[Editor’s note: Monica Chin is The Verge’s former senior laptop reviewer, currently taking a break from tech journalism. But some things are hard to quit.]
As soon as upon a time, in March 2020, a small firm referred to as ASUS launched a gaming laptop computer referred to as ROG Zephyrus G14. It weighs simply over 3.5 kilos and is powered by a very highly effective AMD processor the likes of which have by no means been seen in a 14-inch kind issue.
I nonetheless keep in mind trying again at that laptop computer about 4 years in the past prefer it was yesterday.I keep in mind working Crimson Lifeless Redemption 2 Benchmarks – the last word check on the time – pored over the sport’s settings time and again, desperately attempting to determine the place I would screwed as much as make the sky-high body charges I used to be seeing make sense. (Keep in mind, one of the best factor Intel needed to supply on the time was Comet Lake. And, nicely, we’re not speaking about Comet Lake on this household.)
Then there’s the design. The G14 has a retro aesthetic that is primarily a spaceship, with huge, luxuriously comfy keycaps and a keyboard font that is harking back to Johnny Rockets. The lid eschewed the modern and modern aesthetic that laptops had been simply starting to include on the time, opting as a substitute to be lined in an odd however fully distinctive dot matrix. Should you pay just a little (okay, lots) extra, these dots flip into animated LEDs that you should utilize to do all types of funky issues, from elevating digital pets to creating a man’s head explode. Since then, there’s been a G14 mannequin that doubles as a DJ turntable, and one other lined in obscure shapes with “BLACK HOLES IN THE NOW” scrawled throughout the underside. It is by no means been a laptop computer that should mix in.
I keep in mind sending Asus an electronic mail asking if the $1,449 value they despatched me was a typo – should not such a particular product price $1,000 extra? A part of me remembers how I felt when the ASUS rep responded and mentioned no, consider it or not, that is the true value.Folks understand that this laptop is one thing new – this laptop is one thing completely different.
Over the following few years, the G14 went on to create a brand new gaming laptop computer class. The product’s reputation resulted in it being primarily unavailable for fairly a while. It is an enormous product for Asus, one which’s nearly all the time on Greatest Purchase’s bestseller listing, and by all accounts, one of many gaming laptops I see most frequently within the wild.
As we speak, modern 14-inch drills abound. Asus is not the primary ultraportable gaming laptop computer – that honor actually belongs to the Razer Blade – however the Zephyrus G14 nonetheless proves to everybody that it is potential to run heavy-duty video games on greater than only a full-featured 14-inch laptop computer , a day of battery life and a modern, daring design, and a machine like this doesn’t must break the bank.
In different phrases, it redefines the class and is mainly the precise reverse of the MacBook in each method.
Quick ahead to CES 2024. The G14 has primarily remained a reproduction of the 2020 chassis since its launch, however debuted after a significant redesign. It is thinner and lighter. The spaceship vibe is gone. The lattice is gone, as are the afros and digital fauna it created. The lid is now modern {and professional}, with a – I do not know, slash? – Undergo the middle as the one ornament. The whole lot about it’s rounder, extra refined, extra prestigious. As present reviews level out, it out of the blue appears to be like, feels, and appears lots like a MacBook.
The G14 is much from the one CES model that is blatantly chasing after the Mac lineup by way of design. Dell has changed its 15-inch and 17-inch XPS configurations with 14-inch and 16-inch fashions respectively (sound acquainted?). Not solely do these fashions lose the full-size SD slot (sigh), however additionally they lose the bodily row of options, changed by tactile contact buttons (one other factor a Cupertino firm is attempting). Everybody and their mom was grumpy about it. It is emblematic of a bigger development we have seen throughout the computing panorama lately, the place 13- and 14-inch gadgets are merging boardroom aesthetics whereas turning into thinner and lighter in any respect prices.
Now, I perceive the need to emulate the MacBook. That is a unprecedented sequence of computer systems. It is on the high of one of the best laptops web page on the web, and there is little debate about its worth.
However there are some things I actually hope producers take into accout when contemplating whether or not to surrender a singular and completely different design in pursuit of a MacBook feel and appear.To begin with, the MacBook just isn’t solely The feel and appear of it. That is not all.
I feel crucial factor that makes Apple computer systems the machines that each skilled owns is how nicely they carry out. It is the highest capabilities of their wafers and battery life – it is the mix of energy and effectivity they provide. In spite of everything, the early 2020 MacBook Professional 13 and the late 2020 MacBook Professional 13 have very comparable chassis, however solely the latter combines top-in-class efficiency with top-in-class battery life, and it has been utterly eclipsed in only a few months . Gross sales of its Intel friends. By the way in which, high efficiency and high battery life are additionally what the G14 has had for years.
I am not saying design is not necessary.I sure The pursuit of thinness, trend, and class, it doesn’t matter what you name it, usually comes at a value.
We have seen this occur time and time once more. You may take a look at the transition from the Dell XPS 13, an all-around nice laptop computer that was on one of the best pages earlier than the M1 period, to the Dell XPS 13 Plus, an ultrabook that is a fireball , with battery lifetime of round 5 minutes, a shallow trackpad, disappointing efficiency, and a irritating keyboard, it received middling critiques from nearly everybody. (tom’s informationFollowers of the XPS sequence criticized it as a “stunning step backwards”. )
You take a look at the ThinkPad Z sequence, which had to surrender a lot of the options that made ThinkPads world-famous so as to preserve a slim profile. The Razer Blade has been attempting to be skinny and trendy for years, nevertheless it’s all the time been louder, hotter, costlier, and has worse battery life than the G14. Heck, you may even take a look at Apple. In spite of everything, the thin-at-all-costs mentality has saved us utilizing butterfly keyboards for 5 years.
I hope that does not occur with the redesigned G14, XPS 13, and different main laptops at CES this yr. However I see some warning indicators. Final yr’s G14 may accommodate as much as an RTX 4090 (Nvidia’s top-of-the-line providing), whereas this yr it is capped at an RTX 4070. Granted, the G14’s 4090 was restricted to 125W, a determine that was considerably much less highly effective than the bigger 4090 machines on the time, and the RTX 4070 mannequin was undoubtedly the candy spot for efficiency and value. However the reality stays: G14 followers’ SKU decisions at the moment are extra restricted than earlier than.
Then there’s battery life, which has all the time been one of many G14’s greatest options. Not solely does the 2024 G14 have a smaller battery than its predecessor, it additionally has a higher-resolution OLED display screen. Do not get me incorrect: I like OLED screens, particularly for gaming, and the Zephyrus’s look nice. However final yr’s QHD Mini LED panel was already beautiful, with some reviewers reporting that it was mainly nearly as good as OLED. The mix of a high-resolution OLED display screen and an H-series processor hardly ever delivers nice battery life. I’d advocate the XPS 13 Plus to you once more. Acer Swift 3. HP Pavilion Plus 14. ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED. HP Specter x360 13.5. I imply, actually, you’ve gotten a selection.
I perceive the urge to comply with the cool youngsters to their cafeteria desk. Actually, I do. However issues are going nicely with the Zephyrus G14. It isn’t for everybody, nevertheless it’s completely and unapologetic in its personal proper. As the marketplace for Home windows machines races to catch as much as the MacBook, it could be a disgrace if such a daring product disappeared.
Up to date January 20, 2024 at 4:35 pm (ET): Added extra background details about the facility consumption of the RTX 4090 in final yr’s G14, which appeared within the unique draft.