Following the announcement of Intel’s new 11th-gen Tiger Lake-H mobile processors for gaming notebooks, ASUS has come up with some new products. The ROG (Republic of Gamers) Zephyrus lineup is getting two model upgrades powered by the new Intel processors. The company has also announced that its existing ROG lineup of gaming laptops is being updated with the newly announced NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti mobile GPUs.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
The new Zephyrus M16 will be the latest addition to the family, which currently includes the Zephyrus G14 and the G15. The Zephyrus line has been known to offer slim and lightweight gaming notebook options, and this one comes with a chassis that is 19.9mm thin while the laptop weighs 1.9kg. The new M16 is a successor to the Zephyrus M15 from last year and comes with a similar design language as the existing models, including the CNC-machined perforations on the lid with a prismatic film underneath. It also comes with an upgraded 16-inch 16:10 aspect ratio display, with a 94% screen-to-body ratio. It will be available with a WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution with a fast 165Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, and Adaptive-Sync. The display will also come with Pantone validation, 100% coverage DCI-P3 color gamut, and Dolby Vision support.
The Zephyrus M16 will be powered by the latest 11th-gen Intel Tiger Lake-H processors configurable with up to a Core i9-11900H. Graphics options including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, RTX 3060, and the RTX 3070. Unlike the current-gen Zephyrus models, the M16 also features a built-in webcam. Other notable features include an RGB-backlit keyboard, the company’s Ergolift hinge that can open the display at up to 180-degrees, a liquid metal thermal compound to ensure high performance even under stress, a six-speaker system with Dolby Atmos technology, a 3D microphone array, and a two-way AI system for noise cancellation.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus S17
Next is the Zephyrus S17 that makes use of a unique rising optical-mechanical keyboard for improved airflow. If you remember, the last-gen Zephyrus S17 also offered a similar cooling enhancing mechanism that basically raised the laptop, increasing the airflow from the bottom. This time around, ASUS is going the other way, allowing the laptop internals to breathe from underneath the raised keyboard. Notably, the keyboard on the new Zephyrus S17 has also been moved up, rather than having it all the way down. It comes in a slim package but features powerful hardware, including the options of up to the latest 11th-gen Intel Core i9-11900H CPU capable of using up to 90W of power in short bursts, paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 mobile GPU rated at 140W with Dynamic Boost.
The laptop features a 17-inch display available in either WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution with Advanced Optimus and G-SYNC for higher frame rates, or a 4K option with Adaptive-Sync. Both offer high refresh rates, and color accuracy although ASUS hasn’t shared the specifics. Like the Zephyrus M16, this one also comes with a six-speaker system. The laptop also offers three SSD storage drive slots available in RAID configuration. Other notable features include RGB lighting on the keyboard and a configurable multi-wheel that brings useful functions within reach.
ASUS has also announced that its existing line of ROG and TUF gaming laptops will now be available with the newly announced NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti mobile GPU options. Apart from the ones announced today, expect the RTX 3050 series to make its way to the Flow X13, Zephyrus G14, Zephyrus G15, and Strix G15/G17 gaming laptops. Under the TUF series, the TUF Dash F15, TUF A15/A17, and TUF F15/F17 gaming laptops will also be getting the RTX 3050 treatment.