ROG PH first to offer AMD Ryzen 5000, NVIDIA RTX 3000 series laptops

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced the local availability and specifications of the first wave of the titular best-performing gaming laptops from last year.

Equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen 9 5000 series CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series, ROG is the first to kick-off the year with the newest renditions of the gamers’ favorites from the previous year: the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, the ROG Zephyrus G15, the ROG Strix SCAR series, and the ROG Strix G series.

In addition, the brand also welcomes the arrival of the latest addition to the TUF Gaming series: the thin and light TUF Dash F15.

ASUS Philippines Country Head George Su shares, “ASUS ROG was dubbed as the number one gaming laptop worldwide in the last year. We could not have done it without the support from our community. Your loyalty is what drives us to commit to bringing the best innovation and best performance.”

Two screens, zero limits with the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE

First on the list is one of the most innovative gaming laptops ever introduced to the world—the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE.

With up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU with 8 cores and 16 threads to provide a substantial boost to any demanding workload, this new generation of Ryzen 5000 Series mobile processors pairs the latest Zen 3 architecture with a larger on-chip cache of up to 20MB.

The new Zephyrus Duo is powered by up to the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of Raid 0 storage with 1TB of PCIe SSD. This year’s ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE is designed to deliver not only a more immersive gaming experience, but can also power through serious workloads like 3D rendering, content creation, and heavy multitasking.

The primary display is equipped with either a 300hz refresh rate display in an FHD resolution or a 100% Adobe RGB 4K UHD display with a fast 120Hz refresh rate. These 2 models are sure to cater to power users focused on gaming or content creation.

The critically acclaimed ROG ScreenPad Plus brings a new dimension of versatility to its user with upgraded functionalities and features with various games and productivity apps.

Gaming titles such as Dying Light 2, streaming apps such as X-Split Gamecaster, and even content creation programs such as Adobe Photoshop are specifically customized in the secondary display to allow users the best multitasking capabilities and fully maximize productivity.

The ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE will be coming in with the following variants:

Zephyrus Duo 15 SE (GX551QS-HB041TS)

15-inch 4K UHD, 120Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3080 16GD6 GPU
16GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe SSD + 1TB (RAID 0)
Off-black color
PhP 254,995
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (worth PhP 31K):

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Delta Gaming Headset
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Zephyrus Duo 15 SE (GX551QR-HF009TS)

15-inch FHD, 300Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3070 8GD6 GPU
16GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe SSD + 1TB (RAID 0)
Off-black color
PhP 199,995
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (worth PhP 31K):

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Delta Gaming Headset
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Game for anything: ROG Zephyrus G15

The ROG Zephyrus G15 is one of the crowd’s favorite gaming laptop in 2020. This year’s model is a total redesign with immense improvements inside and out.

Now designed with the aesthetic similar to its smaller brother, the ROG Zephyrus G14, the ROG 15 now sports the classy minimalist design, coated with the prism dots and topped off with the ROG plaque at the back.

The Zephyrus G15 will both be available in Moonlight White or Eclipse Gray for a clean, classy, and professional finish.

The display has also been upgraded to a 100% sRGB Pantone Validated WQHD IPS display with a refresh rate of 165Hz, perfect for professionals by day, gamers by night.

Now powered by up to the latest AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS CPU and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the ROG Zephyrus G15 can deliver power and performance while in its slim-and-light, portable form factor.

Together with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, this newly revamped crowd favorite can deliver for all kinds of gamers and daily users on the go.

