CES 2022: The ASUS ROG Flow Z13, A Gaming Tablet That's So Much More
by Gavin Bonshor on January 5, 2022 1:00 PM EST
During its CES 2022 ROG Launch Event, ASUS unveiled its latest gaming device, the ROG Flow Z13. Upon first look, it may resemble a gaming-themed version of Microsoft's Surface Pro, but with a mighty kicker. The ROG Flow Z13 features Intel's latest Alder Lake mobile processor, with up to and including NVIDIA's latest GeForce RTX 3050 Ti mobile graphics, as well as up to 32 GB of DDR5-5200 memory. It's also compatible with the ASUS ROG XG Mobile external graphics dock with high-level mobile graphics performance.
Perhaps one of the more exciting announcements from ASUS during CES 2022 is the ROG Flow Z13. It is essentially a powerful 13.4-inch gaming tablet with plenty of functionality and power underneath its hood. The 13.4-inch screen is available either with 1920 x 1080 (FHD) at 120 Hz or 3840 x 2160 (UHD) at 60 Hz with an aspect ratio of 16:10 across both. Some of the ASUS ROG Flow Z13's key specifications include support for up to an Intel Core i9-12900H processor, with a choice of either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 or RTX 3050 Ti mobile graphics card.
Other specifications of the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 include support for up to 32 GB of LPDDR5-5200 memory, although these are soldered in and cannot be upgraded. Storage options consist of a single PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, with up to 1 TB of capacities supported. The ROG Flow Z13 has a 56 Wh battery installed with Type-C sharing, a bigger battery than Microsoft's Surface Pro X offers. It also weighs in at just 1.1 KG and is 12 mm thick, and features a complete CNC aluminum chassis.
Acting as both a tablet and a laptop, the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 comes with an inclusive kickstand and comes with a detachable keyboard for users looking to use it as a regular laptop. It includes plenty of connectivity, including a Wi-Fi 6E CNVI for wireless and BT 5.2 support, as well as a Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port, a USB 2.0 port, one HDMI 2.1 video output, a single 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.
The ASUS ROG XG Mobile eGPU from CES 2021
Much like the ASUS ROG Flow X13 convertible gaming notebook that we covered during CES 2021, the ROG Flow Z13 is also compatible with the ROG XG Mobile external graphics dock. Updated for 2022, the latest ASUS ROG XG Mobile can now support either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT over a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface which users more choice. Providing power to the graphics and charging functionality to the Flow Z13 is a built-in 330 W power supply. It also offers an additional four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 video output pairing, as well as one 2.5 GbE port.
At the time of writing, ASUS hasn't informed us when the ROG Flow Z13 will be available to purchase or how much it might cost.
Source: ASUS
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Farfolomew - Wednesday, January 5, 2022 - link
Ahh, no, not the Surface tablet hinged design! The x360 design is so much better and simpler, without a flimsy detachable keyboard needed! Who's honestly going to use this device as a standalone tablet, without the keyboard?I hope they update the RoG Flow X13 to include latest AMD 6000-series.
Valantar - Thursday, January 6, 2022 - link
Agreed. They have already upgraded it to fit the RTX 3050, so I would be surprised if they didn't put out another revision - though I would prefer an all-AMD solution with an RX 6500M (or 6600S? I doubt that would be thermally feasible though). Some lower-end eGPUs at a lower price would also be very welcome - spending ~$1500 on a laptop is one thing; spending the same again on an eGPU is quite another. 6900HS + 6500S + 6650M/6750M/6850M eGPU choice (at reasonable prices)? Yes please.Farfolomew - Thursday, January 6, 2022 - link
I feel what they need to do with a new, refreshed, RoG Flow X13 is: 1) Add HDMI 2.1 support, since the new Ryzen 6000-series CPUs would support this; and 2) Add full USB4-spec support, to effectively act like a Thunderbolt 3 laptop. Then you could have the option of hooking up any eGPU, not just their XG line. I'm doubtful Asus would do item #2, but at least give us item #1 so we can output to TVs that support 4k 120hz inputs!Spunjji - Monday, January 10, 2022 - link
The RTX 3050 Ti is rated at 75W max and the 6600S at 80W max, so in theory it ought to be possible to fit the latter in, but it would probably result in the tablet being even more rare than it would otherwise be! Whereas with a 6500M it would be one of the first all-6nm devices out there, and hopefully benefit from an improvement in availability.Spunjji - Monday, January 10, 2022 - link
Me too. Wouldn't even mind if they did a version with the 6000 series and no dGPU, as the iGPU in that ought to be enough for the sort of use I'd put a 13" tablet to when it's not docked. That plus a 6850 dock would be golden.