ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Review

Checking out the 2022 ASUS ROG Flow Z13. Comment below what you think of it!
Shop for Z13: geni.us/tz7Do , or shop for G14: geni.us/2Byzm (affiliate)
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Full System Specs - ASUS ROG Flow Z13
CPU - Intel Core i9-12900H
Memory - 16GB DDR5-4800
GPU - Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (40W)
Display - 120Hz 1920x1200p Touch Screen
Storage - 1TB NVMe SSD
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:12 - Design, Materials, Build Quality
2:18 - Keyboard, Touchpad
3:04 - Connections
4:07 - Maintenance, Upgrades
4:40 - Intel Core i9-12900H Performance
5:18 - Thermal Performance
6:16 - RTX 3050 Ti Gaming Performance
8:06 - Panel Performance, Brightness, Color, Contrast
9:18 - Panel Performance - Response Times, Latency
9:51 - Battery Life
10:15 - Speakers, Webcams
11:09 - Final Thoughts
Disclosure:
- This product was provided by ASUS for the purpose of testing. As per my own guidelines, they don't get any say about anything in this video or any of my other reviews. It's not sponsored by them, they also didn't get to preview this video beforehand, or any other nonsense like that. My reviews reflect my own views, nothing more, nothing less.
- Amazon links I provide are (typically) affiliate links. Using these does not cost you anything at all. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means they do provide me with a small commission when you decide to buy a product, at no cost to you.
#ASUS #FlowZ13 #GamingTablet

[@FernandoFlores-bv8ux]

I always like these reviews, very complete to me.

[@the-patient-987]

I guess it works as a proof of concept and they could take the good ideas to make more performant and thinner laptops. Another great video!

[@spencerfong1088]

Great review! Thanks!

[@TechTesters]

Thank you!

[@Bob-2023]

Bought it for the portability & power: even with keyboard, it squeezes into the smallest backpacks. Although not a high-end gaming laptop, it's quite respectable, and amazing for all other applications. At home, with a good dock, you can connect multiple large monitors, big keyboard, whatever. Only downside has been weird intermittent issues with using both USB-C ports at the same time (2nd one is in the external GPU plug array).

[@PeterHamlin]

Thanks for a great review. Re your criticism of the keyboard/touchpad -- is the Z13 comparable to the Surface Pro keyboards? I personally like those, although I realize many reviewers do not. So I was curious if your criticism was generally about that sort of tablet-style keyboard, or was it to indicate that the Z13 keyboard is worse than other similar keyboard/touchpads like the Surface Pros. (I've never minded the small SP touchpad because the whole screen on multitouch devices is a ginormous touchpad.) I'd also be interested in how the Z13 does with inking. I'm interested in this device from the point of view of a multi-media artist, not a gamer. It seems like a Surface Pro 8 plus a discrete gpu and more powerful cpu and with very few compromises from the more powerful internals (more or less the same price, and only slightly larger/heavier, with less battery life).

[@AleksandarT10]

I have the i7 12700H 16GB Ram 512 GB SSD RTX 3050 model and I have been using it for a month as a Software Engineer. Its a pretty good machine on the go for that. It can handle any productivity task you throw at it. I have not tried gaming so far on it, but overall i like it. Only downside is the bad battery life

[@christopherjackson2157]

I wonder why they didn't position this as a productivity machine instead of a gaming one. My feeling after watching the video was essentially "wow that would be great for work but I can't imagine wanting to play any games on it" Do you find you use the GPU in your work? I definitely think there's a market for a capable tablet in professional environments. But not having used one, my gut instinct is that the gpu is just needlessly increasing the cost. I suppose maybe for cad applications it would be useful.

[@AleksandarT10]

@@christopherjackson2157 As a Software Engineer i dont use or see any use of the GPU. Since they are marking this along with XG Mobile, i think it would have made more sense all models to have Intel GPU (not only the i5 model). Probably for some CAD work it would make difference, but if you were doing that kind of work you would go with something more powerful for sure

[@hanna8399]

@@christopherjackson2157 Depends on what software engineering you are :) In my case, I code a lot of CUDA, so I would really like to have a lightweight computer that can at lease compile my code and run some small test scenes when I am in a conference trip.

