch than the lead Windows tab , Microsoft ’s Surface Pro 11 that ’s 0.37 inches boneheaded and weighs just 1.97 points . bestow in the detachable keyboard , which is heavy in the new model , and you ’ll definitely feel like you ’re carry something around . Of course , if you ’re looking for a play machine , then it ’s quite wanton and extremely portable . And of course , that ’s exactly what this is supposed to be .
esthetically , this is an ROG gaming laptop through and through . It ’s an all - black slate , with bold line and aggressive discharge along the top that ’s apparently working — a lot hot hot air escapes in the guidance . In back , you ’ll find a bunch of ROG design cues , along with a very Surface Pro - like fold - out kickstand that works keen and has a notch shorten out to reveal the most gambling touch Asus built into the ROG Flow Z13 . Specifically , that ’s a window cutout bring out an RGB - lit vista into some of the gumption inside . The lighting is controllable and you wo n’t see the effect when you ’re using the pad of paper — but your lan company friends will see it .
It ’s built solidly enough , as well as all other premium laptops I ’ve used , using eminent - density atomic number 13 that receives two anodizing coats and has a flabby - tactual sensation anti - fingerprint finale . It ’s sealed up squiffy , which is a departure from larger gaming laptops that often some offer upgradable components .
Keyboard and touchpad
The detachable keyboard has been upgraded a bit , with orotund keycaps , and it features unmarried - geographical zone RGB light that ’s customizable using the ROG Armory Crate app . The layout is fine , with disjoined pointer keys , and the switches are recondite and antiphonal . It should please most gamers who do n’t need to impart a mechanical keyboard around with them . The keyboard shore up at a comfortable angle , as with the Surface Pro 11 Type Cover , and that gives it the same kind of slight bounce when you ’re bray keys .
The touchpad is also a little with child in this rendering , and it ’s magnanimous enough to be comfortable — which is sometimes unusual with detachable keyboard . It ’s a good - enough mechanically skillful adaptation with slightly loud and harsh button clicks . The show is touch- and playpen - enabled , and the pen is a $ 50 selection .
Webcam and connectivity
There are two cameras , a front - face 5MP version with an infrared television camera for Windows 11 Hello facial recognition , and a 13MP rear - facing camera for taking pictures and video . Both have comely images . The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ chipset has a very libertine Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) run at 50 tera operations per 2nd ( TOPS ) , exceeding the Microsoft Copilot+ PC necessary of 40 top for on - gadget AI processing . That yield you good deal of headroom for using today ’s AI features and head into the future tense .
Connectivity is changed up this time around . The last variant used an Intel chipset and so had Thunderbolt 4 . This generation is AMD , and so it ’s USB4 . That ’s just as tight . There ’s also an HDMI 2.1 larboard this time , to go with the USB - A port wine and 3.5 mm audio port . The microSD circuit board reader is welcome .
The with child alteration is that Asus has drip the ROG XG Mobile proprietary interface , with the new ROG XG Mobile that connects via Thunderbolt 5 . Here , you ’d employ a USB4 port instead . The XG Mobile is an outside GPU enclosure that packs an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU inside . That ’s the accoutrement that turn on the ROG Flow Z13 to be a reasonably fast portable gaming tablet and an incredibly fast background gaming machine . The 2025 XG Mobile is smaller and faint than the old model , which was a pretty hefty social unit . I do n’t have pricing for the accessary , but it will likely be upwards of $ 2,000 , so it will be attractive to the most hardcore gamers .
Thermals
With a very high - performance AMD Ryzen AI MAX 390 or MAX+ 395 chipset inwardly , both of which go at a nonpayment TDP of 55 James Watt and can run at up to 120 watt , there ’s a demand for a serious thermal solution . That ’s what Asus built , read vantage of the slating format — no hinges to work around — to build in prominent fans and a wider vapor chamber . And , gentle wind flow is better than with traditional laptop , given that the unit of measurement stands unsloped and so can draw an and throw out a muckle of air a plenty more easily . The 2025 modelling incorporate a novel airflow channel to keep the video display tank , an result I remark at times using the former genesis .
The vapor chamber is manufacture of a mixing of stainless steel and pig to boil down system of weights while still boosting cooling . The stainless steel portion serves as a heat sink , while the fuzz portion conduct heat up off from the inner components . The ROG Flow Z13 uses second - generation Arc Flow lover that are fabulously thin and pack in 71 vane for improve performance without generate additional noise .
In use , the lover gyrate up but were n’t as loud and harsh as with many other gambling laptops I ’ve used . 2025 ROG Flow Z13 certainly seems quieter than the previous fashion model I reviewed .
Performance
There ’s a choice between the Ryzen AI MAX 390 and MAX+ 395 chipsets . The former has 12 processor cores and 24 threads and runs at up to 5 GHz , while the latter has 16 CPU cores and 32 threads and runs slightly faster an 5.1 GHz . I reviewed with the Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 . As we ’ll see , it ’s a very fast chipset that churns through central processing unit - intensive chore .
Looking at the 2025 mannikin versus its forerunner , the AMD chipset provides a distinct advantage for highly demanding productivity tasks . It ’s faster in both individual - core and multi - core tasks , and it ’s one of the few laptops that even guess to vie with theMacBook Pro 16with the young M4 Max chipset . In fact , it actually get the MacBook Pro 16 in our Handbrake test that encodes a 420 Bachelor of Medicine video to H.265 .
Unlike its predecessor , the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 uses AMD integrated graphics , specifically the Radeon 8060S. The AI MAX 390 has 32 GPU core , while the MAX+ 395 has 40 GPU cores . In our benchmarks , the AMD computer graphic perform most like an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 discrete GPU , which is what was put up in the previous ROG Flow Z13 contemporaries . We ’ll talk more about that in the gaming section below .
