Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review

For years, gaming laptops meant lugging around chunky beasts that screamed ‘gamer’ in RGB. But not everyone wants a flashy machine. Especially, if you plan to do more than just gaming on your laptop.

Enter the latest Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. A machine that lets you do all that in a sleek and minimal package. It’s compact enough to fit in a backpack, yet powerful enough to chew through AAA titles and creative workloads without breaking a sweat.

Having thoroughly tested it for the past few days, we have fallen in love with this machine. To know why, keep reading this in-depth Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Design

Right out of the box, it’s hard to miss the minimal design. Wrapped in a matte black chassis, the machine doesn’t go for loud RGB looks. Instead, it simplifies things with the Slash Lighting array.

The Slash Lighting can easily turn heads, especially when you are in a café. It’s a subtle yet striking design element that adds to the laptop’s aesthetics. What’s great is that you can customise it and set different profiles.

Our favourite is the 8-bit profile, which pairs perfectly with the laptop’s stealth black finish. It’s a subtle flex; minimal on the outside, but with serious power under the hood. Despite packing so much, the laptop doesn’t weigh a lot – 1.57 kg. Overall, the laptop feels quite sturdy, and you notice it more when you have it placed on a tabletop.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Display

Opening the lid, you are greeted with a gorgeous 14-inch slim-bezel display, which is super crisp to look at, thanks to its 3K resolution. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, which means everything from gaming to animations and scrolling through pages will feel buttery smooth.

We fully enjoyed watching some of Christopher Nolan’s older work, as everything felt even more cinematic and immersive. The OLED wizardry that Asus has done with this panel is impressive, as it offers deep blacks, and the content on it just pops like neon in a noir film.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Performance

Although from the exterior, the Zephyrus G14 looks like a productivity machine, which it undoubtedly is, it is also a gaming beast. Armed with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and Nvidia’s RTX 5070 Ti, the Zephyrus G14 tears through the most AAA titles.

Be it Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption or Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, it can run them all with 80+ FPS in the highest resolution supported by the screen.

We had a great time roaming in the Night City and fighting foes in Ancient Greece. Not just games, the laptop can also juggle over 30 Chrome tabs without breaking a sweat, thanks to the 32GB of RAM inside.

All that performance makes the Zephyus G14 a laptop built for performance. But the G14 does get noticeably warm, especially near the trackpad. That’s mostly during gaming. Having said that, extended usage isn’t recommended unless you invest in a controller or use an additional cooling pad.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Battery and Software

Now, coming to the battery, the Zephyrus G14 packs a battery that offers marathon productivity sessions. It’s got a 73Whr battery, which is enough for a working day, depending on the usage. Say, working on spreadsheets, using Canva for edits on Chrome, and getting a couple of Teams calls.

Game a bit, and you may have to charge it within two hours, which is expected. For our kind of usage, which involved watching YouTube videos, filling data into spreadsheets, and writing scripts for our next reel or review (like this one), the laptop lasted for more than six hours without having to plug in.

ALSO READ: 5 best Asus laptops to buy under Rs 40,000 in India

Topping up the laptop is just as quick. It supports 200W fast charging via the USB Mini-B cable inside the box. That’s super fast, and it can actually charge the laptop to 100 per cent in just about an hour and a half. So, a good battery and fast charging are checked.

As for the software, it’s our friendly Windows 11 running on the machine, and it’s consistent. The Armoury Crate from Asus is quite handy, especially for customising the Slash Lighting on the back.

The laptop also comes with different modes, including Performance, Silent, and Balanced. We ran most of our day with the Balance mode turned on, which offered the best mix of battery life.

Flip it to Performance, though, and you get the full beast mode, ideal for gaming. But just know the fans get too loud in that mode, which isn’t a problem in a crowded room, but it could be when in a quiet space.

Unboxed Take: Who should buy the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14?

Priced at Rs 2,79,990, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a do-it-all machine dressed up in a sleek black suit. It’s compact, powerful, and minimal.

Whether you are editing videos, juggling work apps, or diving headfirst into the latest AAA titles, it can do it all. It’s a versatile option, safe enough for gamers as well as productivity nerds who aren’t limited by a certain budget.

For all the above reasons, we rate the laptop a solid 4/5. Stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for the latest in tech, and more such in-depth reviews.