[@kpadonougodwin7979]

Can you connect it with dual monitor screen?

[@naapsulusmurmurusmurmurus2392]

@@christopherjackson2157 its too small for gaming

[@davidrijsdijk2086]

What a crazy tablet!!!

[@mapangarapvlogs5745]

hi! have you tried connecting it to external monitor without the XG MOBILE?

[@mag3slay4]

Just grab a 3070 based machine and whatever tablet of your choice. Sure, might have to carry around two objects, but the Z13 is really heavy for a tablet. I can see this being useful for graphic design work where a relatively powerful gpu would help with some programs.

[@ra28cer]

Hi Nada, how are you! If I may I have a question for you. I am in the verge of buying a Rog z13 butt one with a RTX 4060 GPU. I need a very portable laptop/tablet to work in DaVinci Resolve studio. Would you recommend to go a head and buy it or wait for the RTX 5000 to arrive on the Z13? Love your vids! Keep m coming!

[@TechTesters]

I don't know what ASUS their laptop department is up to, but I don't expect a RTX 5000-series Z13 any time soon. Plus it would probably cost a lot more than 40-series cost now that they've been out a while.

[@F14Mavrick]

I find it interesting you are the only reviewer that said this keyboard flex's alot. This reminds me of the surface keyboard when they first released back in the day. If it is anything like that, this is fine even for long typing sessions and had very little flex. I have had 10 hour coding sessions using keyboards like that and never really had an issue. My only gripe is that this tablet doesn't have a 3:2 or 16:10 aspect ration. That would have given more screen real estate and could have made that mouse pad a bit larger.

[@GabrielBaltat]

The flex is fine, the surface peo 8 keyboard is not much better and it does have a 16:10 ratio display.

[@BradlehDadleh]

Always hit like on Techtesters!

[@EY_YT_SinEater]

I think this tablet is great for my needs, i am going to buy the newer model with 4050 graphics card, i am student and hopefully become Technical Engineer. I play when i have a chanse to do so and i can do work all around because this machine is so light. I am usually playing games like: Tom Clancy's The Division 1 and 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Outlast and those type of games, i think this tablet could run those type of game easily enough. I think it would be convinient for me.

[@TheChimaChannel]

This might sound a bit weird but would it be possible for me to buy your z13? We both live in the netherlands so yeah I understand if you dont want to sell it though but i would love it if you did

[@danielhirst3151]

They missed a trick not having a 32gb option. Originally they advertised that there’d be a 32gb release, but since launch there’s no sign of one.

[@ironfist7789]

looks really nice, but kind of a weird spot for me to squeeze into the tech budget with price and putting money in my highend desktop, and a decent phone. I'd see myself going for a 15 inch laptop at that price for mobility if I had extra cash.

[@Ricky-wv1uz]

THANKS FOR COVERING THIS! Have been thinking of picking this up for on the go Unreal work But I do have one question! is the 1TB drive that one you showcased? or is that an Internal drive and the slot you showed is an addition? Most others have shown it as an additioan but it is really hard to tell & finding a 512gb+ 3320 drive is a little hard!

[@mademedothis424]

This model comes with a 1TB (and there's that SD card slot, too, which really helps).

[@Ricky-wv1uz]

@@mademedothis424 Yes, it says that already in the specs…I’m just wondering if Asus filled the M.2 door with one already or if that is meant for an additional M.2 2230 I have a motherboard with 3 M.2 spots so I can Pop the main drive in with its replacement and clone it easily…but I’d still love 1Tb + additional

[@mademedothis424]

@@Ricky-wv1uz Ah, got it. No, it's the same setup as the Surface Pro 8, that's the only slot and it comes populated. You indeed would have to take the default one off and reinstall Windows or clone the drive.

[@fallinginthed33p]

M2 2230 drives are cheap now. Dell has a lot of stock for 1 TB models.

[@mademedothis424]

@@fallinginthed33p Well, there's a 1TB in there already and, like I said above, you only get one slot, so you'd get something bigger, which is where it starts to get sketchy. At a glance, Amazon lists only one in stock right now, it's 2TB and 300 USD. I don't know that I would take all the hassle and expense for an extra TB instead of just moving all my slow data to an SD card.