The ROG Zephyrus G15 will be coming in with the following variants:

Zephyrus G15 (GA503QS-HQ017TS)

15″ QHD, 165Hz display
R9-5900HS CPU
RTX 3080 16GD6 GPU
16GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe G3 SSD
Moonlight White
PhP 179,995
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (worth PhP 21K):

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Zephyrus G15 (GA503QS-HQ018TS)

15″ QHD, 165Hz display
R9-5900HS CPU
RTX 3080 16GD6 GPU
16GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe G3 SSD
Eclipse Gray
PhP 179,995
Availability: 4th week Feb

Bundle (worth PhP 21K):

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Zephyrus G15 (GA503QR-HQ050TS)

15″ QHD, 165Hz display
R9-5900HS CPU
RTX 3080 8GD6 GPU
8GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe G3 SSD
Eclipse Gray
PhP 139,995
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (worth PhP 21K):

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Beat the best be the best with ROG Strix SCAR 15 and 17

The esports favorite ROG Strix SCAR 15 and Strix SCAR 17 is returning better than ever. The line will still feature one of the world’s fastest laptop displays, with up to 300Hz refresh rate and 3ms response while driven by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. Together with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of super-fast Raid 0 storage, the ROG Strix SCAR 15 and Strix SCAR 17 promise the best performance, no compromises.

The new SCAR series also comes with an impressive optical-mechanical keyboard, delivering both rapid response and high durability. The new optical-mechanical switches trigger uses a precise infrared laser beam, eliminating the debounce delay and reducing the response time to only 0.2 milliseconds; this allows for better tactile feedback and faster response rate. The optical mechanism is also much more durable than conventional alternatives, extending the switch’s lifetime to 100 million presses.

The Strix SCAR series has a whole new design. The aluminum lid is slashed with a shimmering dot matrix design created with precise electroplating. Customizable Armor Caps add a new level of personalization, allowing users to modify the chassis itself. The laptops come with Rubber Grey, Translucent Black, and Spangle Silver hinge caps that can be quickly swapped.

The revolutionary Keystone II drive also returns with fan-favorite features such as Shadow Drive, Cloud Profile syncing, and per-game profiles for Macros and RGB Lighting.

The ROG Strix SCARs will be coming in the following variants:

Strix SCAR 17 (G733QS-HG153TS)

17″ FHD, 300Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3080 16GD6 GPU
16GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe SSD + 1TB (RAID 0)
Original Black
PhP 199,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 30K)

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Delta Gaming Headset
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Strix SCAR 17 (G733QR-HG021TS)

17″ FHD, 300Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3080 8GD6 GPU
8GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe G3 SSD
Original Black
PhP 149,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 30K)

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Delta Gaming Headset
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Strix SCAR 15 (G533QS-HF126TS)

15″ FHD, 300Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3080 16GD6 GPU
16GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe SSD + 1TB (RAID 0)
Original Black, Numpad
PhP 194,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 30K)

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Delta Gaming Headset
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Strix SCAR 15 (G533QR-HF038TS)

15″ FHD, 300Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3080 8GD6 GPU
8GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe G3 SSD
Original Black
PhP 144,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 30K)

  • ROG Chakram Core
  • ROG Delta Gaming Headset
  • ROG Backpack, ROG GC21 Eye
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Raise your game, play with style: ROG Strix G15 and G17

The ROG Strix G15 and G17 are perfect for gamers needing a powerful gaming laptop that is easy on the budget. With up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the ROG Strix G series is more than capable of delivering reliable performance for any kind of work or play.

Together with up to 32G of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, the ROG Strix G15 and G17 is a powerful, yet friendlier option for all kinds of gamers. Also equipped with gaming-grade 144hz high refresh rate panels, the ROG Strix G series is perfect for any activity, whether for hardcore gaming or multimedia consumption.

The ROG Strix Gs will be coming in with the following variants:

Strix G17 (G713QR-HX094TS)

17″ FHD, 144Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3070 8GD6 GPU
16GB RAM
1TB PCIe G3 SSD
Original Black
PhP 114,995.00
Availability: 4th week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 15K)

  • ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse
  • ROG Backpack
  • PD Adapter
  • Windows Home & Student 2019

Strix G15 (G513QR-HN176T)

15″ FHD, 144Hz display
R9-5900HX CPU
RTX 3070 8GD6 GPU
8GB x2 RAM
1TB PCIe G3 SSD
Original Black, Numpad
PhP 109,995.00
Availability: 4th week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 8K)

  • ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse
  • ROG Backpack
  • PD Adapter

All ROG laptops this 2021 will be equipped with liquid metal cooling from Thermal Grizzly, redesigned Arc Flow fans, and a completely overhauled thermal module with four heatsinks and outlets to keep performance high and noise levels low across all configurations. Also added is the built-in Two-Way AI Noise Canceling to keep communications clear in team speak for gaming or conference calls for work.

