Review: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA401Q)

The new ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA401Q) is a 14-inch laptop that offers portability without sacrificing overall performance.

DESIGN
The laptop measures only 17.9mm thin and weighs around 1.7-kgs. Available in two different colour options such as Moonlight White or Eclipse Gray, the G14 boasts 6,536 precision-milled perforations on its lid with tiny LEDs. These light up in patterns that can be programmed using the AniMe Matrix settings.

The laptop has been built using magnesium-aluminum alloy with honeycomb reinforcements to keep the chassis both strong and light. If you opt for the Moonlight White variant, you also get a Prismatic Effect on the Lid and on the logo. ASUS has also thrown in a virtual pet called Omni bot from the ROG universe, which reacts to system usage, battery level, and so on, on the AniMe Matrix lid.

I/O PORTS
The Zephyrus G14 is also the first ROG laptop to feature an ErgoLift hinge that tilts the keyboard at a more comfortable angle. The bottom of the display lifts the back of the machine when you open the lid, giving the vents in the base more room to breathe. In terms of I/O ports, you get plenty!

On the left edge, you will find ports such as the power, HDMI 2.0b, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 and power delivery, and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the right edge, you will find ports such as the USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, and a Kensington Lock.

COOLING
The laptop also comes with a new heat pipe design that includes four heat pipes beneath the surface to pull heat away from not only the CPU and GPU but also the circuitry supplying them with power. The CPU, GPU, and VRM also have their own heat pipes connected to shared heatsinks that ensure efficient cooling for any workload, including those that light up only one of the two chips.

ASUS has also used a liquid metal compound from Thermal Grizzly on the CPU to increase performance by up to 10% compared to the standard thermal paste. This option was only available for Intel-based CPUs. However, it is now available for AMD CPUs as well and can decrease CPU temperatures by up to 10 degrees Celsius.

The G14 also features upgraded Arc Flow fans that accompany 84 blades shaped to increase airflow by up to 10% and reduce noise by up to 2dB below previous-gen designs. The laptop’s self-cleaning thermal module also helps maintain strong cooling performance over time.

SPECS
Under the hood, the G14 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor with Radeon Graphics and running at a clock speed of 3.30GHz. It also comes with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage space. Inside the box, you get a bunch of accessories along with the G14. This includes a ROG 14-inch Laptop Sleeve, a 100W Type C PD Charger, and some paperwork which includes the warranty info and the quick start guide.

DISPLAY
The review unit we received, came with a 14-inch 1080p 120Hz display. The display also offers 1440p WQHD resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate. The panel offers very good colours and brightness levels. You get around 323 nits of brightness, which is very good for most setups.

What’s missing though is a webcam on the top of the display. This was possibly done by ASUS to keep the overall package thin and light. But, it’s no biggie since you can now buy very capable external web cameras on the market that usually perform much better than built-in webcams.

AUDIO
The audio performance on the G14 is powered by Dolby’s Atmos technology, which also handles the audio processing. The laptop comes with a Dolby Atmos app that lets you pick from several preset audio modes, optimized for gaming, movies, and voice-centric media. Preset options include Dynamic, Game, Movie, Music, and Voice. You can also create custom presets using the graphical EQ options to fine-tune the audio to your preference.

GRAPHICS
And now, we have reached the area that matters the most when it comes to gaming laptops – the graphics capabilities. The Zephyrus G14 is armed with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU with 6GB of VRAM. This literally translates into a gaming beast packed into a 14-inch chassis.

PERFORMANCE
What we experienced was judder-free gameplay throughout. We did not find any lags or stutters while gaming. Even tasks such as video rendering were a walk in the park as the Zephyrus G14 was able to handle everything we threw at it with aplomb!

The touchpad and the keyboard were both great. The Windows Precision Trackpad is a good size and very easy to press. The keys are clicky with decent travel, without being loud enough to annoy those seated around you.

At the end of the day, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 can handle all the multitasking you need it to. It comes with a great keyboard, touchpad, battery life, and overall performance. If you are on the market for a highly portable gaming laptop that you can use while on the road without any compromise to performance, you’ll be happy with the G14 as your primary computing and gaming device.

Price: AED 7,999

Product photography by Ranbir Sen