[@quocbaotran396]

I want to find out: What is the best SSD for Gaming Laptop?

[@maulbeck6724]

like you, here in Canada, we also cant get the xg mobile, which sucks because I'm not interested in getting it without the egpu dock so i can use a real monitor and have the usb slots to plug in all my extras. Mic, keyboard, mouse, etc. For when I want to play a real game from time to time.

[@TechTesters]

Yeah, that's a result of local ASUS offices deciding what they're buying for their own markets (from what I understand). It happens way too often that some regions just get really bad specific SKUs shipped, while the actual product itself can be really good. Shame :(

[@TaimatCR]

Man I really hope they can make a 10" or 11" inch version with maybe rtx 4k or even amd apu for their next version, I really wanted a surface go but with decent performance and this is the closest thing I guess

[@AlfaPro1337]

It's already using RTX 30 series, and there's a 4K option. I wouldn't get an AMD APU version, because of the huge bottlenecking introduced in Zen++, and the APU is probably based on the RX Flop series/Flop VII, which can't beat the Titan V/RTX at all.

[@jt.8144]

Looking for a Surface 9. Saw this video. Bought 1.

[@verveblack]

waiting for your x16 review

[@JamesTsividis]

Do you know if I could use this with my 38" monitor to play Forza Horizon 5? I would love to get this but would like to know how far it can go before I buy it. It's 3840 x 1600. It has a 60hz and 75hz option.

[@naapsulusmurmurusmurmurus2392]

isnt monitor too small for gaming?

[@salteveline]

hi Techtesters Nada! great review as always ❣️

[@mademedothis424]

I've had one of these for a little while due to territory difference. Here are a couple of caveats to the review. One, there is a second USB C on it. The proprietary eGPU port is actually two connectors, a USB C and a proprietary thing for the GPU (I suspect it's just a PCIe riser in a cable). The USB C is perfectly normal and you can use it to plug in devices or charge the tablet. Two, this thing does support the Surface pen 3 and it reads it properly, which is pretty neat. Oh, and three, and this is very important, ASUS's software sucks. They haven't put out dedicated eGPU drivers since february, their bloatware is a mess but necessary to use the eGPU add-ons and the whole setup has lots of software issues. I've seen BSODs, straight crashes and a bunch of instances of the device not being able to sort out which CPUs are currently supposed to be available. I hope it gets better over time, but at the moment, jump in assuming the software will be rough. I can see there's a lot of confusion among reviewers about what to compare this to. Is it a hybrid gaming laptop? Then yeah, a G14 makes more sense unless you want the detachable keyboard. Is it a portable gaming device? Then it gives you a LOT more performance than a Steamdeck and more functionality, but it's also three to five times more expensive. Is it a Windows tablet to compete with the Surface Pro 8? If so, it's priced competitively and much more powerful, but it has worse speakers, battery life and keyboard and it doesn't come with a stylus. Honestly, it's a blend of all of the above, and I'm enjoying mine so far. It has allowed me to travel without having to carry a laptop for gaming/high performance tasks and a Surface for media consumption. This thing genuinely cut my weight allocation by half and freed a lot of space in my luggage (because I am NOT spending hours at a time watching Netflix on a gaming laptop, that's just not a good way to go).

[@fallinginthed33p]

Is the keyboard cover worse than the Surface Pro 8's? It looks like there's a lot of flexing.

[@GabrielBaltat]

@@fallinginthed33p I own a surface Pro 8 and a z13 and I find the keyboard on z13 good, it is very similar to the surface 8 one but the one on the surface does feel a tiny bit better.

[@onlytheneeded412]

I just got this with the 6850 XG. My main reason getting it was very easily moving it, and USB C charging. If the newer model laptops like the X16 that let's you use the XG Mobile had USB C 240W capabilities for instance, I would be going for that. I can't wait for this tablet to be updated to the 6000 series or 7000 series Ryzen, and then use the 6850 XG Mobile with that, I will be buying it when it comes out, but waiting for an open box from Best Buy though.

[@thomasluggiero3413]

I just bought one with the i7-12700H and 3080 XG Mobile. If you have use for a tablet device and don't want a separate gaming pc/laptop than this is the answer. I watch shows/youtube on my lunch outside at work and doing that with a laptop would just be cumbersome. I come home and dock the 3080 into it and bam, desktop replacement.

