Asus ROG Flow X13, Strix SCAR 17, ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE and more announced at CES 2021
Unlike 2020, Asus has gone all-in with the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile CPUs. Here is everything we know about the announcements that Asus made at its CES 2021 keynote.
Asus ROG keynote address announcements at CES 2021
Taiwanese computer hardware giant Asus has just revealed its complete lineup of ROG, ZenBook, and TUF laptops at CES 2021. As part of the keynote address, the company shared most of the details around a number of new, upcoming products. The company also outlined the multiple 2021 hardware refreshes coming to the market this year. Looking at the announcements, the most interesting thing to note is the choice of CPUs this year. Unlike 2020, Asus has gone all-in with the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile CPUs. In addition, we will also get the just announced Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series Mobile GPUs in most laptops.
Some of the stand-out products include the Asus ROG Flow X13, the ROG Strix SCAR 17, and Strix SCAR 15. We also get the new Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, TUF DASH F15, and Zephyrus Pro Duo series including the 15 OLED UX582. Asus also announced a refreshed 2021 version of its ROG Strix G15, Strix G17 along with Zephyrus G14, and Zephyrus G15. Here is everything we know about the announcements that Asus made at its CES 2021 keynote.
Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile: A new twist to thin-and-light gaming laptops
The highlight of the Asus ROG keynote event at CES 2021 is likely the Asus ROG Flow X13. The ROG Flow X13 is a new 13-inch gaming convertible that functions as a 2-in-1 laptop. However, when combined with the ROG XG Mobile, a compact external GPU, it can run any AAA game. The interesting part about the XG Mobile is that it also functions as a power brick and a docking station.
Talking about the specifications of the ROG Flow X13, we get up to AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS mobile CPU. The XG Mobile comes with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU. This housing also packs a 2080W AC adapter for power. X13 comes with a built-in Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU with up to 4K resolution panel at a 60Hz refresh rate. Buyers can also choose the second option for an FHD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and touch functionality. Both the options offer 16:10 aspect ratio, Adaptive-Sync, and Pantone calibration for color accuracy.
Asus has added a proprietary port on the X13 and a special connector on the XG Mobile. The connector is built around a standard USB Type-C port for charging and data I/O. This connector offers an 8-lane pipeline with 63Gbps dedicated to graphics between the CPU and the external GPU. The ROG Flow X13 comes with a 100-watt USB Type-C port with support for Power Delivery to charge the laptop from 0 to 60 percent in just 39 minutes.
Asus ROG Strix SCAR 15 and 17
The ROG Strix SCAR 17 is a new model in the Strix SCAR lineup to land in the market. It will feature up to AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX mobile CPU with up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 mobile GPU. Asus will also offer the option to pack the machine with up to 64GB RAM with 3200MHz speed. The laptop will come with new fans and liquid-metal cooling. Other highlights of the device include a 17-inch FHD display panel with a 360Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time.
Strix SCAR 17 will also offer the option for a WQHD panel with 165Hz refresh rate with 100 percent sRBG color gamut support. Both the display options will come with Adaptive-Sync technology and thin bezels. The laptop comes with an optical-mechanical keyboard, Dolby Atmos, and a 90Whr battery that supports PD charging. Asus has also added a trackpad on the laptop that is about “85% larger” than the one present on the last model. Finally, the laptop also comes with improvements to the cooling system with new Arc Flow fans, and liquid-metal thermal compound. The Strix SCAR 15 will feature identical specifications with changes to the display and other tweaks for the smaller size.
ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, and Asus ZenBook Pro Duo series
ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE is a new version of the Zephyrus Duo 15 with an AMD Ryzen processor. Design aspects of the laptops are similar to the Duo 15 available in the market. Talking about the changes, we will get up to AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 mobile GPU. It will also offer a 4K panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 100 percent Adobe RBG color gamut or an FHD display with a 300Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time.
The company will also offer 4K and FHD display resolutions for the ScreenPad Plus display. Similar to other models mentioned, both panels will be Pantone validated, feature Adaptive-Sync and thin-bezels. Asus has also upgraded the Active Aerodynamic System Plus (AAS+) cooling system on the laptop for better cooling.
Moving to the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo lineup, we will get the ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED UX582, and the ZenBook Duo 14 UX482. The highlight of the lineup is the ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED which comes with the tilting ScreenPad Plus 4K secondary screen. As the name states, we will get a 15-inch 4K OLED HDR display as our primary screen. Other specifications include 11th gen Intel Core i9 CPU with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU with Nvidia Studio drivers. The laptop will also come with plenty of ports, Wi-Fi 6, 1TB PCIe Gen 3 SSD, and 32GB DDR4 RAM.
ZenBook Duo 14 comes with a 14-inch display and comes with Intel Evo certification. The LCD display comes with an FHD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, and a tilting second display. Specifications-wise we get 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Iris Xe graphics and an option for Nvidia GeForce MX450 GPU. Asus has also added features like Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6, and USB Type-C charging.
TUF DASH F15
Asus TUF DASH F15 is a new laptop that will feature the 11th generation Intel Core i7 H series Special Edition processor. The company is aiming the thin and light laptop towards gaming with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU. It features a 15-inch display with a 240Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, and 100 percent sRGB color gamut with Adaptive-Sync. The laptop also comes with Thunderbolt 4, 810G MIL-STD rating, slimmer profile, Wi-Fi 6, and a 100-watt USB Type-C charger.
2021 Refreshes for Asus Zephyrus G14, G15, ROG Strix G15, G17, and TUF series
Beyond all the above-mentioned new products, we will also get 2021 refreshes for a number of other gaming laptops. Some of the much-anticipated refreshes include the Asus Zephyrus G14 2021, Zephyrus G15 2021, and more. This list also includes the ROG Strix G15, Strix G17, and TUF A series for 2021. All the laptops in the list will come with the new 11th gen Intel Core processors or the AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors.
Beyond the CPU, we will also get the top-of-the-line Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series mobile GPUs for gaming. Asus has not shared the pricing or launch timing for the laptops at its CES 2021 keynote. However, it is likely that we will see these laptops in the market in the coming months.