ASUS introduces a third thin and light gaming laptop – ROG Flow X16 – to the ROG Flow Family.
The ROG Flow X16 has a 15-inch chassis that measures a mere 19.4mm thick, and it weighs just 2.1kg. The 360° hinge allows you to use it as a tablet or stand it like a tent while you use an external keyboard or gamepad; this mode actually maximises airflow.
The tale of the tape reveals an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS processor at its core with GPU options up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, which can operate at a maximum TGP of 125 watts with Dynamic Boost. Despite the slim form factor, the X16 was designed to be upgradable – both the DDR5 4800 MHz memory and PCIe 4.0 SSD can be accessed and replaced. It supports up to 64 GB of RAM and has a second open M.2 slot so you can supplement the onboard 1TB drive.
A lot of power in a small footprint. | Image Credit: ASUS
To keep things cool, the X16 features Thermal Grizzly liquid metal on the CPU along with brand-new Frost Force Technology. The tech uses two fans to push air through “precisely calculated cutouts” to cool key internal components while a third fan directs heat from the CPU and GPU to the new Pulsar Heatsink (ultra-dense fins measuring 0.1 mm thick) covering the rear of the machine. Asus says this extra fan lowers temperatures by about 7°C, which helps the X16 maintain high framerates for long periods.
If you need more graphics processing power, simply add an XG Mobile external GPU, which houses laptop variants of the best AMD and NVIDIA graphics chips. The XG Mobile also doubles up as an I/O expansion hub, housing connectivity options such as Ethernet, USB Type-A, DisplayPort, HMDI 2.1 ports and an SD card reader. And yet, it is small enough to be packed in a backpack along with the X16.
A gaming laptop that doubles up as a hybrid laptop. | Image Credit: Asus
Last but not least, the X16 features a new QHD Nebula HDR display. Nebula display is ASUS’ designation – 1,200:1 contrast ratio, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, 500 nits peak brightness minimum, 3ms response time minimum – for its best-performing panels. The new display is a 165Hz mini LED panel with 512 local dimming zones to deliver 1,100 nits of peak brightness. Powered by AUO’s AmLED technology and the ROG Nebula HDR Engine, the Nebula HDR is also VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certified.
The ROG Flow X16 is available in two configurations. The GV601RM-M5038W variant (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti, 32GB RAM) is priced at $3,998 and the GV601RE-M5024W (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, 64GB RAM, XG Mobile with AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT 12GB). Both are available at the ROG Experience Store Bugis, ASUS Online Store, and all authorised retailers.