[@milwakemaia6808]

Hi!The xg mobile comes with the laptop?Or I have to buy it extra?

[@Dbkkb_waves]

@@milwakemaia6808depends on bundle, but more probably u will need to buy extra

[@Lead_Foot]

I really wish they would let you use a desktop gpu with that x8 pcie egpu connector. I don't see much point in having an egpu that's only as powerful as a normal gaming laptop's dgpu.

[@mademedothis424]

Like I was saying above, I think the idea is portability. This enclosure is absolutely tiny compared to a full size eGPU. It's only marginally larger than the bigger gaming laptop power bricks out there, and it also powers the tablet. For what it's worth, one of the USB Cs in this is a Thunderbolt 4, since this is a 12 gen Intel. I think if you wanted to plug a Thunderbolt eGPU to this you could, but I haven't tried it. It would perform worse than the same with ASUS's dedicated port, probably, but... it's a thing.

[@DemitriX.]

I hope they make an improved version of this tablet, i really want it but just with a better performing gpu, less power hungry and with a bigger battery.

[@nicholasmaglione]

U won’t get a better gpu while the system being less power hungry lmao unless u want it to be SEVERELY underpowered bottle necking that “better performing gpu” maybe a bigger battery and some internal technology to increase the battery life.

[@DemitriX.]

@@nicholasmaglione they will be able to squeeze in a much better gpu in time along with a power power efficient cpu im sure of, even if it is somewhat bigger, id be interested in it, the current version is tiny.

[@SoysauceML]

@@nicholasmaglione Flow X13 with Ryzen ZEN 3 CPU has almost twice the longevity with only about 10% less performance (and likely has better performance while not plugged in anyways). Intel 12gen just sucks with power consumption.

[@DemitriX.]

@@SoysauceML Got the flow x13, quite happy with it.

[@alitariq8752]

What about flow x16 2022

[@milwakemaia6808]

Hi!The xg mobile comes with the laptop?Or I have to buy it extra?

[@TechTesters]

Depends. You can buy variants with and without the extra GPU depending on your country.

[@Deadlytenor21]

I see a lot of reviews saying that this can operate around an average of 70 odd degrees for the GPU and CPU on high stress tests but mine seems to be hitting 85 odd, anyone else have this issue? Also anyone know how best to clean the fans? Thanks

[@HorstJt]

New video, new comment :)

[@enthusiasticgmgaming4165]

Its interesting but I dont ever see myself using a tablet for gaming. I'd rather have an Asus G14 or G15 or my proper gaming desktop or a desktop replacement laptop like a GE76 or GE66 Raider. Epic review as always though, Nada! Can't wait for more

[@mademedothis424]

I gotta say, you don't realize how much nicer it is to not have a keyboard for controller gaming until you try it. Plopping this thing on a random flat surface and playing on it with a controller like it is a tiny TV with magical videogames in it feels quite surreal. The real blocker is the cost performance tradeoff. If you want the eGPU this thing is absurdly expensive and if you don't the power limited 3050Ti is just not enough for a desktop replacement experience. If you do have a gaming desktop and your laptop is a secondary thing primarily for media consumption... don't knock it til you try it :D

[@enthusiasticgmgaming4165]

@@mademedothis424 No I understand that. I used to have a Samsung Galaxy Tab paired with a controller. Not knocking it at all. It all depends on your use case and situation, different products work for different people and I understand what this thing is meant for. I'm just not a part of that audience. I would rather have a G14 than this personally but hey, different strokes for different folks. Unless a product is clearly bad and without purpose, I wont knock it because I know somebody will appreciate the capability it offers.

[@mademedothis424]

@@enthusiasticgmgaming4165 don't get me wrong, I'm not disagreeing here. This thing is not for everybody. Hell, this thing is barely for anybody. I am on a very narrow slice of people here where I absolutely needed a powerful laptop to work on the road and I wanted a powerful tablet with a keyboard to be able to watch media and do some work on the side. Compared to a Surface Pro 8 and G14 combo this thing saves me space and weight for more or less the same budget, even with the eGPU (at MSRP at least). For basically everyone else none of this setup makes any sense whatsoever. Maybe if you were absolutely set on a top of the line Surface Pro 8 but you wanted more power and don't mind the extra weight. This thing is cheaper than most Surface Pro 8 SKUs at the moment, at least with the 1200p screen.

