The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the best ultraportable gaming notebooks around, and it’s back in 2022 with some all-AMD updates and design tweaks. Oh, and the rear lid is a dancing, prancing light show.
We had a private meeting with Asus to check out the newest version of the 14-inch gaming laptop we last reviewed in August 2021. The design mostly matches that of last year’s model, but there are some exterior updates and significant internal upgrades.
Check out the video here, and read on below for the full rundown…
A Favorite Portable Gamer, Refined
The ROG Zephyrus G14’s overall size remains very similar to the previous edition: It weighs 3.64 pounds and is just 0.72 inch thick. That’s plenty portable compared to 15-inch (let alone 17-inch) gaming rigs despite the increased power that we’ll get to in a minute. There’s a slight increase in chassis depth, but I doubt most users would notice the difference.
The most visible design change is to the display. The 14-inch screen now has a slightly taller 16:10 instead of 16:9 aspect ratio, and is larger overall, thanks to a slimmer bottom bezel. This is in keeping with other Asus laptops (and most modern gaming machines) that have reduced bezel sizes. It’s also why the laptop is a bit deeper, which also means a slightly larger palm rest.
The display technology itself has also been improved: the full HD or 1080p panel, which has a 144Hz refresh rate, now delivers 400 nits of brightness and a 3ms response time (down from 25ms), while the QHD 120Hz screen is bumped to 500 nits and also has a 3ms response time.
Also new is an IR face recognition webcam on the top bezel. One of the previous model’s curious omissions was a webcam.
The past generation or two of several of Asus’ laptop lines lacked webcams. (Asus assumed that streamers and other serious content pros would want to employ their own camera setups, and leaving them out made for thinner screen bezels.) Considering the rise in remote work during the pandemic, though, that bet was a definite miss.
Component Update: Same Size, Better Performance
The under-the-hood components make or break any gaming laptop, and Asus is pushing a double AMD offering with the new G14. The portable has always impressed us with its AMD Ryzen processing chops, but the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU has been replaced by AMD Radeon graphics.
The 2022 model will sport the newest AMD CPU and GPU announced at CES, letting Asus promise new levels of performance despite the chassis size staying about the same.
One trick to squeezing extra speed into the same form factor is a new vapor chamber, a more advanced cooling solution than the traditional fan and heatsink combo. On top of that, the ROG Zephyrus G14 joins Asus’ other high-end laptops in adopting liquid-metal thermal material. This will apply to both the CPU and GPU, the latter running at 105 watts.
An Even Fancier Party Trick: AniMe Matrix Is Back (and Better)
Previous versions of the G14 offered a surprise in the form of the AniMe Matrix lid, and that’s improved here as well.
If you’re not familiar with it, the AniMe Matrix is a grid of LEDs under the lid that can be customized to show images, animated GIFs, a clock, or other icons through an array of perforations in the lid. It’s ready for your memes, or your best efforts at animated pixel art. It’s an optional add-on for both the white and gray versions of the G14.
The feature adds just a millimeter of thickness (and a couple tenths of a pound), as well as naturally increasing the system price. For 2022, Asus added more lid perforations to increase the versatility of the AniMe Matrix and enhanced the LED array beneath the surface for smoother animations and more detailed images.
Specific configuration and price info will vary by region, but we estimate the new G14’s price will land somewhere in the $1,500 starter range. Stay tuned for a full review and performance benchmarks when production units become available.
