A closer look at the ASUS/ROG 2023 lineup

When it comes to making their laptops stand out, ASUS often takes a riskier approach. Having seen products like the dual-display ZenBook Duo or the ProArt series with its physical dial, the company doesn’t only commit to powerful performance but also innovative technology.

This year’s offerings are not different as the company debuted an impressive lineup during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Apart from upgrading its devices to the latest components like 13th Gen Intel processors and RTX 4000 series graphics, the company also introduces the world’s first glasses-free 3D laptops.

We were able to see some of these devices up close as ASUS Philippines brought them over for a special media preview.

What to expect from the 2023 lineup

From its business-oriented Expertbook series to the creative powerhouse ProArt lineup, ASUS implements four big ideas across all models. First is to offer the latest internal components and special tech hence the presence of 13th Gen Intel Chips and RTX 4000 series graphics.

ASUS says that 2023 is the rise of its “X-rated” laptops with the introduction of the Zenbook 14X OLED, and Zenbook Pro 16X OLED, among others. These models in particular are kitted with premium components and features to output high-powered performance to meet the demands of its users.

These include features like 120Hz OLED panels, military-grade durability, anti-microbial technology, ASUS Dial, and more.

Next to powerful components and tech, ASUS aims to continue its reputation of durable devices by subjecting them to intesive military-grade tests. ASUS claims to have the world’s most strictly tested US military-grade laptop durability when compared to others. Covering a total of about 28 tests including shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, and more.

The final two overarching product features the company aims to offer for its latest lineup are the leading OLED displays with essential features and breakthrough hygiene brought about by the need to be germ-free because of the pandemic. More on that in just a bit.

Glasses-free 3D

Probably the most exciting pick from the lineup would have to be the ASUS ProArt Studiobook 16 featuring the company’s latest tech — glasses-free 3D projection.

With two cameras up front, the StudioBook 16 utilizes eye-tracking technology and separates information fed to the left and to the right eye resulting in a 3D projection.

The screen is interlaced into alternating lines and a lenticular lens, along with eye-tracking tech, feeds the proper lines to each eye.

It should be noted, though, that there is an ideal viewing angle. The projection is most visible when seated less than 100cm from the screen and viewed straight on.

As to where or how you can use this tech. ASUS imagines a number of use-case scenarios. When shopping online, for example, spatial vision can allow the customer to better inspect the products they’re buying. It can also be used for 3D printing or product design, games, movies, and more.

The spatial vision technology works with a variety of popular 3D programs and file formats as well making it accessible to all kinds of 3D artists.

Apart from that, the StudioBook 16 OLED is, unsurprisingly, equipped with the latest and creative-focused features and specs such as an Intel i9 processor, RTX 4070 GRAPHICS, 100% DCI-P3, Pantone-validated display, ASUS Dial, and more.

Antimicrobial trackpads

The pandemic made us realize the importance of keeping clean. ASUS adapts to this need with the development of Antimicrobial Guard and Antimicrobial Guard Plus on its trackpads. The improved hygiene tech is now able to inhibit 99% of viruses and bacteria and provide protection for at least 3 years.

Currently, the ProArt Studiobook and select models of the Zenbook and Vivobook series carry this tech. ASUS says that Antimicrobial Guard will roll out to other laptops as well.

X-rated devices

As mentioned earlier, ASUS adds new variations to its current lineups with the introduction of the Zenbook Pro 16X, Zenbook 14X OLED, and Vivobook Pro 16X 3D OLED.

The Zenbook 14X OLED was what we were able to experience and, right off the bat, we were drawn to its design.

Though built with aluminum alloy, the finish exudes a stony, earthy texture paired with a ceramic, smooth feel. The matte surface is also fingerprint resistant, durable, and eco-friendly as well.

Compared to its non-X counterpart, the Zenbook 14X OLED boasts a slightly larger viewing area with its 14.5-inch display, faster 120Hz refresh rate, better graphics, and higher camera resolution.

