Not much has changed between the new CES-announced model of Asus’ relatively powerful 13.4-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard and the ROG Flow Z13 I reviewed when it first debuted, and surprisingly, my opinion hasn’t changed much or. I like the idea and the execution, but it still feels impractical and it’s not the first thing I think of grabbing for anything but casual PC gaming where I want something with a bigger screen than my steam deck.
It’s still great and generally well designed, plus Asus has improved on a few aspects. For example, the touchpad is bigger, the keyboard movement is slightly deeper, the webcam is better and now supports Windows Hello, there are now four-channel speakers, the optional XG Mobile eGPU connects Thunderbolt 5 instead of a proprietary connector and more.
The model I used included the new model AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 processor with its integrated Radeon 8060S graphics — Intel previously used Z13 processors — and a 1600p IPS touchscreen running at 60Hz or 180Hz.
Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025, GZ302EA-XS96)
| Revised price | 2199 dollars |
|---|---|
| Display | 13.4-inch IPS 2560×1600 pixels 60Hz/180Hz 100% gamut P3 500 nits touchscreen, stylus support |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 |
| Memory | 32 GB LPDDR5X-8000 (8×4 GB soldered quad-channel) |
| Graphics | Integrated Radeon 8060S |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD, 1 x Micro SD |
| ports | 2 x USB4 (2 x PD and DP 1.4), 1 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo audio |
| Networking | MediaTek Wi-Fi 7 MT7925, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 24H2 |
| Weight | 2.6 lbs/1.2 kg, 3.2 lbs/1.5 kg (with keyboard) |
But like its predecessor, it’s a bit heavy considering its size. This is to be expected given the tank-like build, and the keyboard is also on the heavy side. However, it retains a full set of connections, including HDMI and a micro SD slot.
The Z13 comes in two models — the $2,199 one I looked at and a cheaper $1,999 model that varies by processor — it uses a low-end Ryzen AI Max 390 with fewer CPU and GPU cores. Future versions of the refreshed XG Mobile will include mobile versions of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 or 5080 GPU, and it has a cool transparent chassis design.
A stream in hand
Since the chips won’t be available until the end of this year (before June is due), the Z13 I used still had early-stage operating software and firmware, so I didn’t evaluate it or test the battery life (Asus estimates that it will take 10 hours), and it is possible that some minor problems I had will be fixed by the time it ships.
Asus moved the RGB-lit window from the previous model to a more prominent position.
While I like the feel of the new keyboard — typing on it now! — The newly added RGB backlight is not bright enough. It’s fine if you’re in a completely dark environment, but I’m sitting in the dark with Chrome open and the white screen makes the backlight useless unless you’re looking directly down. The keyboard is pretty stiff, but like many of these devices, it’s not comfortable to use on your lap — when the kickstand is extended, you need long enough thighs to accommodate — so its stiffness can be it becomes somewhat unclear. However, the stiffness helps when it’s tilted on a table.
The magnets hold the keyboard section to the tablet on the long top and bottom edges, whether closed or open, and are quite strong. I placed it on top of a metal table and found it surprisingly resistant to movement. It stuck tight to my iPad when I stacked them too.
The four speakers, with Dolby Atmos support, sound pretty good. The screen looks pretty good, and Asus offers the usual calibration profiles — I didn’t test it because screen performance can be sensitive to BIOS and other firmware. It only supports HDR for video (Dolby Vision), not games, but even that’s in theory, because I couldn’t get anything to confirm that DV was working. It looked good; the P3 color space coverage helps, and the tonal range looked accurately mapped, but you can only do so much with a maximum brightness of 500 nits, especially on a non-OLED display.
Enlarge the image
It’s chunky, but it also has a good array of connectors including a full-sized HDMI port.
Casual gaming performance was mixed (sometimes dropping below 60fps), even on power: I played Hades 2 (still in early access), Have a Nice Death, Dredge, and a brief period of early drop in access to the Hyper Light Breaker. But I expect that with an integrated GPU and early firmware, although these types of games are not very GPU heavy.
There is much more to prove when it is final. For example, AMD’s quad-channel memory and chip architecture are supposed to deliver much better AI performance than before. I think the performance feels pretty good overall at the moment. I encountered some instabilities, such as CapCut (which wasn’t working) system crashing and the dreaded GPU reset (for event viewer).
However, performance aside, the ROG Flow Z13 remains a pretty special device and may appeal to people who want something more powerful and upgradable (via external GPU) than a Surface Pro for games and creation.
