This is the new Flow X16 from ASUS, which is basically a larger version of last year’s
X13 gaming 2-in-1. But this new bigger version there’s more space for higher tier specs,
more upgrade options and of course the larger 16 inch screen!
In my X16 we’ve got an 8 core Ryzen 9 6900HS processor, Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics,
32 gigs of DDR5 memory, and a 16” 165Hz mini LED touch screen.
The screen looks great and has FreeSync. ASUS says it can get up to 1100 nits bright thanks to 512
local dimming zones, but based on my measurements that’s probably when viewing HDR content.
Just like the smaller original flow X13,
the screen goes the full 360 degrees back and can also be used in tablet mode,
so you can also use it as a tablet, or any other way in between like tent mode.
It’s relatively thin given the specs inside, but still as a 2-in-1 it felt a
bit big for me to hold in tablet mode. It will definitely come down to personal preference,
but just holding it like this feels a bit too big and heavy for me, plus I don’t like how my
fingers feel on the back because I’m coming into contact with the keys on the keyboard. Now if I do
accidentally press any of these keys it doesn’t actually do anything, just feels a bit strange.
The whole machine weighed in at 2.2kg or 4.8lb and then up to 2.9kg or 6.5lb with the included
240 watt power brick and cables. So yeah, it can be a bit of a handful.
Also like the smaller X13, the new X16 has the XG Mobile port on the left,
so you’ve got the option of attaching even more powerful graphics with
up to Nvidia RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT as of right now in May 2022.
I mean the RTX 3070 Ti in this one can still run any modern game just fine
even at this above native 1440p resolution. But there will of course also be lowered specced
versions of the X16 with lower GPUs inside which will cost less money, so a more powerful
external GPU could make more sense there. And this does still give you some level of
GPU upgradeability that most laptops don’t otherwise have. Assuming of course that ASUS
does continue to make the XG Mobile in future with more powerful GPUs that don’t exist yet.
I think it’s great that we’re seeing the XG Mobile
ecosystem continue to evolve, they didn’t just ditch it after a year.
The X16 has a MUX switch too, so we can disable the integrated graphics to get a performance
boost in games, but there’s no advanced optimus here, so you need to reboot in order to swap.
The RTX 3070 Ti in mine can run up to 125 watts with Nvidia’s dynamic boost, or 100
watts if the CPU is also active, which isn’t too bad at all considering the thinner design.
In a CPU only workload, turbo mode was able to boost it up to 90 watts.
This is all likely thanks to the new cooler inside, which has three fans instead of the
usual two. There’s an extra fan in the middle which blows air towards the back,
and all three fans have direct intake vents with dust filters directly over the fans.
The whole back section of the laptop is an air exhaust. Usually we’ve only
got exhausts towards the left and right corners,
but with the X16 it’s the entire back section as the third fan exhausts in the middle.
There’s also liquid metal applied to the Ryzen processor, but not the Nvidia graphics,
and as you can see, plenty of heat pipes.
ASUS tells me that this new 3 fan design lets them get the same performance as using 2 fans
but with the option of running the fans slower and quieter. Now generally speaking,
I did find the X16 to be quieter compared to other comparable laptops when under stress test,
but it still can absolutely get quite loud if we decide to max out the fans.
I also noticed a weird sound from the fans when we had it loaded up like when playing
a game or something. The pitch just sounded different compared to any other gaming laptop
we’ve tested before. Both me and my partner were questioning if someone was flying a drone outside.
Now this is an engineering sample, so things are subject to change. There’s still quite a
lot I can show you about the new X16, but unfortunately this does mean that I can’t
share performance benchmarks right now. Make sure you’re subscribed for the upcoming full review!
Otherwise apart from the new cooling design, we’ve also got the 90Wh battery down the front,
two M.2 storage slots just above on either side,
and the usual Wi-Fi 6E card hiding underneath the installed SSD.
Despite having that extra third fan and this being a thinner laptop,
ASUS have managed to fit two DDR5 memory slots inside.
Now I found this extremely interesting because ASUS has a history of only having one memory
slot in their thinner Zephyrus designs. Whether that be the Zephyrus G15, M16
or S17 just to name a few. Those all just have one stick of memory with the rest of the memory
soldered to the motherboard in a way that can’t be upgraded by the user. But that’s just not the
case with the X16. Now I was told by ASUS that they learnt some new tricks making this laptop,
so hopefully this means that we also see two memory sticks in next year’s Zephyrus laptops
too. Because they’ve shown us that it can be done in the X16, there’s no excuse anymore.
The chassis is a mixture of magnesium and aluminum, though it didn't really
feel like metal to the touch. The lid has a grooved texture, and that continues inside.
The interior gives me strong Zephyrus M16 vibes with front facing speakers
on either side of the single zone RGB keyboard, along with the usual buttons above on the left.
The wrist rest area has a subtle texture to it similar to the lid,
but the rest around the keyboard is smooth.
I personally liked typing on the keyboard, its 1.7mm of key travel felt good, but we noticed
the screen wobbled a little while typing. It wasn’t too bad if you’re just sitting there
typing on the laptop, but it was far more obvious if you accidentally bump the table or the machine.
The pattern on the touchpad matches the wrist rest area, but
unlike that the touchpad is completely smooth. It’s fairly large and feels accurate to click.
There’s also a 1080p camera above the screen with Windows Hello face unlock.
The left side has the power input, HDMI 2.1 output which can do 4K 120Hz at 8-bit,
a USB 4 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 output which can also be used to charge the machine,
the custom XG Mobile expansion port which also has a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port inside,
followed by a 3.5mm audio combo jack.
The right side has the power button, a MicroSD card slot,
two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports and there’s an air exhaust vent on this side.
We had the same problem with the X16 that I also noted in the Zephyrus M16 review,
where some things were just difficult to plug in, particularly to the USB Type-A ports.
It just felt like it was too tight and a bit of a challenge to actually stick anything in,
but hopefully this is just a quirk of my engineering sample.
Check out some more newly announced laptops from ASUS over here next,
and I’ll cover X16 game benchmarks, thermals, battery life and everything else in the upcoming
full review, so make sure you’re subscribed for that for all of the in-depth testing!