Announced at CES, the 2024 edition of the ROG Zephyrus G14 probably represents the biggest evolution of the device since its initial launch in 2020. More sober, more elegant, but also more powerful, and equipped this year with an OLED screen, the machine seems to have improved everywhere – enough to fly above the fray in the face of more and more numerous gaming ultraportables? Answer in our test.

Razer Blade 14, Acer Predator Triton 300 S, MSI Cyborg 14, HP Omen Transcend 14, Alienware Ultra compact, to meet the needs of nomadic users, and yet powerful enough to make short work of the latest AAA, these devices now enjoy a solid footing on the market. It is in this context that the fourth iteration of the ROG Zephyrus G14 arrives ASUS

Unveiled in January during CES 2024 and recently available in France, this new model changes chassis, gets an OLED screen and is armed with a latest generation AMD Ryzen processor. Lots of new features for just one product. We will see if they are enough to make it essential in its category, facing competitors that are also increasingly attractive. But first of all, here is the technical sheet of the model that ASUS France sent us on loan:

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 technical sheet

SummaryProcessorAMD Ryzen 9 8945HSMemory size32GBGraphic cardNvidia GeForce RTX 4070Video memory8GBScreen size14 inchesRefresh rate120Hz

The configuration we received is the most high-end currently available. It is priced at 2700 euros on the official ASUS website. The starting price of the device is nevertheless set at 2000 euros, but this time for a more modest configuration bringing together “only” a Ryzen 7, 16 GB of RAM and an RTX 4050.

Design: more beautiful, more elegant, less flashy… flawless?

With 31.1 x 22.0 x 1.59 cm and 1.5 kg on the scale, the new G14 is almost as compact as a classic 14-inch ultraportable. Compared to previous versions of the machine, this 2024 model also drastically reduces the gamer look that it had gradually adopted, to become more discreet, more elegant… in a word, more mature. We also feel that ASUS is trying more than ever to get closer to (and compete with) what Razer can offer in this area: the G14 has never been so sober.

This change, the device owes in particular to the adoption of a completely redesigned aluminum chassis, more slender, but also modified to rest this year completely flat on the desk (the last model used the ergolift system to raise the part rear of the chassis). We also notice that ASUS has removed the air intakes that were previously found on the sides of the device. Now, fresh air is drawn in from under the PC and expelled out the back, behind the screen. It will also be necessary to ensure that nothing blocks this area otherwise temperatures will skyrocket during gaming sessions. This change, however, has the advantage of allowing better positioning of the connectors compared to the previous year. pass.

Another new feature: the pure and simple abandonment of the Animatrix system which in the past adorned the hood of the G14 with programmable LEDs. Instead, ASUS now opts for a simple LED strip arranged diagonally, and much less flashy. Configurable, the latter can also be deactivated completely, or when the device is running on battery… which we have also chosen to do.

In any case, the Zephyrus G14 is flawless almost everywhere in terms of design and assembly, but also in terms of equipment. Beyond high quality assembly and impeccable finishes, the device benefits, for example, from 6 speakers for a significantly improved audio experience compared to last year. It’s quite simple, we were often tempted to play without headphones because the audio experience offered is so viable. The bass is better than expected for such a small PC and if the midrange tends to take a little too much precedence over the treble, we generally appreciated the sound delivered.

On the keyboard side, nothing to report: that of the G14 2024 is once again excellent. The stroke depth is suitable, the keys are silent, and well spaced, to provide good precision on a daily basis. In short, we enjoy working and playing with this keyboard… even if, given the 14-inch format, it is sometimes a little cramped. If you’re used to playing on a 16-inch or larger, you’ll probably need a little time to get used to it. Note also that the keyboard is backlit, but only in white. If you like lots of RGB effects, you’ll have to look elsewhere… and in particular the new HP Omen Transcend 14, which relies on very bright RGB backlighting.