Unfortunately , the ROG Flow Z13 would n’t complete the Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark that we use to rate a laptop ’s performance with intensive TV redaction and encoding undertaking . I mistrust that the 2025 model would perform likewise to the previous model , which would make it a fast enough solution for moderately postulate picture editors . I spent a few hours try on to get the benchmark to run , and I believe it was an offspring with the bench mark and not the laptop computer .
disregarding , this is by far the fast lozenge around for anyone who wants to get workplace done on the route . And couple with the XG Mobile and the RTX 5090 , and it will be one of the faster stationary organisation for video editing as well . That I can guarantee .
Gaming
While the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 is a meaning uptick in performance for everything but gaming , the head becomes : how is it as a gaming laptop computer ? In short , the integrated Radeon 8060S art are tight to the same performance as the RTX 3060 , signify the 2025 model is a sideways step and sure as shooting not an betterment .
The video display runs at a faster 180Hz , liken to the old generation ’s 165Hz and it now supports AMD ’s FreeSync engineering , so if you connect the XG Mobile with the RTX 5090 , you ’ll have a skilful prospect at tear - free gaming . By itself , the tablet ’s refresh rate vastly overstep its operation capabilities .
Starting with 3DMark ’s Time Spy trial , the ROG Flow Z13 rack up 10,352 , compared to the 2024 modeling ’s 12,159 . That ’s a 17 % drop , which is n’t great . However , the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 and an RTX 4070 tally just 10,743 , while the Acer Swift X 14 with a Core Ultra 7 155H and an RTX 4070 scored 9,545 . By this synthetic bench mark , the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 is a very good performing artist , even if it drops off a bit from the previous generation that was clearly telling .
Switch to some real - life gaming benchmarks , we ’ll get going withAssassin ’s Creed Valhalla . In 1200p and ultra high graphics mode , the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 rack up 86 systema skeletale per second ( FPS ) , compare to the 2024 manikin ’s 117 FPS , another drop off . The Asus ROG Strix G17 with an AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and RTX 4060 strike 102 FPS , and the HP Omen 16 with a Ryzen 9 7940HS and RTX 4070 manage 103 FPS . This was n’t a strong deed for the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 .
InRed Dead Redemption 2at 1200p and radical artwork , the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 ran at 96 FPS , compare to the 2024 model at 78 FPS . The ROG Strix G17 hit 78 FPS . That makes the unexampled tablet quite a chip strong . And inCyberpunk 2077at 1200p and ultra graphics with FSR 2.1 on auto , the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 strike 67 FPS , compared to the previous contemporaries ’s 88 FPS .
So , ultimately , the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 is around the same speed as the 2024 model , and look on the title of respect might be a bit quicker or a bit wearisome . It ’s a very competent 1200p gaming tablet across the table , able to support 60 FPS or better in most forward-looking games , and it will play older or less demanding titles at 1440p .
Battery life
With such powerful components inside and a high - resolution , gamey - refresh rate display , you should n’t really expect nifty battery life . There ’s a 70 watt - hour battery in spite of appearance , which is substantially larger than the 56 James Watt - hour interpretation of the previous generation , but seriously . You ’ll really want to take the very large power brick along with you if you design to be away from your billet for any important stop of sentence .
I see just 7.5 hours of video iteration and less than an hr of running through out require Cinebench R24 test . That ’s somewhat more than the previous generation , but not enough to change my mind . It ’s another orbit where this is definitely a gaming tab and not a productivity pad of paper , given that the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 lasts for more than double as long in the same tasks .
Display and audio
The 2025 ROG Flow Z13 has a 13.4 - inch 16:10 QHD+ ( 2560 x 1400 ) IPS display run at 180Hz . That makes it fast enough to nullify snag - detached gaming , and high - firmness enough to support 144op play and make for a great work political machine . And the image was bright and colourful during my testing .
When I used my colorimeter to appraise the exhibit , I was enjoyably surprised . First , it ’s incredibly bright at 533 nits , one of the brighter displays we ’ve essay and match the Apple MacBook Pro 16 mini - LED panel . It ’s way above our verge of 300 nit , and means you ’ll enjoy an incredibly vivid gambling experience . Contrast was also very good for IPS at 1,270:1 , thrum our 1,000:1 benchmark . It does n’t have the inky brightness of OLED and its HDR performance wo n’t be as near , but it ’s still first-class . Colors were unusually wide for IPS , coming in at 100 % sRGB , 90 % AdobeRGB , and 97 % DCI - P3 , well above the IPS averages of 100 % , 75 % , and 75 % , respectively . And the color accuracy was excellent at a DeltaE of 0.97 ( less than 1.0 is as good as it gets ) .
This is a groovy presentation for every user . Gamers , productivity users , Jehovah , and media consumers will all come up something to wish .
Audio is provided by two side - firing speaker , and it ’s all right . You ’ll require some headphones or an external speaker when gaming or streaming .
A step sideways, but still the best gaming tablet
Yes , the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 does n’t take a huge whole step onwards in footing of gaming functioning . Perhaps Asus will optimise the drivers and the Radeon graphics will get quicker , but for now , you ’re not going to see better play than the 2024 model .
But that ’s okay , because the portable gaming functioning is still the sound you ’ll find oneself in a pill . And the ability to add a unhinged - firm RTX 5090 when you ’re stationary is an intriguing — if expensive — choice for hard-core gamers . And if you want a tablet that will churn through ask productivity and creative tasks , then the ROG Flow Z13 has you covered there , as well .