TUF Gaming 2020 series

The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and A17 have also been updated for 2021. With up to AMD’s latest Ryzen 7 5800H mobile processor and up to an NVIDIA  GeForce RTX 3070, the TUF Gaming series is still a great option for a midrange gaming set-up. Stay tuned for the ASUS TUF Gaming’s availability and pricing.

Another surprise is the announcement of an all-new TUF – The ASUS TUF Dash F15. This is the newest model from the TUF Gaming line-up, and the first Intel 11th generation gaming laptop to hit the market. It is a slim 15-inch device that offers a more portable, lightweight, and inclusive direction for the TUF Gaming series.

Powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake CPU and the newest generation of up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the TUF Dash boasts power with its new slim and stylish form factor. Rounded out with up to a 144Hz refresh rate IPS display, a versatile Thunderbolt 4, and its signature military-grade durability, users get the best bang-for-the-buck value.

The TUF Dash F15 will be coming in with the following variants:

TUF Dash F15 (FX516PR-HN092T)

15″ FHD, 144Hz display
i7-11370H CPU
RTX 3070 8GD6 GPU
8GB x2 RAM
512GB PCIe 3 SSD
Eclipse Gray
PhP 94,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 2.4K)

  • ASUS TUF Gaming Bag

TUF Dash F15 (FX516PR-HN080T)

15″ FHD, 144Hz display
i5-11300H CPU
RTX 3070 8GD6 GPU
8GB x2 RAM
512GB PCIe 3 SSD
Eclipse Gray
PhP 85,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

Bundle (Worth PhP 2.4K)

  • ASUS TUF Gaming Bag

Game on with the latest ROG backpacks

ROG introduces the ROG Ranger Gaming Backpacks to dress your portable gaming set-up with a fitting gamer’s style. The ROG Ranger Gaming Backpacks have modular designs to fit a typical gaming set-up as well as other essentials, while covered in water–repellent materials to keep users protected on the go.

The ROG Ranger BP3703 is the first ROG backpack to incorporate Aura RGB effects, to give users the ability to customize the bag to fit their aesthetic. This bag can fit up to a 17-inch gaming laptop together with its accessories and other necessary on-the-go items. The ROG Ranger BP2500, on the other hand, has a much slimmer and sleeking design that can fit up to a 15-inch gaming laptop and other necessities. Both backpacks are perfect to transport your gaming gear to tournaments or LAN parties.

SROG Ranger BP3703 with Aura RGB
PhP 14,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

ROG Ranger BP2500
PhP 4,995.00
Availability: 2nd week Feb

 

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ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition review: More than a redesign!

06/07/2022

You’ve probably seen our unboxing video as well as our first impressions of the new ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition and the very reason for its existence. 

But how does the laptop perform as a daily device and what else can it offer apart from its impressively designed exterior? 

I’ve spent a good time with it and here are my thoughts. 

Design

We’ve covered a lot in our first impressions with regards to its design and build quality. But just quickly, this special edition laptop comes in an aluminum body in Zero-G Titanium color and all over its shell are markings, patterns, and accents that all contribute to its space-themed approach.

One thing you need to know about the design is that there are bits and pieces of easter eggs if you will, that give hints to how this laptop came to be. 

For one, most patterns on the body reflect the MIR space station where ASUS laptops spent more than 600 days back in the ‘90s.

Additionally, dots and dashes seen on its lid are Morse code and translate to “Ad Astra Per Aspera” which is Latin for “Through hardships to the stars”. Really great and meaningful detail.

And of course, one thing that’s hard to miss is this small display on its lid. This is the exclusive ZenVision display which is a 3.5-inch OLED screen in monochrome loaded with animations and customizable graphics to add a sprinkle of personalization to the laptop.

ASUS says this potential-filled display is inspired by a datasheet of a spaceship. And by using its MyASUS app, you can change what’s shown from time, date, battery level, to your own business card, animation, or a custom message.