[@enthusiasticgmgaming4165]

@@mademedothis424 Awesome! Glad you were a use case for this thing! Sorry if I came off standoffish... just so much disagreements these days over stupid things 🙄

[@enthusiasticgmgaming4165]

@@mademedothis424 also on the topic of Surface Pros..... yeah no.... I'd take this any day of the week xD

[@crissnickers_frog6689]

very good for us,..............

[@fallinginthed33p]

A gaming tablet is one of those things nobody but engineers could think up... I would consider it a high end Surface Pro alternative if you need lots of CPU and GPU performance in a tablet form factor.

[@TechTesters]

It is tbh. If you’re considering a surface, this seems like a better alternative

[@gonzalezfreak]

I see this thing at Best Buy returned for $1,200 and NOTHING is wrong with it.. should I buy?

[@TechTesters]

If you need this form factor, definitely.

[@mapuiatluanga3202]

👍👍❤️❤️❤️

[@ameliabuns4058]

This would be my dream I'd it had famcy battery life and a proper external GPU. Sadly the external GPUs suck and aren't a big thunderbolt style dock that fit a desktops GPU. Also the keyboard sounds like a bummer. They're a closed standard. Not pci 4.0 and expensive Asus was SO close to my dream device

[@mademedothis424]

I think their idea is that the eGPU should still be portable, which does make sense. If you've held one, it's a tiny package with a 350W internal PCU (no brick) and it powers the base tablet as well over the same cable. Basically if you have to travel it replaces the bag space you'd give the humongous power brick of a G15 or whatever. But yeah, having options for a full modular enclosure where you can slap a desktop GPU would have been better. Maybe if the Flow series gets popular ASUS will add more options there. I should point out that this thing does have a Thunderbolt 4 port, if you wanted to go that way. I don't know how the 3080 mobile and the 6850XT ASUS eGPU options would compare to a desktop GPU over Thunderbolt eGPU in terms of which desktop card you'd need to improve performance that way, so I don't know if that'd be cheaper or more expensive.

[@christopherjackson2157]

I really like the idea of a gaming tablet. But I don't see myself buying one. Then again, I do like my Nintendo switch. So maybe it's just an issue with my bias and their market positioning. Hmmmm.

[@mademedothis424]

Market positioning is huge here. Everybody is out there praising the Steam Deck as a powerhouse, but this thing absolutely smokes it even with the built-in dedicated GPU. I mean, you're not gonna hold it in your hands and you do want to be plugged in to the power if you want to game at full power with it, but still, they don't feel THAT different when you set them side by side. This is almost exactly as wide as a Steam Deck and only maybe a third taller.

[@celinek2690]

I have not have had issues with the Asus Z13 while gaming however without the eGPU the Asus X13 is the better alternative.

[@kalitvenec]

😊

[@_manojkumar_]

Very nice video and you are looking very nice Mam.

[@patrickcadette]

😁😁😁👍👍👍

[@michaelgleason4791]

A tablet that you can't lay flat on a table, and has the flexiest "gaming" keyboard I've ever seen. A weird product, but I could watch you review anything.

[@SoysauceML]

Wish it had a ZEN 3 on it instead, would've been the dream machine.

[@B.G.M_Animations]

Mum it's good enough to run doom😂

[@mrjaxen1629]

i think everyone that views this tablet is missing the point of a gaming tablet it was made for moblie games not pc games everyone keeps seeing how it does on pc games and not moblie games like call of duty moblie

[@CptAloevera]

I think it s not even the fadtest gaming tablet, its the only gaming tablet that exists

[@Jelpronir]

Haha up yours apple

[@elGenericos]

its a laptop that can be flipped 😂

[@KaustavMajumder]

Once you go mechanical, you will almost never want to switch to, or even try, membrane.

[@Rkcuddles]

This is pointless without the eGPU… why would anyone want it this way

[@Rayu25Demon]

phones are the only solution to game on the go

[@NoHomework16]

low quality bait mate