Anyone looking for a portable Windows gaming setup knows the struggle. Gaming handhelds, while fun, don’t have the power to handle everything as well as you’d like, meaning your main option is a gaming laptop. But those are often quite large and not as portable for travel. Meet your new potential gaming partner: the Asus ROG Flow Z13, a Windows-based gaming tablet that could fill the gap between a gaming handheld and a gaming laptop.
This little monster comes packed with AMD’s new Ryzen AI Max+ 395, paired with AMD Radeon 8060s graphics, up to 128 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. While my model comes with a more conventional 32 GB of RAM, it’s impressive to think so much hardware can fit into such a relatively small package.
Let’s get one thing straight, though—all this tech comes at a hefty price tag of $2,999 Canadian. Whether the cost is worth it to you is subjective and for you to determine. As for whether it’s a device I would buy myself, I’ll discuss that throughout my review.
Unboxing/First Look
Unboxing the beast was visually more appealing compared to some other laptops I have owned or reviewed in the past. Both the charging adapter and unit come in separate silver boxes with Asus badging and images—a nice touch that makes it feel like a more premium device.
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 comes with a keyboard attached, and together, they initially surprised me with their weight of 2.65 lb.—0.7 lb. more than a Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablet and more than double that of a 13-inch iPad Pro, although 0.4 lb. lighter than the HP EliteBook I previously reviewed. I found it felt heavier than it actually was, though that could be due to the weight being condensed into a smaller package. This added weight over a more conventional tablet could be a potential issue for those looking to hold the device in their hands for extended periods, as it will likely lead to arm fatigue.
Looking around the Asus ROG Flow Z13 itself, most of the I/O runs along the left side of the device, giving you two USB 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1, a proprietary Asus charging port and a microSD card slot. The right side only has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port and a headphone/mic combo jack. Along the upper right side, you’ll find the power button, volume buttons and command centre button.
A USB 4 port on the right side would have been a nice addition, allowing for charging from either side, but it’s not a deal-breaker. I’m thrilled to see as many ports as I do, especially the microSD card slot.
“Gaming on the Asus ROG Flow Z13 truly blew my mind, as it performs between the capabilities of an Nvidia 4060 and 4070 despite using integrated graphics.”
Both the front and back of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 feature cameras, which I find acceptable for video calls, but don’t expect flagship smartphone quality. They’ll get the job done, but don’t be one of those people who go around with their tablet, recording or taking photos of everything with it.
The back also features a small but highly reflective window that reveals some of the tablet’s internals, along with some very cool-looking RGB lighting options. While you won’t generally see this in use, it will show others you have a very special device and is fun to play around with.
Display
Without a doubt, one of the most important features of a tablet is the screen. It’s your gateway to gaming and everything else you do on it, and more importantly, you’ll be interacting with it regularly. Thankfully, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 comes with a gorgeous 13.4-inch 2.5K (2560×1600) IPS screen that boasts a 180 Hz refresh rate and is both Pantone Validated and 100 percent DCI-P3 accurate. This means that not only is the display colour accurate for watching movies or gaming, but photography and video editors can also use it more accurately.
In use, I found it very pleasing to view during my extended gaming sessions, and the 16:10 aspect ratio made getting work done easier. For me, 16:10 aspect ratios are the sweet spot for widescreen video viewing while also allowing me to run programs side by side without losing too much usable space—a common issue with 16:9 displays.
While it’s not something I would change, I did find adapting to a 13.4-inch display challenging after years of using larger 14- to 16-inch displays. Thankfully, multiple external displays can be plugged into the available ports, making the Asus ROG Flow Z13 a strong candidate for a mobile all-in-one desktop solution. As a 2-in-1 device, the display can be angled up to 170 degrees on a surface, allowing for different use cases such as sketching, other stylus-related tasks, or even playing simpler touchscreen apps like Solitaire.
Audio/Speakers
The speakers on the Asus ROG Flow Z13 are one of my first complaints about the device. While I wouldn’t call them unusable, they lack detail in the high and mid tones and have a somewhat muddy sound. Bass is mostly nonexistent as well, so I wouldn’t recommend this device for any audio-sensitive tasks.
“Asus has put together an incredible piece of kit with the Asus ROG Flow Z13, getting far more right than wrong in delivering a powerful, portable gaming experience.”
These speakers are also noticeably quieter than those on other laptops I have tested, often requiring me to turn them up much higher to hear them at a proper level. Even after adjusting various settings in both Windows and the included Dolby Atmos app, I still couldn’t get them to sound significantly better or louder.
Keyboard/Touchpad
The removable keyboard of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 initially surprised me. The outer shell has a rubberized feel, giving the impression it will withstand years of use, with strong magnets that attach it securely to the bottom edge of the Asus ROG Flow Z13. The inner shell is a softer-feeling plastic with a subtly placed ROG logo just below the down and right arrow keys.
One feature I appreciate about the keyboard is the option to lay it flat on a surface or use onboard magnets to slightly angle it up, making it more ergonomic when used on a desk or table.
