Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601) review: our full review – Laptops

Can you be powerful AND versatile? Often you have to choose between raw performance and portability of your laptop, or even choose a concept like a 360° that more or less becomes a tablet. Asus ROG has decided to ignore all that by creating the ROG Flow X16, a convertible gaming PC that refuses to sacrifice a little… At least, on paper.

Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601)Asus ROG Flow X16 (2022) datasheet.

Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601)Design

For the uninitiated, the ROG Flow X16 is completely unremarkable. It must be said that its dark gray color and the absence of the usual well-defined lines of the ROG brand seem almost divine compared to all its brothers. It still has a small specificity: its hood is sewn, which gives it a textured touch that is unpleasant.

It is in its proposal that its originality emerges. The ROG Flow X16 actually folds back on itself 360° to form a sort of tablet, to be used in “tentpole” mode or to simply bring out the screen, push the keyboard away. A transformability that we are more used to seeing in ultraportable computers, and not really in such a muscular configuration. It is in this context that its weight of 2.1 kg finds its meaning: it is certainly not light compared to a category that has become common in the weight of 1 kilo today, but very light for what he suggests.

Keyboard and touchpad

On the keyboard side, you can always count on Asus’ excellence in this area. The full-frame layout is solid, and the keys offer welcome resistance as a bonus to the excellent running distance. Not to mention fully customizable RGB of course. At this point, the only flaw in the Taiwanese manufacturer’s configurations is its Enter key, which is cut in two in the American style, which can also be found in its European configurations. A blow that should take more than one bad point.

The large glass touchpad is also great, and offers flawless sliding on its massive surface. Comfort of use is absolute with this ROG Flow X16.

connectors

In this part again, the sacrifices are invisible. We have right on the left side a classic power port, an HDMI 2.0b, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port with PowerDelivery and DisplayPort and a combo jack. Above all, note the inclusion of the company’s proprietary XGm port, which will allow the connection of an external graphics card module from the brand (and may find a second use by being used as a classic USB- C port).

Source: Chloé Pertuis – Fandroid

Source: Chloé Pertuis – Fandroid

On the right, there is the power button, 2 USB A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and a microSD slot. In the end, there are only two small disappointments in the otherwise very complete configuration: the fact that the HDMI port is not in 2.1 for 4K at 120Hz, and the SD slot is not full format. We will tolerate the latter more than the former.

Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601)Screen

The ROG Flow X16 does not shy away from this point, as it includes a 16-inch Mini LED panel in Quad HD definition with a 16:10 ratio (2560 x 1600 pixels) capable of reaching a refresh rate of 165 Hz. -ci is also tactile, to go with its changeable concept, and is compatible with styluses.

Under our investigation and using the DisplayCal software, we can observe that the good calibration that Asus promised to leave the factory has been verified. The panel covers 162.3% of the sRGB space, 11.8% of Adobe RGB and 115% of DCI P3. It also displays a color temperature of 6442K, which is very close to the desired video standard, and a very good average Delta E00 of 1.31. The latter changes a little to blue tones, but it is far from prohibitive.

The maximum brightness measured in SDR is 423 cd / m², which is more than enough to use the computer outdoors in direct sunlight while maintaining excellent readability. It can also reach up to 1100 cd / m² in HDR content and is compatible with Dolby Vision. The only thing we regret is the absence of the usual Asus settings in the colorimetry of the panel, although it is good from the factory.

Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601)Software

Not to mention the standard Windows 11, the Taiwanese manufacturer once again offers its standard suite in the presence of MyAsus and Armory Crate. The former takes care of computer system updates and classic computer operation very simply, and does it very well.

The second is the software that allows experienced players to get the maximum performance from their machine, to accurately monitor its behavior and to adjust various RGB customization options. The latter is among the most intuitive on the market, and is always a pleasure to use. Unfortunately, even in this price bracket, Asus goes ahead and signs off by including McAfee and some adware, although in lesser numbers than its initial prices.

Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601)Performance

The ROG Flow X16 (2022) is equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, the manufacturer’s flagship 8-core and 16-thread CPU at the high end that can boost up to 4.9 GHz. This is paired with 32GB of 4800MHz DDR5 RAM in our test configuration. We also benefit from an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti at 8GB of GDDR6, with a TDP of 125W.

General benchmarks

There are no bad surprises in the performance of the monster: we find at the helm this good old 6900HS, the direct competitor of the 12900H from Intel in the 12th generation. With always the same observations: superior performance in multi core (14065 points in Cinebench R23 here) but slightly reduced in single core (1544 points). However, in PCMark 10 the scores flattened out with 6222 points here. No mistake then: we have our baby there as agreed, without his performance being tarnished.

This is also proven in 3DMark 10, moreover, where the RTX 3070 Ti at 125W gives us an excellent score of 5089 in Time Spy Extreme, and passes its stress test at 97.2%. Also note that the Micron PCIe 4.0 SSD included in our test configuration is also within expected performance standards.

In-game testing

In the game, we can see that the RTX 3070 Ti is more than enough to really take advantage of the native configuration, especially the screen. Pushed to the maximum, in the native sense, Legends of Apex delivers 126 FPS on average, enough to take advantage of this high refresh rate with ease. And for more classic modern experiences, Red Dead Redemption 2 we are assured of 59 FPS on average in both configurations.

The ray tracing messing things up a bit, with the usual sacrifice we know. Here again pushed down, control shooting a paltry 35 FPS. Metro Exodus, slightly better optimized, reaching 48 FPS. But obviously, in these two titles, DLSS 2.0 takes care of raising the frame rate soon to push to 60 or even 90 FPS without blinking.

Cooling and noise

So much power naturally requires a high-performance cooling system. When really pushed like it is here, the ROG Flow X16 can ventilate loudly, though it’s far from being one of the most disruptive in this area. Above all, the heating is managed quite well so as not to interfere with use: it is mainly focused on the top of the chassis, towards the screen, and therefore away from the user.

If you use the ROG Flow X16 for classic office automation, as its 360° aspect tends to suggest, the latter will never really be heard. So we have a machine that can fulfill both roles with ease, although we still recommend playing in a well-ventilated room with headphones.

Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601)Autonomy

And that’s the rub. The Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 is equipped with a large 90Wh battery, and is provided with a large 240W power supply to provide the necessary juice to run this large configuration. But of course… Autonomy suffers.

In our PCMark 10 battery life test, it lasted 6 hours and 39 minutes from exactly 98 to 2% battery. Understand: for a very powerful PC, this is still a good thing. 6 hours of autonomy promises to hold a productive afternoon, when we talk about office automation. But obviously, that doesn’t make it a PC capable of lasting a full day without making major sacrifices.

However, some users may get used to it. Furthermore, the compatibility of the computer’s Power Delivery means that the USB-C charger of the same standard allows the device to be recharged freely, although it will only provide its real power through 240W power supply.

Asus ROG Flow X16 2022 (GV601)Price and availability

The Asus ROG Flow X16 (2022) will be available in the third quarter of 2022, starting at 3,199 euros.