The G14 also suffers from a fairly average touchpad. Far from being bad strictly speaking, the latter offers a nice sliding surface, but sinks too much in the lower corners, and it turns out to be stiff as justice for hard clicks. A good margin of progress therefore seems possible to us on this point. When will there be a haptic trackpad?

To compensate, ASUS offers us a complete biometric identification device, with a fingerprint sensor housed in the power button, and a 1080p webcam allowing facial recognition via Windows Hello. Belt and suspenders, then.

In terms of connectivity, and despite its compact format, the new G14 also does a good job with a very complete selection of ports. We thus find an HDMI 2.1 output, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, a USB-C 4 port, a micro-SD card reader (UHS-II) and a headphone jack 3.5mm. The essentials are there, but we would still have preferred a full-format SD card reader rather than a microSD card reader – which almost no one will use.

The move to a more compact chassis, however, harms the scalability of this ROG Zephyrus G14 2024. This year, there is no longer any question of being able to replace the RAM, since it is now soldered to the motherboard. Only the SSD and the battery (easy to access) can therefore be changed if necessary.

Screen: the little ASUS gamer finally switches to OLED

IPS in its infancy, Mini-LED last year, OLED this year: the G14 will definitely have covered the main display technologies. By finally embracing OLED (like a growing part of ASUS mid- and high-end laptops), the device nevertheless takes an important step forward.

This time we benefit from a 14-inch organic panel in 16:10 format, manufactured by the Korean Samsung Display. The latter is armed with a 2.8K definition (2880 x 1800 pixels) and a 120 Hz refresh rate, with VRR, thanks to Nvidia G-Sync certification. ASUS further promises 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 spectrum. These premium specifications give us hope for excellent image quality. Let’s see what it really is with our measurement tools.

What we notice straight away with the naked eye is that this glossy screen benefits from an effective anti-reflective treatment. We are far from the “mirror” effect that other OLED models from ASUS face. A good point, especially since our probe notes a peak in brightness at 423 cd/m2. We are not talking about an exceptional value, but this SDR brightness is sufficient for most uses, including to ensure good readability in a very bright environment.

OLED obliges, the contrast is “infinite”. Understand that the blacks are perfect, which gives excellent depth to the displayed image. The Zephyrus G14 screen also offers good colorimetry, with generally natural colors, although a little too warm by default on our loaner copy. For the most scrupulous users, it is fortunately possible to correct the shot manually from the display settings offered by the Armory Crate utility.

The panel of our G14 on the other hand (and practically as advertised) manages 99% of the DCI-P3 spectrum according to our measurements, and covers the sRGB gamut to more than 100%, as well as the Adobe RGB color space to 93 %. For ordinary people, this data is more or less a guarantee of beautiful colors, but for creative users, it is proof that the device can be effective in photo editing or calibration, for example. An additional argument in favor of the G14 2024, which is definitely very well equipped this year in terms of display.

This latest CPU, launched by AMD at the start of the year, is here coupled with 32 GB of LPDDR5X RAM at 6400 MHz, and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card. The latter automatically takes over from the iGPU AMD Radeon when launching a game or resource-intensive software. Note, however, that this card is limited to a maximum TGP of 90 W (65 W base + 25 W with Dynamic Boost), which is not much for the RTX 4070. This chip can in fact approach 175 W on larger laptops. Here, however, ASUS is forced, by the modest dimensions of its G14, to a certain sobriety.

Given in particular the thinness of the device (only 1.59 cm thick, remember), the Taiwanese manufacturer is in fact forced to make compromises, fortunately reasonable, to reduce heating. Clearly, the potential of on-board components is limited.

This is true for the Ryzen 9 8945HS, which did not particularly impress us on the G14, with “only” 16,631 points in multi-core calculation and 1,684 points in single-core. For comparison, in single-core computing, the Intel Core i7-12700H of the Alienware x14 that we tested almost two years ago scored 1,691 points on the same utility. In multi-core the results remain very flattering, but we are a good notch below what the AMD chip could develop on a 16-inch machine, for example.