The keys themselves are well-sized and feature a single-colour RGB backlight, making the Asus ROG Flow Z13 easy to use in dark or dimly lit rooms. Initially, the backlighting was quite dim, even at full brightness, but updates have since mitigated this issue. I was also both impressed and surprised at how well Asus managed to stabilize each key, making every keystroke feel amazing. Typing on it is almost, if not equally, as pleasant as typing on my ultrabook. This is something I wish more companies would take note of, as keyboards of this quality should be standard whenever possible.
The touchpad built into the removable keyboard was also a pleasant surprise. Where many removable keyboards cut costs by including smaller touchpads, Asus has integrated a large one—even larger than the touchpad on the MSI Stealth A16 I recently reviewed. While it is a plastic touchpad and not as premium as some glass touchpads I have used, it was still adequately accurate, and I had no issues using it for regular tasks or even some gaming applications.
Performance
Asus has truly worked some magic with what the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is capable of. Packing the powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with 32GB of RAM (available with up to 128GB), this tablet breezes through everything you throw its way. I never encountered any major slowdowns in day-to-day use, even when running more intensive tasks and benchmarks.
In tests such as Cinebench R23, I achieved a remarkable multicore score of 29,364—just under 700 points away from the top-ranked processor shown on the scoreboard. This is something I have never seen on a portable system, let alone one of this size. Even in 3DMark, I achieved an impressive CPU score of 10,990 and 10,121 for the GPU, respectively, which easily placed the Asus ROG Flow Z13 at the top rank of all devices I have tested to date.
Testing the SSD drive in CrystalDiskMark, I recorded read speeds as high as 6,201 MB/s and write speeds up to 5,374 MB/s. This should be more than adequate for most users in any use-case scenario. Regardless of how hard I pushed the Asus ROG Flow Z13, fan noise was never a problem. Even at max speed, the overall noise was much quieter than that of other gaming laptops, including those with much less powerful hardware.
Gaming
Gaming on the Asus ROG Flow Z13 truly blew my mind. As such a compact device running on integrated graphics rather than the dedicated graphics of previous generations, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Asus ROG Flow Z13 uses AMD Integrated Radeon 8060s graphics, which, when tuned correctly, can perform between the capabilities of an Nvidia 4060 and 4070. Adjusting the graphics memory to 8GB, as per Asus’s recommendation, dedicates 8 of the available 32GB RAM to the system’s onboard graphics. However, users can choose from a range of memory options, including disabling graphics memory if needed.
“Even playing my favourite modern game, GTA 5, resulted in impressively smooth sessions that never seemed to stress the Asus ROG Flow Z13 at all.”
The first game I tested was Cyberpunk 2077, as it is one of the more demanding games I own. I was able to crank up the graphics to full and still achieve a comfortable 50–60 FPS at QHD resolution, while FHD reached up to 80 FPS when running the built-in benchmark. However, in-game performance was closer to 30 FPS, achieving near full speed when adjusting settings accordingly.
Other driving-related games, such as American Truck Simulator and BeamNG, ran equally well at full settings. Long gaming sessions were absolutely incredible—especially considering integrated graphics are powering all of this. Even playing my favourite modern game, GTA 5, resulted in impressively smooth sessions that never seemed to stress the Asus ROG Flow Z13 at all.
Being a 2-in-1 device provided a unique gaming experience, as any heat generated was pushed out of the top of the tablet unit, keeping overall temperatures on my lap minimal. During long gaming sessions, this made the experience far more comfortable than any other laptop I have used. The inclusion of a USB Type-A port was also convenient, as I could easily plug in a mouse or controller without wires running everywhere, keeping my desktop setup much tidier and more organized.
Battery Life
One would think that with all this power and onboard hardware, battery life would suffer as a result. While I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking by any means, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 still manages what I would consider acceptable battery life. When not performing power-hungry tasks during the day, the 70WHr battery could last between eight and 10 hours. However, even something as simple as binge-watching videos on YouTube brought it closer to the lower end of that spectrum. Gaming, unsurprisingly, dramatically cuts battery life down to only a couple of hours.
Charging up when needed, somewhat annoyingly, Asus has opted for a proprietary charging tip rather than a conventional barrel tip, as seen on countless devices before. I found this frustrating as if anything were to happen to the 200W charging brick, I could no longer walk into a local computer shop or Best Buy to purchase a universal charger. Sure, USB-C charging is available, but it is not as adequate when gaming while plugged in.
Final Thoughts/Conclusion
Asus has put together an incredible piece of kit with the Asus ROG Flow Z13. They got a lot right, and being able to play games as well as I can on a device of this size class was truly remarkable. While there are some aspects I would like to see improved—such as better speakers next time—there are far more things Asus got right than wrong.
If you can swallow the high price tag or specifically need a tablet-style device, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is likely to be at or near the top of your list. However, those looking to save a few bucks could easily find a more powerful, full-size gaming laptop or desktop if their needs call for it.