Asus has unveiled the third laptop to join its ROG Flow range featuring up to 16 threads, 32GB of RAM and up to an RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU.
The Flow X16 is as the name suggests a 16in gaming notebook measuring 355mm x 243mm x 19.4mm and weighing 2.1kg. Inside we find either a Ryzen 9 6900HS or Ryzen 7 6800HS processor with 32GB of DDR5-4800 (upgradable to 64GB), alongside a choice between an RTX 3070 Ti 8GB, RTX 3060 6GB, or RTX 3050 Ti 4GB Laptop GPU. For storage, Asus provides up to a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD.
A maximum TGP of 125W on the RTX 3070 Ti model enables this machine to go pound for pound with much larger and heavier competitors thanks to Dynamic Boost, according to Asus. A massive 90Wh battery should also deliver a decent runtime during regular tasks, though you will want to be attached to the mains when gaming.
To display those juicy frames, Asus opted for its Nebula HDR screen, a 16in Mini-LED touchscreen with a QHD resolution (2560×1440), fast 165Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, and eye-piercing brightness of up to 1,100 nits. Add 512 local dimming zones and you got yourself a competent DisplayHDR 1,000 panel. The display is also protected by Gorilla Glass 3, helping lend value as a convertible tablet.
Cooling is provided by five copper heatpipes and three fans. In keeping with the existing ROG Strix Scar 17 SE, the CPU of the ROG Flow X16 does not use conventional thermal paste, instead choosing liquid-metal thermal compound.
In terms of connectivity we have an XG Mobile interface (for Asus’s own external graphics dock), one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, HDMI 2.0b, 3.5mm audio and a MicroSD card reader. Plus the mandatory WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2.
Availability is scheduled tentatively for later this year, and though UK pricing is yet to be confirmed, the ROG Flow X16 is expected to start at $1,950 across the pond.
