When it comes to bleeding edge PC gaming laptops, there are quite a few options to choose from, especially if you consider models with the latest Nvidia RTX 40 series. Last month Asus ROG unveiled its new lineup of high-end gaming laptops, powered by the latest Intel and AMD processors and Nvidia RTX 40 series GPUs, namely the ROG Zephyrus M16, ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, and ROG Strix Scar 16/2. 17/ 18. We had a chance to review the ROG Zephyrus M16, and over the last month of testing, we found it to be a promising gaming laptop with some seriously impressive hardware. However, the question remains: is it worth Rs 3,64,990? Know in this review.
Design and Performance: Top notch and portable
Gaming laptops are infamous for being heavy and bulky, but with the ROG Zephyrus M16, Asus has struck a good balance of build quality and weight. The laptop weighs about 2.3 kg and is about 2 cm thick, making it easy to carry around, which is the sole purpose of a gaming laptop. Fit and finish have improved this year, and the machine feels good when put together. This was also evident from the superb keyboard feedback and quality of the keycaps. I’m not a fan of the keyboard font, but it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make.
Coming to the display, the ROG Zephyrus M16 uses a QHD Mini LED panel with 240hz refresh rate, and let me tell you, it is one of the best panels I have used on a gaming laptop. Not only is it buttery smooth, but thanks to Mini LED technology, blacks are deep and inky.
Yes, it’s not as good as OLED, but it’s much better than most gaming laptops out there. Also, I’m pretty particular about blooming and backlight bleeding, and I’m happy to report that the Zephyrus M16 has no blooming and no backlight bleeding – something that can become a problem when viewing dark scenes Is. The bezels around the panel are also minimal, owing to the 92% screen-to-body ratio.
Moreover, using the Anime Matrix External Display is a pleasant experience. With the Armory Crate application, users can personalize what appears on the exterior panels, including text, symbols and other graphics. This feature adds a playful element that sets the laptop apart from others.
Performance: You Get Bleeding Edge, But At A Cost
The review unit I have is powered by the 13th generation Intel Core i9-13900H processor which has a clock speed of 2.6GHz with a boost clock of up to 5.4GHz and comes with 14 cores, out of which 6 are performance cores and 8 are efficiency cores. For the GPU, there’s the top-of-the-line Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 with a maximum TDP of 150W when plugged in.
This translates to excellent real-world performance. I could max out most games I played on it, including story-driven single-player titles like Returnal, racing games like Forza Horizon 5, and competitive shooters like Apex Legends. While plugged in, the laptop didn’t break a sweat. It can max out Apex Legends, and I was consistently going above 250fps. In Returnal, which is a very CPU-heavy title, I could push the settings to max with DLSS enabled, and get around 100-120fps at QHD resolution.
These numbers were unheard of before the RTX 40 mobile GPU appeared.
But, as all things come with a price, heat is the price here, not literally. At maximum performance settings, the laptop got noticeably hotter and faster, despite being in an air-conditioned room. I only realized this when I removed the headphones after one cycle in return.
With 32GB of DDR5 memory clocked at 4800MHz and 2TB of NVMe M.2 storage, the laptop flies, and combined with the 240Hz screen, it’s a pleasure to use. It remains smooth across the board.
Battery Life: Achilles Heel
Over the years, if there’s been an Achilles heel of any gaming laptop in existence, it’s been battery life. And such is the case with the Zephyrus M16. On a full charge, on its 90Wh battery, it lasts for about an hour and a half under moderate to heavy load, and during light use, you can extend that to an hour.
So yeah, according to my testing, battery life isn’t great, but considering you have to stay plugged in to get decent performance from the machine, the battery life angle breaks down – and you’ll have to carry the chunky wherever you go. Also visit Power Brick.
Speaker: Excellent but awesome
The speakers are usually the most underrated part of any gaming laptop – apart from the display, of course – and having good speakers – with good stereo separation and fullness – is paramount. And here, the Zephyrus M16 overwhelms. The speakers sound muffled at full volume, lack low end, and are tiny, considering the size of the laptop’s chassis.
I’d say the speakers are the most dominating part of the Zephyrus M16. In games like Returnal, the stereo separation was hard to even notice. But, as a consolation, I will say, the headphone jack on the Zephyrus M16 sounds good and can power my high-end gaming headphones.
Verdict: A solid high-end gaming laptop that comes at a price
At Rs 3,64,990, the Zephyrus M16 is one of the most expensive Windows laptops right now – don’t forget its bleeding-edge hardware, a brilliant Mini LED panel, and customizable Anime Matrix external display. Performance wise, the laptop leaves little to be desired; It’s that cool, and so is the build quality.
Yes, it gets hot and loud, and the speakers aren’t the best compared to the immediate competition, but as a whole package, the Zephyrus M16 is a beautifully built gaming laptop that deserves a place in your gaming portfolio . You have to pay to play, it’s that simple.
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