For the Vivobook series, we also get a device capable of spatial vision with the Vivobook Pro 16X 3D OLED. Also mentioned earlier, this and the other ‘X-rated’ devices will carry ASUS’s Antimicrobial Guard Plus.

Gaming

For its new generation of gaming laptops, ASUS focused on improving four major aspects: CPU, GPU, display, and cooling.

ROG laptops are now fitted with either 13th Gen Intel or AMD Ryzen Zen 4 processors paired with RTX 4000 series graphics.

With liquid metal cooling, full-width heatsink, and tri-fan technology, the temperature is efficiently managed to provide the best performance possible. These improvements are available across the Strix, Zephyrus, and Flow lineups.

And finally, to address the need for a fast and pristine display, ASUS offers ROG Nebula and ROG Nebula HDR.

Available on the Flow X13, Zephyrus G16, Strix G16, Flow Z13, among others, ROG Nebula Displays are built to offer all the display specs a modern gamer or even creator would need. These include 100% DCI-P3 color, high refresh rates of up to 240Hz, up to 4K resolution, and more.

Here’s a list of ASUS’s lineup that will be available locally.

ProArt series

  • ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED

Zenbook series

  • Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED
  • Zenbook Pro 14 OLED
  • Zenbook 14X OLED

Vivobook

  • Vivobook Pro 16X OLED

ROG Flow

  • Flow Z13
  • Flow X13
  • Flow X16 with ROG Nebula HDR display
  • XG Mobile

Zephyrus

  • Zephyrus Duo with ROG Nebula HDR
  • Zephyrus M14 with ROG Nebula HDR
  • Zephyrus M16
  • Zephyrus G16
  • Zephyrus G14 with ROG Nebula HDR

STRIX

  • Strix Scar 16/18 with ROG Nebula HDR
  • Strix Scar 17 DR
  • Strix G 15/17
  • Strix G 16/18

TUF

  • TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition
  • TUF Gaming F15/17
  • TUF Gaming A15/17

Expertbook

  • ExpertBook B9 OLED
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realme C55 review: Redefining the C Series

04/21/2023

realme Philippines just introduced the realme C55 smartphone in the Philippines. It’s a midrange phone with a sub-PhP8K price tag but offers an array of features and capable performance. It also sports the new Mini Capsule similar to the Dynamic Island found on Apple’s iPhones.

With that affordable pricing, can it really deliver on its promises? We find out.

Unboxing

Let’s begin with the box. Not much has changed when it comes to packaging and you still get an all-yellow box and once you open it, you’ll be greeted and welcomed to the realme family.

Lifting and opening this smaller box reveals the usual manuals and guides in addition to its included jelly case if you want to add some sort of protection to your device.

What’s left in the box is the realme C55 unit and digging deeper will introduce you to the power brick and USB-C cable that supports SuperVOOC charging. More on that later.

Design

For the device itself, the realme C55 has a sleek and modern design with a well-designed back that’s available in two colors – Sunshower and Rainy Night. Even though the back panel is made of plastic, it still exudes that premium look and feel thanks to its rounded edges.

What we have here is the Rainy Night color and just like its name suggests, the back has these textures and patterns that look like showers of light rain pouring at certain angles. Looking at it could get trippy.

The phone feels comfortable in the hand, and the buttons are well-placed and easy to reach. All the buttons are on the right side with the volume rocker sitting above the power/lock button that also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. There have been a few fingerprint misreadings during our time but overall, it has been quick and responsive and had no major issues.

The left side houses its dual SIM tray and microSD slot for storage expansion. Meanwhile, at the bottom, you have an audio jack for wired headphones, its USB 2.0 Type-C port, and a speaker grille.

As for the rest of its back panel, there are two prominent camera sensors at the back namely a 64-megapixel main and a secondary 2-megapixel depth sensor. We’ll expound on the optics later on.