The keyboard is designed in a way that both the space bar and power button are highlighted with a differently-colored coating that blends well with the overall aesthetic of the laptop.

Again, small details like a planet printed on the space bar positively add to the space-themed experience in terms of hardware.

And just like a true ASUS laptop, the device feels very solid and durable which is not at all surprising.

After all, the company really reinforced this specific model to pass some space-grade tests like vibration & temperature and withstand being in a space capsule where large temperature differences are common.

With its availability of ports, I found the presence of two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports really useful for charging and transferring files from my devices. Its full-size HDMI port also made it possible for me to easily hook up the laptop to an external monitor if I need the extra space for video editing.

The audio jack also came in handy for my headphones during late-night editing (or gaming) sessions. The microSD card reader on the side might be the least that I used since we mostly use miniSD for shooting. 

Although, it’s still useful to us whenever we use smaller devices like action cameras since they still run on microSD cards. 

As a whole, the slim physique of this Space Edition ZenBook made it easy for me to just carry it around when we want to go to a nearby coffee shop and squeeze in some work. 

It’s not the lightest I’ve tried but it’s got a good heft to it which is something I prefer more, actually than a laptop that’s light enough to easily knock over a table or something. 

Keyboard and Trackpad

Using its keyboard feels natural and the keys have decent travel in them in addition to the keys being nicely spaced out. These contributed to faster typing and I was able to hit an average of about 71 words per minute in those online typing tests. 

Just like a true ZenBook, the ErgoLift hinge is seen here as well that props up the chassis when you open the lid. This gives way to better air circulation and cools the laptop easier in addition to providing a more ergonomic experience when typing.

It also comes with the company’s NumberPad 2.0 which transforms the trackpad into a number pad. It supports certain gestures to instantly bring up the calculator and make numeric input easier. 

But as a trackpad in itself, it’s got ample space to move around in and has a nice, smooth feel to it. It would definitely add more awesome factor, though, if ASUS used its ScreenPad as we’ve seen on the ZenBook 14 UX435. 

Display and Multimedia

For its display, it features a 14-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2880 x 1800. This basically means that you get a 2K display packed in a 14-inch monitor that’s a lot smaller when compared to your typical 32- to 55-inch TV, therefore has a more refined quality. 

And on top of that, you get an OLED panel which translates to more vibrant colors than traditional IPS panels. So with all those working together, it’s no wonder that I was able to enjoy detailed picture quality whether I’m just browsing the internet, streaming videos, or editing our content. 

And speaking of editing, the display’s 16:10 aspect ratio really helps in this area as I could fit more elements and materials in my timeline. I could see more of my clips and even squeeze in more tools for easier access and faster workflow. 

The display is also touch-enabled which conveniently adds a new input method. With this feature, usage on the laptop has been modified for the better and I’ll tell you more about it in just a bit. 

At the top of the display is a small webcam with its own physical shutter to keep prying eyes away. 

The screen comes with slim side bezels which gives a pretty immersive experience especially when watching videos. Its OLED panel also ensures that you only get deep, true blacks while its HDR feature offers a wider dynamic range to see more details.

Not only do you get lively colors and sharper picture, but you’re also assured of accurate colors thanks to its display’s 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and PANTONE-validated panel. As we’ve mentioned in our other reviews, color accuracy is important to us content creators and to all those in the same industry. 

This is because we color grade most of our content – whether to apply the correct white balance or make the video/photo appear different. With this, you can see why having a wide color gamut or validated panels impact color accuracy. 

And for fans of scrolling smoothly and gliding through the laptop’s menu and UI, you’d be glad to know that the display can go up to 90Hz refresh rate — of course, it will take a toll on the battery performance. 

In terms of audio, it’s got Harman Kardon-certified speakers with Dolby audio. Sound performance has been really satisfying in terms of how loud the speakers go. The laptop can easily fill a small room at full volume and the quality isn’t bad even at its loudest. 

I had no problems using it as a speaker for music in our room as it’s sufficient to enjoy music while I do other things. 

