CES 2024 is at present in full swing in Las Vegas, which means we’re getting a long-awaited cavalcade of recent tech merchandise. When you’re a laptop computer nerd (like me), you’ve got most likely been conserving an eye fixed out for brand new {hardware} from Asus, and the corporate has delivered as anticipated – with a collection of six new gaming laptops beneath its Republic of Avid gamers (ROG) model.

The primary occasion, in fact, is the titanic new Asus ROG Strix Scar 18: a monster machine packing an enormous 18-inch show and full-scale keyboard. It is joined by its little brother, the ROG Strix Scar 16, which remains to be completely no slouch regardless of its smaller display.

There’s additionally a pair of extra reasonably priced Strix laptops, the ROG Strix G16 and G18, which is able to little doubt be stable contenders for the very best gaming laptop computer crown – and will not share the excessive entry value for the Scar fashions, which begin at a wallet-shattering £3,999.99 within the UK (regional pricing to observe; the Strix G laptops shall be launching later within the 12 months).

Nevertheless, I am most intrigued by the slick redesign of the ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 Asus confirmed off. With a clear outer chassis marked solely by a diagonal slash of LED lighting, these two thin-and-light gaming laptops look extra like one thing an expert would use, however with out compromising on the ability beneath the hood. That is the kind of gaming system I would not be embarrassed to take into the workplace with me – however extra on that later.

ROG Strix Scar 16 and 18: larger is healthier

Having a look on the headline laptops first, each new Strix Scar fashions will function as much as an Intel Core 14900HX CPU and Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card, marking them as absolutely the high tier of moveable (and I take advantage of that phrase considerably generously, given the dimensions of those laptops) gaming {hardware}. As much as 64GB of DDR5 RAM and a triple-fan cooling system work to make sure these elements shall be freed from limitations.

The show is of specific word right here; an 18- or 16-inch mini-LED panel with a 2.5K decision and ultra-responsive 240Hz refresh price, Pantone-validated for superior colour accuracy and providing a formidable 1100 nits of peak brightness.

An attention-grabbing new function right here is the swappable ‘armor caps’ on the laptop computer’s again edge, which could be custom-made to your liking to raised showcase the RGB lighting alongside the rear of the laptop computer. And mercifully, Asus has joined the group in implementing common USB-C charging. I will not be waving a sorrowful goodbye to the billion completely different forms of proprietary laptop computer chargers, personally.

The ROG Strix G laptops shall be rather less highly effective (and rather less expensive), topping out at an RTX 4080 GPU with 32GB of RAM. That is nonetheless numerous laptop computer; we do not but know what the extra funds variations will appear like when it comes to specs.

The Strix G16 and G18 nonetheless function the identical tri-fan cooling system and Thunderbolt four assist because the extra highly effective Scar fashions (although the latter has just about grow to be a compulsory inclusion on gaming laptops at this level), and whereas the shows aren’t fairly as high-quality when it comes to brightness or colour accuracy, they nonetheless boast the identical 2.5K decision and 240Hz refresh price, with a handy guide a rough response time of 3ms – excellent for esports titles like Valorant.

All 4 Strix laptops will function Wi-Fi 6E, Dolby Atmos audio, and 90Whr batteries with fast-charging assist, a boon for anybody who likes to recreation on the go. The G-series techniques do not have the nifty interchangeable armor caps, however they’ve nonetheless acquired customizable RGB lighting a minimum of.

ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 – energy, professionalism

Let me get one factor straight first: I’ve liked the ROG Zephyrus G14 ever since its 2020 debut, so I used to be clearly going to be excited to see a brand new mannequin. This smooth redesign is even higher than I might hoped for, although.

At simply 1.5kg and 1.59cm thick, the 2024 mannequin of Asus’s premium gaming ultrabook seems to be improbable. This aesthetic is as clear because it will get; a pristine aluminum outer shell in white or gray, with a stainless-steel slash throughout the lid that glows softly with customizable LED lighting. Visually, a minimum of, that is what compact gaming laptops ought to aspire to be.

The show does not disappoint both: a beautiful 3K OLED panel with each Pantone and VESA DisplayHDR certifications that make it a viable possibility for skilled work like video modifying or digital artwork in addition to gaming. The Zephyrus G14 additionally will get a six-speaker improve, which Asus claims makes it a whopping 252% louder than the earlier mannequin at max quantity.

Asus has caught to its earlier rule of utilizing AMD processors for the Zephyrus G14, with the brand new mannequin packing the most recent Ryzen 8000 processors – which function Ryzen AI. Equally, the G16 mannequin will use Intel’s new Core Extremely CPUs, which make use of Intel’s devoted on-chip neural processing unit (NPU) to speed up AI workloads.

Each the 14- and 16-inch Zephyrus fashions will use Nvidia GPUs, nevertheless, with the G14 topping out on the RTX 4070 whereas the G16 could be configured as much as a beefy RTX 4090. Each include 32GB of DDR5 and, very like the brand new Strix laptops, function enhanced batteries with quick charging.

Oddly, the Zephyrus G16 has a barely decrease show decision than its smaller sibling – 2.5K versus 3K – nevertheless it comes with double the refresh price to stability issues out. Lastly, each laptops have ‘stealth hinge expertise’, which… okay, I am not solely certain what that’s. Asus wasn’t forthcoming about it within the press launch, however I am assuming it is a new hinge design that permits the laptop computer to be constructed to be even thinner than earlier than. Care to enlighten us, Asus?

Try our CES 2024 hub for all the most recent information from the present because it occurs. We’ll be masking every part from 8K TVs and foldable shows to new telephones, laptops, good residence devices, and the most recent in AI, so persist with us for the massive tales. And don’t overlook to observe us on TikTok for the most recent from the CES present flooring!