Asus’ convertible gaming laptops return with recent hardware and more endurance

The hits from CES 2023 keep coming. Asus is introducing a variety of recent hardware announcements for its ROG gaming brand, including refreshed models from the Flow line. The Flow X13, X16 and Z13 get hardware upgrades, including the newest processors and mobile graphics cards – but perhaps essentially the most noticeable improvement in considered one of these gaming laptops is its larger battery.

The Asus Flow lineup is comparatively unique amongst gaming laptops, with sporty 2-in-1 displays and – within the case of the X16 and Z13 – compatibility with Asus’ external GPU for enhanced gaming performance. However, the newest iterations of those laptops have suffered from abysmal battery life, something Asus is trying to vary with the brand new X13 models.

The Flow X13’s battery jumps to 75Wh, up from 62Wh on the 2021 model. In my colleagues’ reviews, Monica Chin wrote that her “only criticism” in regards to the Flow X13 was the battery life, and Cameron Faulkner warned Z13 buyers not to maneuver go anywhere and not using a power adapter when you plan to play.

Interestingly, the X16 will still use the identical 90Wh battery because the 2021 model, and the newer version of the Z13 will proceed to make use of the 56Wh battery. However, it’s price remembering that battery performance in real-life situations can vary significantly.

Details on other hardware configurations for the brand new Flow lineup are a bit sparse in the mean time, but we do know that the X13 Flow will use some versions of an AMD R9 CPU paired with an Nvidia GPU, and may be configured with as much as 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB of storage SSD. The X16 offers similar specs but will only be configured with Intel processors.

The Z13, however, can be limited to a maximum of 16GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB of storage. Of course, there can be loads of display options for the brand new laptops, but only the X16 can have the choice of a 240Hz display featuring Asus Nebula technology, which offers a peak brightness of as much as 1,200 nits.

Final prices and availability for the brand new Flow laptops have yet to be announced, but for comparison, the 2021 ROG Flow models had configurations starting at around $1,300 all the best way as much as $2,700. These prices don’t include Asus’ external GPU, which is an extra $1,300 investment, but will likely even be offered as a part of a bundle with recent configurations.

Correction on January 9, 10:57 ET: An earlier version of this story incorrectly states that the battery within the 2023 Asus ROG Flow Z13 has a capability of 130Wh, it is definitely rated at 56Wh, which is similar capability because the 2022 model.