Additionally, for your video calls, it features an AI noise-canceling tech that aims to minimize ambient sound so your voice is picked up clearly by the people on the other line. 

ZenVision

Let’s quickly go back to its lid and talk more about this new ZenVision. As mentioned, this 3.5-inch OLED screen displays black and white graphics only and comes with preset animations and functions. 

And using its MyASUS app, you can have it display the current time, a few animated space-themed graphics, or simply show text that you can personalize. You can even put a QR code on it that people can scan to lead to your website, maybe or somewhere else. 

MyASUS app layout and UI are straightforward and easy to use, with most of the settings you’d want to tweak easily accessible. 

As for the ultimate use of ZenVision? Simply because it’s fun! The limit is only up to your imagination and you can use it both for fun and even for work if you direct a QR code to your business card, for example.

Personally, since I’ve been the one using the laptop, I don’t really see it a lot. But I’ve had people stare at it long enough when I’m out at a coffee shop. 

Performance

This laptop isn’t all for show and looking pretty. 

Inside, it packs powerful components that should help you accomplish tasks whether you’re at your office here on Earth or in a space station floating in outer space. But as much as I would like to test it outside of our atmosphere, I was only able to spend time with it on our planet but it did perform really well. 

It’s got Intel’s 12th-gen processor at its core in both Core-i5 and Core-i9 configurations while graphics are handled by Intel Iris Xe. You can get up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM on this as well as up to 1TB SSD for faster boot-up.

The configuration we have here is the Core-i5 model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Though it’s not the top-tier Core-i7 processor, it still proved to be really capable of being a 12th-gen Intel chip. 

I could multitask between editing photos and videos, switching to Google Chrome to browse, and even playing games after. 

I didn’t experience any performance issues during my entire time whether I’m running resource-heavy apps like Adobe Premiere or Photoshop. Even gaming on high graphics settings for Genshin Impact was not bad at all although of course, you’ll experience some frame drops. Still, not enough to obstruct my enjoyment while playing. 

As for the use of its touch screen, workflow for me has somehow changed now that I could mix in touch input to my way of interacting with buttons and commands. 

Literally selecting options on its screen has been incorporated and somehow made things a little faster. If not faster, at least feels more natural. 

I could be manually selecting edit points in a paragraph and using my other hand for hotkeys or shortcut keys. Small things like that make a difference in the user’s experience. 

Another feature I enjoyed is its WiFi 6E connectivity for faster and more stable connections. Whenever the time comes that we need to send numerous files online or upload our videos on YouTube, we need fast and stable connectivity and its WiFi 6E helps achieve just that. 

Battery

Meanwhile, for its battery, it carries a 63Wh Li-Po pack inside its sleek chassis. With my usual daily workflow of starting the day checking emails, then posting on the website, shooting devices or cars and dumping files on the laptop afterward, and finally a bit of editing, the laptop can last for about 4-5 hours depending on the length of time editing.

But if my workflow for the day consists more of video editing or if it’s a weekend and I could just play games, the laptop’s use will be shortened to around 3-4 hours. 

Thankfully, it comes with a 100W charger which is a step up from the previous ZenBook’s 65W power brick. With it, charging the laptop comes in about an hour and a half to two hours while the laptop is in use. 

Creature Feature

As always, in our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having – their Creature Feature. For the ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition, it would have to be its ZenVision on top of its space-themed design, of course. 

Price and Final thoughts

The ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition in this Intel Core-i5 configuration with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is priced at PhP 84,995. Meanwhile, the Core-i7 variant with 12GB RAM and 1TB SSD is at PhP 99,995.

Both come with Windows 11 OS out of the box as well as a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.

Being a special edition device, the trinkets and design elements found here simply makes it a fun laptop to have. 

From the Morse Code patterns, the box that comes with a lineup of easter eggs and cool discoveries, down to its bells and whistles like the ZenVision, these all contribute to making this specific ZenBook 14 work in all aspects. 

And don’t forget about its reliable performance, immersive and color-accurate display, and powerful speakers that easily make it a content creator or gamer’s everyday laptop. 

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