The dynamics are more or less the same with the RTX 4070. Limited to 90 W of maximum TGP, the latter only delivers on the G14 2024 a part of the performance that it usually offers. On 3D Mark Time Spy Extreme, the chip reaches a GPU score of 5,371 points. For comparison, the HP Omen Transcend 16’s RTX 4070 reached 5,813 points on the same benchmark. An argument that should be kept in mind when purchasing, but which is ultimately not surprising given the hyper-compact chassis in which the CPU/GPU pair from AMD and NVIDIA is housed.

In game, the overall performance offered by the new G14 remains very generous, especially for such a slim product. Animate Cyberpunk 2077 or Dying Light 2 in 1800p (native definition of the G14 screen), with ultra settings, is therefore entirely possible. With these parameters, the first of the two holds the mark of 38 FPS on average, compared to almost 60 FPS when NVIDIA’s Frame Generation technology is active. For Dying Light 2, this time we go up to an average of 66 FPS, compared to 89 FPS with DLSS 3. Enough to enjoy the latest AAA in the best conditions… without asking too many questions.

Please also note that we played in a definition higher than QHD+ for these tests. If you opt for Full HD+ (1920 by 1200 pixels) or “simple” QHD+ (2560 by 1600 pixels), it is entirely possible to pass the 100 FPS mark on many games.

However, we must address the annoying question: that of heating. In this regard, and due to its dimensions, the device suffers from prolonged heating of its components. In stress test on AIDA 64, the Ryzen 9 of our loaner rose very quickly to around 95 degrees and never came down again. In intensive use, the heat quickly became palpable on the chassis, mainly above the keyboard. An observation which obviously worsened in game, while the GPU was this time called upon in addition to the CPU.

In this context, this area at the base of the screen became really hot. Even more so if, inadvertently, something blocks (or even hinders) the expulsion of hot air from the rear of the chassis. A desk mat that was a little too thick played tricks on us with the G14. That being said, the device is not as noisy as one might have thought (the three fans blow loudly and are heard, certainly, but we have heard much worse), and above all the keyboard itself is relatively well insulated from the heat in our opinion. So much so that in game, the heating described above never confronts us with insurmountable discomfort.

Let’s finish with a point on the performance of the SSD of our G14. The latter was equipped with a 1 TB M.2 NVMe (PCIe Gen 5) module, capable of reaching 5006.89 MB/s reading and 3502.33 MB/s writing. Nothing exceptional, but these speeds are honest, sufficient to play and work without ever feeling any particular limitation.

Autonomy: relief, spite or pleasant surprise?

The ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 is powered by a 73 Wh battery, relatively large for its format. The latter, however, has an OLED screen and an energy-hungry CPU/GPU duo. Let’s see what it manages to offer us in terms of autonomy.

In this area, the results are not so bad. In video playback, the device manages to get around 8 hours on battery provided you adopt the right power settings, limit the display to 60 Hz mode and ensure that the dedicated GPU is deactivated.  In the context of versatile use, when we are a little less attentive to energy saving, this time we oscillate more around 7 hours of autonomy. This remains a very good score for a gaming laptop, but be careful, activating 120 Hz mode will drastically reduce the relative endurance of the machine.

Recharging is done in any case using a small, relatively compact 180 W power supply, equipped with a proprietary connector. The latter allows the battery to be fully recharged in more or less 1 hour 45 minutes on the mains according to our observations.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14: TechAint’s opinion

The ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 is definitely an excellent pick and, at this stage, one of the most attractive ultraportable gamers of the year 2024. Despite intrinsic limitations to its 14-inch format, the device delivers copious performance. It also offers a high-end display experience thanks to its OLED screen, and has the luxury of in certain cases exceeding the threshold of 8 hours of battery life… a rarity in the field of gaming laptops.

However, it is criticized for its heating, sometimes marked, and its lack of scalability (RAM now soldered to the motherboard). It is also difficult not to keep in mind the presence on the market of very promising competing devices, such as the Razer Blade 14 or the future HP Omen Transcend 14, which is expected in France in the spring, more or less on the same price slot.