The Asus ROG Flow X13 is the smallest gaming laptop in the company's ROG lineup. Aimed at gamers who want the top-end performance of a gaming laptop and the portability of a thin 13-inch ultrabook, the ROG Flow X13 promises to be a powerhouse performer.
The 2023 edition of the ROG Flow X13 that we have is powered by Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.'s AMD Ryzen 7000 series processor and Nvidia Corp.'s NVDA RTX 40 series graphics. The ROG Flow X13 comes in a 2-in-1 form factor, so it works great as a media consumption device as well when you are not using it as a dedicated gaming laptop.
So, does it live up to the hype? I've been using the ROG Flow X13 for a few weeks now, and here are my thoughts.
Design
Gaming laptops are easy to figure out even by looking at them from afar – they're bulky and usually have large displays.
But looking at the ROG Flow X13, you would never guess it is a gaming laptop – it's not notably thin by modern ultrabook standards, but it's thin enough to pass off as a regular laptop.
Even if you were not to use the Flow X13 as a gaming laptop, it is portable and light enough to be carried around – at 2.9lbs, it is nearly as lightweight as the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Moving to aesthetics, the Flow X13 has a wave-like pattern on the top that helps in gripping it and also prevents smudges and dust from appearing too quickly.
The laptop’s right side and back have vents to keep the laptop's thermals under control since the dedicated graphics can get hot much faster than integrated graphics.
The rounded edges make the Flow X13 comfortable enough to hold and carry it around.
Display
The ROG Flow X13 sports a 13.4-inch 4K resolution display with 165Hz refresh rate. The display gets bright enough to use even outdoors.
The 13.4-inch panel is perfect for regular tasks like document editing, web browsing, and media consumption. The details are sharp, and the color reproduction is great.
However, it takes some time for gaming to get used to the smaller display size. I usually game on a 27-inch or a 32-inch monitor, so adjusting to the much smaller display on the Flow X13 took me a while.
For on-the-go gaming, though, the display size is not as much of a handicap. What will get you before that, though, is the battery life – gaming laptops are not really known for their battery stamina, but more on that later.
Performance And Gaming
The ROG Flow X13 I tested is powered by the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor paired with the Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card. It is worth noting that this is a mobile graphics card, so do not expect desktop-class performance.
The Flow X13 also has 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD – this is abundant for most users, but the memory is soldered, so you might want to check this first and bump up the memory to 32GB if that's what you need.
Without getting into the extreme nitty gritty of the processor and graphics card, here's a summary – this AMD processor and Nvidia graphics card combination excels in most of the things I could throw at it. This includes endless document editing, media consumption, multitasking between several programs, and gaming at the end of the day.
From recent titles like Counter-Strike 2 to Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Borderlands 3, I could game very comfortably on the Flow X13. I noticed a few intermittent stutters, but the overall gameplay was generally smooth.
Out of the games I played, Borderlands 3 was the one where it felt like the Flow X13 was being pushed to its limits – the average frames per second (fps) hovered around the 85-90 mark, but the stutters were slightly more common in this game than the other titles I tried. I also had to play it at 1080p more often than in other games.
In other games like Counter-Strike 2, which are more CPU-dependent, I could play at max settings without the laptop breaking a sweat. Shadow of the Tomb Raider was smooth, too, at 1080p, remaining above 60fps on average.
It’s also a good idea to play games at high settings only if the laptop is plugged into a power source. While on battery, I could eke out a little over 4 hours of gameplay, but that's about it.
Overall, gaming on the Flow X13 was mostly effortless.
You can also choose between different modes like Windows, Silent, Performance, and Turbo, using Asus' Armory Crate software that comes pre-installed. It's not mandatory to use it, but it helps you unlock Asus' ROG-specific features.
Throughout my tests, the thermal management on the Flow X13 was usually good. It does get noticeably hot while gaming, but that's a given. The fans whir at maximum capacity almost instantly when a game is launched, so the laptop does get loud enough that someone sitting next to you can notice it.
All said and done, the Flow X13 excels at performance, given that it is equipped with top-tier hardware. It packs in a lot of punch for something so tiny and lightweight.
Connectivity Options
Despite rivaling ultrabooks regarding dimensions and weight, the ROG Flow X13 does not shy away from offering plenty of connectivity options.
Here's what you get:
- 1x USB 4.0 USB Type-C port
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port
- 1x USB 3.2 Type-C port
- 1x HDMI port
- 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
- 1x microSD card slot
- 1x ROG XG Mobile Interface
The ROG XG Mobile Interface allows you to connect the Flow X13 to an external graphics card – XG Mobile costs a pretty penny, so keep that in mind.
Keyboard And Other Tidbits
The Flow X13 sports a full-sized 15-inch keyboard with a large trackpad that is common on Asus laptops.
The key travel and feedback are excellent, and Asus has also pushed the power button to the side of the laptop – personally speaking, this is a blessing. The number of times I've accidentally hit the power button on other laptops is quite.. astronomical.
The laptop comes with Asus' ErgoLift hinge that lifts the laptop ever so slightly up to ensure improved thermal management. However, a few Asus laptops have dug into my lap because of the sharp corners, so I was apprehensive about this aspect.
Thankfully, the Flow X13's rounded edges and the slightly rounded-off ErgoLift hinge solve this problem. The laptop is comfortable to use on a lap, and the slight lift helps improve the thermals, too.
The 360-degree design is useful when you're done with work and play and want to sit back and relax. This works as intended, and the sharp and accurate display also makes for a very good media consumption device.
Talking about media consumption, the Flow X13 features a two-speaker system with Dolby Atmos support and AI-powered noise-cancellation technology.
In the real world, the Flow X13's speakers are good enough that I did not require an external speaker or a headphone. It works well in a large enough room so you can kick back and watch a movie or play music while cooking your dinner.
Conclusion
The ROG Flow X13 tries to be the jack of all trades. For the most part, it succeeds at doing everything you might want from a powerful laptop.
Whether you need a powerful, lightweight ultrabook or a gaming beast, or your personal entertainment device – the Flow X13 has answers for all those needs.
I've actually tried to use the Flow X13 for work during the day, gaming post-work, and finally, watching a couple of shows to wrap up a usual day. No matter what I throw at it, the Flow X13 excels at almost everything. So far, so good.
The problem arises when I try to look at the Flow X13 as a laptop to do just one of these things in isolation.
As a work machine, the battery life is a concern.
As a dedicated gaming laptop, knocking down gameplay settings a notch or two is not always pleasant. It is usually fine, especially when I'm away from home, but it is a reminder that it won't be a replacement for my gaming computer.
Perhaps the ROG Flow X13 works great as an all-in-one machine that achieves 90% of what you want from your work, gaming, or entertainment devices.
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