Portability is very popular among gamers right now. The Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more have proven that gamers love taking their experiences on the go, but what if you want a super-powerful option? Something that delivers powerful desktop performance without having to sit under your desk.
ASUS has made it available with the Flow Z13, the latest in its line of portable laptops designed to take high-performance gaming, creativity, and more on the go. It’s packing some serious heat here, including an i9-13900H, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, an RTX 4070 and a 1TB SSD, all for around £3,000. It’s not a sniff-worthy price, so even with these specs, you’ll want a good value product.
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 looks and feels great. Regarding the latter, it’s an incredibly lightweight product, again emphasizing that it’s a very portable device. It’s great to hold and doesn’t add too much weight to the pack, even with all the powerful pieces inside. As far as looks go, the design is interesting and certainly unique, and while it took me a little getting used to, overall I have to say I like it. It stands out, rather than trying to do what so many other gaming laptops do, which is to put out the flash as much as possible to remind you that you’re a gamer who loves gaming and nothing more. There’s something understated and professional about the ROG Flow Z13 that I found myself drawn to. This may be because unlike the X13, the Z13 is aimed at a wider audience, prioritizing its portability over gaming use, but with its specs, gaming is still a clear focus.
Here is an ad:
When we talk about looks, I have to mention the panel on this laptop. 13.4 inches, 165 Hz, and 2560×1600 resolution make this panel and the games on it look great. Everything I tested on this laptop was higher resolution, which could explain some of the fps drops, but I’m glad I lost a few frames to make sure I got the gorgeous images this screen offers. If you’re willing to drop down to 1080p, you’ll get better performance from this rig, but the options are there because the ROG Flow Z13 suits your gaming style, packing enough punch for solid performance and visuals. Without really sacrificing either.
Audio-wise, this compact machine once again impresses. Its speakers are loud, but not overly so, to really immerse you in the gaming experience. Driving through the streets of Night City and listening to the radio, it rarely sounds this good. The only noise I don’t like is the noise coming from the laptop’s vents, as it tends to get pretty loud when it’s firing on all cylinders. It also got quite hot, but not to the point of discomfort as it sat on my lap for hours of gaming. You’ll notice a lot of heat emanating from the top of the laptop, though, so I’m not sure how it will do if you want to play heavy gaming for hours on end.
I’ve been wondering if I should call the Asus ROG Flow Z13 a laptop throughout this review, because even though that’s probably the easiest way to describe it, what Asus is really going for here is a super powerful laptop with a keyboard tablet. Again, this lighter, thinner keyboard helps with portability, but it certainly doesn’t feel inferior because of it. It’s not the best keyboard around, so if you want to do a lot of typing rather than using the tablet as your primary function, you’d better look around.
Here is an ad:
Otherwise, it’s hard not to recommend this little machine that does the job. It packs some great features, but I don’t know where the Asus ROG Flow Z13 puts it since it also manages to feel very lightweight. If portability is the name of the game, Asus has done a great job here, creating a super tablet that’s capable of some great gaming on the go and is great for any creator who’s always on the move. It is a stable tool.
Check out some of the benchmarks below, as mentioned, all of them were shot using 2560×1600 resolution:
Cyberpunk 2077 （DLSS Enabled）：
Ray Tracing Ultra: 46.43 frames/second
RT OFF Ultra Default: 67.39 frames/second
GTA V：
Very high preset: 103.2 fps
Red Dead Redemption 2：
Ultra preset: 48.52 frames/second
High settings: 60.37 frames/second
control:
Ultra, RTX off: 58 average fps
RTX High: 30 frames/second
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
(Ultra-fast, DLSS on): 100 frames/second
Total War： Warhammer III （Ultra）：
Combat benchmark: 42.2 frames/second
Campaign benchmark: 47.9 frames/second
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition
(Ultra): 71 frames/second
Counter-Strike 2
(High): 92 frames/second