Display and multimedia

In terms of display, this phone comes with a 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The display is bright and vibrant, and the colors are accurate. There’s a bit of chin at the bottom but the rest of the bezels are pretty thin but still a bit noticeable.

The realme C55 also features a 90Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling and navigating through the UI feel smooth and fluid. I always turn set my phone’s refresh rate to the highest since scrolling just looks very fluid even though it depletes the battery faster. That’s what its fast-charging tech is there for, at least for me.

Using it when watching videos on YouTube or streaming TV shows and movies on Netflix, its large display makes for easy viewing. Although I would appreciate it better if it had stereo speakers rather than just one bottom-firing grille. But of course, that would bump up the price.

Camera

As mentioned earlier, the realme C55 has a dual camera setup on the back, which includes a 64-megapixel main camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Having the same main sensor as the realme GT Edition, the camera performance is impressive for its price point, with good color accuracy and detail in well-lit conditions.

Photos have a generally cool tone to them and dynamic range is actually good as it preserves details both in the dark and light areas for each shot even with HDR turned off.

One of the things I noticed, though, is that it sometimes struggles in focusing when taking photos of subjects up close. Usually, this is where a macro feature would come in handy, but that’s not present in this phone. Night Mode also works well and is able to get needed light into its sensor for a clear image at the expense of holding still for about 3 seconds on average.

Something that I missed shooting with a realme phone is its Street Mode which automatically applies Kodak-approved filters to produce more of those street-style vibe photos. But, this is the entry-level C series, after all, so we’re not complaining.

Video recording maxes out at 1080p at 60fps which is good enough for shooting reels. But since this phone isn’t meant to specialize in videos, we don’t have any complaints.

The phone also features an 8MP front-facing camera, which takes decent selfies. One of my observations, though, is that its night mode has the same long shutter approach so it wasn’t the best thing to use in low light with a large group of people unless they’re willing to keep still for about 3 seconds while the selfie camera lets more light into its sensor.

Performance

This midrange phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. This is the first time that a model from the C series comes with this RAM and storage combo.

In terms of daily usage, switching between apps is effortless and its realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13 makes navigation intuitive. The phone, in general, can handle your usual social media apps and even video editing software for creating short videos on TikTok or IG Reels, for example.

The phone also features a Mali-G52 GPU, which is capable of handling most games and apps. I did experience some frame drops when playing resource-intensive games like Genshin Impact. It’s quite understandable but I was still able to enjoy playing on the device and lags were not something I experienced on a regular basis.

Special to this phone is realme’s Mini Capsule feature that appears on top of the screen to show useful notifications. As of writing this review, it just displays the battery status that pops up when the battery is running low, charging, or fully charged. It can also alert you of your data usage when you’ve consumed more than 90% of your daily data usage limit.

realme says it will still add more features to the Mini Capsule via downloadable updates in the future.

Battery life

The realme C55 has a 5000mAh battery, which provides impressive battery life. The phone can easily last for a full day on a single charge with moderate usage and we were even able to use the phone as our wireless display for our DJI RSC 2 while shooting our video reviews.

The phone also supports 33W SuperVOOC fast charging, with claims that it can charge the phone from 0 to 100% in about an hour. This proved true during our experience and even just charging the phone for 30 minutes already yielded around 50% of battery life from empty.

For context, previous iterations from the C series could only charge up to 18W with their Quick Charging feature.

Price and conclusion

The realme C55 has a starting price in the Philippines of PhP 8,999 for the 6GB and 128GB model while the 8GB and 256GB variant that we have is at PhP 10,999.

Overall, the realme C55 is a solid midrange smartphone that offers good value for money. The phone has a sleek and modern design, a large and vibrant display with a high refresh rate, powerful performance, and a capable camera system.

The phone also has excellent battery life and supports fast charging. So if you’re looking for an affordable smartphone that offers good overall performance, the realme C55 definitely reinvents offerings from the C series and is well worth considering.

RELATED: realme 9i review: Power for days!

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