The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is the company's latest experiment to make a Surface Pro inspired tablet that you can game on.

Last year ASUS took the wraps off the ROG Flow X13, the world’s first thin and light 2-in-1 gaming laptop. It was sleek, had tons of CPU power and could also be used for some casual gaming. With the laptop, we also saw a new external discrete graphics solution from the company called the ROG XG Mobile dock. Essentially, it allowed you to add a high-performance discrete mobile GPU (up to an RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6850M XT) to the laptop, for an ultimate gaming experience. It was a convincing concept, but you needed a lot of money to experience the entire ecosystem. This year the company is expanding the lineup with the ROG Flow Z13, a Microsoft Surface Pro-inspired tablet that can double up as your gaming companion. But does this concept really make sense? I had a chance to check out this one-of-a-kind gaming tablet, and here’s what I think about it. Note: This review is based on the experience I had with ROG Flow Z13 itself as ASUS didn’t provide me with the ROG XG Mobile dock. Having said that, the updated graphics performance should be added to the review as soon as I get my hands on it.

Up until a few years ago, the idea of slapping a high-performance H-series Intel CPU onto a tablet would have been deemed ludicrous. But, folks at ASUS mean business as the Z13 can be specced with up to a 14-core Intel Core-i9 12900H CPU. That’s not all, as the device can be kitted with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory clocked at 5200MHz as well! To get you up to speed, Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake CPUs feature a new architecture and the 12900H, in particular, comprises six performance cores, and eight extra efficiency cores, which are enabled or disabled depending on the workload.  For graphics, there is the Intel Iris Xe integrated GPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti discrete GPU with 4GB of memory. Do note that the discrete GPU combo is only available with the top-tier model, which is coincidentally the unit sent to me for review as well. The GPU in question is capable of running at 35W with a boost of up to 40W. There is a built-in MUX switch as well that can give a slight performance boost to the chip. The Core i7 model comes with an RTX 3050, while the Core i5 model does not include any discrete GPU and relies solely on the iGPU or the external XG Mobile GPU dock. The dock is sold separately and is offered with Nvidia’s RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 GPUs as well as AMD’s Radeon RX 6850M XT. The tablet performs exceptionally well, which wasn’t really surprising since it does pack the latest top-end mobile hardware. ASUS has tuned the Core-i9 12900H allowing it to run at 50W of sustained power and while it is capable of going beyond that (about 95W), it isn’t really meant for a tablet as all the components are packed in really tight. Even at its reduced power limits, the top portion of the tablet gets really hot when pushed to its limits. The good thing is, since the hot internal components are at the top, the lower half and the keyboard area always remain cool. You can control the performance by keeping a check on the temps using the Armoury Crate software and choose to operate the device in various profiles like Silent, Balanced, Turbo and Manual. Now, I did run a slew of benchmarks on the device, the results for which have been attached below, so take a gander. Do note that the testing was done with the performance mode set to Turbo with both, MUX Hybrid mode and Discrete GPU modes.

The above results have been tested at 1920x1200p resolution with the performance mode set to Turbo and MUX switch set to discrete GPU.

Disappointingly enough, the Flow Z13’s 56WHr battery fell short of my expectations. Now, seeing how the device is backed by a power-hungry 12th-gen Intel processor (especially the Core i9 on my unit), I wasn’t expecting any mind-blowing results to begin with.  Now you can get up to five hours of battery life if you stick to light web browsing with 20-30% screen brightness, 60Hz refresh rate, keyboard lighting turned off and the performance mode switched to Silent. However, the tablet does not stay up for more than two-three hours on average. In real-world testing, which included switching between a bunch of Chrome tabs, writing some articles, checking emails, and a little bit of video/music consumption, the battery on the Flow Z13 would drop down to 15% in about two and a half hours. I was also very surprised that the battery was unable to last for the entire duration of a movie that I was watching on Netflix. In all fairness, the screen brightness was turned to maximum, as was the volume, but it was still quite disappointing. The results might not be the same for the Core i7 and Core i5 variants of the Flow Z13, but I would reckon you keep your expectations in check, at least in the battery department. On the upside, the laptop’s 100W charging brick is quite compact and it won’t take up too much space in your backpack. Verdict

Despite having a wide array of gaming notebooks under its belt, ASUS is not shying away from innovation and the Flow Z13 is a testament to the same. In my books, the 2-in-1, gaming tablet is a home run for ASUS and for a first-gen product, the device has undoubtedly made its mark in the gaming space. It is undeniably one of the most unique computing products on the market today and the device is flush with high-end hardware, including the latest Intel 12th-gen H-series processors, DDR5 memory and even discrete GPU options from Nvidia. Despite that, the device is but a slightly chunkier Surface Pro and it’s mind-boggling to think of all the hardware that is crammed inside the machine. Be that as it may, the form factor is questionable for gaming and it isn’t entirely practical either. The experience just doesn’t compare to a regular clamshell or 2-in-1 convertible laptop. The only benefit of the form factor though is that you get better (if not the best) cooling as all the core components are on the top and get an uninterrupted supply of airflow. A fringe benefit of the same is that the keyboard area is always going to remain cool and comfortable to use, which is great.  Performance is excellent, and the hardware met my expectations. It isn’t a full-blown gaming laptop, but considering the form factor, it would be absolutely unfair to compare the unit to decked-out, beefy gaming machines. If you are a fan of the 2-in-1 detachable tablet form factor and need all the performance that you can get, this is the perfect fit. Should you buy one? Well, the device is quite expensive, with the base variant with Core i5 processor retailing for Rs 1,36,990, and the unit sent to me for review costing Rs 1,81,990 in India. For the price, you can undoubtedly get your hands on better-equipped gaming laptops. That said, buyers looking to stand out and make a splash at the next LAN party will find plenty to like about the Flow Z13 too. Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5 Pros: