Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review: I’ve got the new Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2024, and it’s impressive. Let’s explore why this might be the best 14-inch laptop you need, not just for gaming, but for everything.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review with Detailed Specifications
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Design & Build:
This device has a high-end design, which is much better than last year’s model. It has an all-metal premium look. There’s a little flex in the chassis, but it’s not a problem. The screen has minimal flex, and the keyboard area is very sturdy. Overall, the build quality is very solid.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Display:
The standout feature of this laptop is its beautiful 14-inch 3K display with a resolution of 2880 by 1800 pixels. It boasts a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and supports HDR Dolby Vision, making it excellent for watching high dynamic range content.
The display is non-touch and slightly glossy, which may cause glare in certain lighting. However, it offers excellent color accuracy and covers a wide color gamut, making it perfect for tasks like photo and video editing in software such as Lightroom, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve, and Premiere Pro.
With the RTX 4060 graphics card and higher, it handles video editing smoothly. Additionally, it excels as both a gaming and productivity laptop, featuring a 0.2-millisecond response time for gaming and a high refresh rate of 120Hz on its OLED panel.
The screen brightness exceeds Asus’s claim of 400 nits, measuring at 425 nits, making it suitable for indoor use. Outdoor use may be possible depending on lighting conditions, though glare and reflection could be an issue in direct sunlight.
Gamers will appreciate the G-Sync support for smooth gameplay, though it lacks touch capability.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Ports:
On the left side of the Rog Zephyrus G14, there is a proprietary DC input for the 180-watt power adapter, an HDMI 2.1 port, a full-function USB Type-C 4.0 port, a USB Type-A port, and a 3.5 mm headphone/microphone jack.
On the right side, there is a Micro SD card reader, another USB Type-A port, and a USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port. Overall, it has a good selection of ports. Although a full-size SD card reader would be better, having a Micro SD card reader is still useful.
For charging, it includes a 180-watt power adapter with a proprietary connection. Some versions also include a 100-watt USB Type-C charger, which is a nice option. I appreciate the flexibility Asus offers with these charging options.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Keyboard & Touchpad:
Typing on this G14 is quite nice. The keyboard has good tactility, key travel, and overall feedback, making it very comfortable and satisfying to use. However, the font on the keys looks a bit cartoony for a high-end design and could be more refined.
The laptop also features a glass Precision touchpad that is very responsive for scrolling and gestures. Overall, it’s a well-tuned and responsive pointing device.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Internals:
Inside this laptop, you’ll find three cooling fans. We’ll discuss thermal performance later. It has a 73Wh battery, and we’ll cover battery life as well. The RAM is soldered to the motherboard, so it’s not upgradeable. There are 16GB and 32GB RAM models available.
The laptop includes a 1TB SSD, which offers excellent read and write speeds, suitable for gaming needs. It also has a slotted Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth combo card, so you can upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 in the future if needed.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Webcam, Microphones & AI Studio Effects:
The webcam on the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2024 is impressive. It’s a full HD 1080p IR camera, meaning you can use it for Windows Hello face recognition. There’s no fingerprint scanner on this model.
The video quality is good, and it features AI effects like Studio Effects, Auto framing to keep you centered, eye contact adjustment, and background blur options including standard and portrait blur.
During recordings, you might notice a slight whirling noise, likely from the third fan in the laptop. This high-pitched noise can be a bit annoying during use, as reported by other reviewers.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 vs HP Omen Transcend 14 Performance, Benchmarks & Gaming Comparison:
Comparing this laptop to its main competitor, the HP Omen Transcend 14, it shows about 11.2% better single-core performance and slightly lower multi-core performance by about 8%.In terms of GPU performance using Cinebench 2024, it excels with 90 watts powering the RTX 4060, offering 177% better performance compared to the Omen’s 65 watts for the same GPU.
For video editing tasks like in DaVinci Resolve, it performs admirably with scores approximately 25.8% higher overall, 45% better on 4K media tasks, and nearly 100% better on GPU effects compared to the Omen Transcend 14. This makes it a solid choice for video editing with effects and transitions.
In gaming benchmarks like 3DMark, the G14’s 90-watt RTX 4060 outpaces the Omen’s GPU in both Time Spy and Fire Strike tests. This makes the G14 very capable for gaming, handling popular titles well at varying settings.
Overall, the G14 is not only a strong gaming laptop but also excels in video editing and general productivity tasks like Microsoft Office.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Muk Switch and Performance Modes:
The G14 includes a Muk switch for switching between discrete and integrated graphics, which works well. Unlike the HP Omen Transcend 14, which lacks this feature, the Muk switch is a positive addition.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Armory Crate App:
In the Armory Crate app, you can adjust performance profiles like silent, performance, turbo, and manual modes. I found performance mode sufficient as turbo mode increased fan noise significantly without much performance gain. Turbo mode is disabled when running on battery.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Thermals:
During the Time Spy stress test, the G14 performed well with minimal thermal throttling, scoring 99.2%. Surface temperatures remained comfortable on the keyboard but got warmer above the keyboard and near the function keys, reaching around 55°C.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Fan Noise:
Fan noise varies by mode. In performance or turbo mode, it can reach up to 57-58 dB, which is noticeable. However, in balance mode for everyday tasks like Office and web browsing, fan noise isn’t a significant issue.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Audio & Speaker Quality:
The laptop features quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support, delivering impressive spatial audio. The sound is rich, full, and fills the room nicely. It competes well with the sound quality of a MacBook Pro, although the MacBook Pro 14’s speakers are slightly better in comparison. When compared to the HP Omen Transcend 14, these speakers are significantly better.
You can adjust the audio settings using the Armory Crate app, including turning off the animated lighting effects if you find them unnecessary.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Battery Life:
It has a 73Wh battery. For a gaming laptop, the battery life is decent. On the modern office test, it lasted 6 hours and 23 minutes, slightly better than the HP Omen Transcend 14’s 6 hours and 12 minutes. During video playback, it ran for about 6 hours and 32 minutes, similar to the Omen Transcend 14.
When gaming, it lasts around an hour, which is typical for gaming laptops like the Omen Transcend 14. Overall, it offers capable battery life suitable for gaming sessions and everyday tasks.
Quick Overview Of Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 2024
| Features | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Display | 14-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED ROG Nebula Display, 120Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, G-Sync / Adaptive-Sync, MUX Switch + NVIDIA Advanced Optimus |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS Processor |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 |
| Memory | 16GB*2 LPDDR5X RAM Max Capacity:32GB |
| Storage | 1TB |
| Keyboard | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard 1-Zone RGBTouchpad |
| Webcam | 1080P FHD IR Camera |
| Battery | 73Wh battery + 180W/100W AC Adapter |
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Price:
This laptop costs $1,599.99. It has a 3K 120Hz OLED display, an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, 16GB of RAM, a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, and 1TB of storage. It’s pricier than last year’s model, but you get a more premium and well-built design.
Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Sleek, modern, and understated redesign
- Solid all-aluminum build
- Excellent 120Hz OLED display with G-Sync support
- Best-in-class speakers for a gaming laptop
- Great keyboard and touchpad
- Very good performance
- MUX switch for easy graphics switching
Cons:
- RAM is soldered in and not upgradeable
- Limited HDR brightness, though SDR brightness is good
- No Wi-Fi 7, though it can be upgraded later
- Expensive at $1599, but potential for discounts
Overall, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2024 offers strong CPU and GPU performance, excellent design, and impressive audio and display quality, despite some drawbacks like non-upgradeable RAM and limited HDR brightness.