The 2024 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Review: Premium Design Meets Performance Trade-Offs
ASUS might be late to the party, but the arrival of the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G14 is worth the wait. This year, ASUS made major changes to the G14 lineup, introducing a completely redesigned chassis, an OLED display, and upgraded internals. But is it enough to make it the best 14-inch gaming laptop of the year? Let’s dive in.
New Design: Premium Look, Better Portability
ASUS has taken the G14 and completely reimagined it. The 2024 model features a full CNC-milled aluminum chassis that not only feels more premium but is also 16% thinner and noticeably lighter than its predecessor, weighing around 3 pounds. It’s now almost identical in size to a 14-inch MacBook Pro, which is an impressive feat.
The Platinum White finish gives it a clean, professional aesthetic, while the customizable SL lighting on the lid adds a touch of ROG flair. You can disable the lighting for a cleaner look and potentially better battery life.
Keyboard & Trackpad: Slight Tweaks, Familiar Feel
The keyboard deck also benefits from the unibody aluminum construction, resulting in less flex and better structural integrity. Keycaps are slightly larger and offer 1.7mm of travel, although typing feel remains mostly unchanged from last year’s model. RGB lighting is still present but underwhelming due to inconsistent diffusion, especially with white keycaps.
The trackpad retains its glass surface but now requires a bit more force to click. While smooth to navigate, this might be a concern for users who prefer clicking over tapping.
Audio: Best-in-Class Speakers
Speaker quality has received a huge boost. The G14 now features six speakers, including upgraded tweeters and bottom-facing woofers. Audio output is clearer, with deeper bass and crisper highs. It still isn’t quite MacBook Pro levels, but it outperforms every other Windows laptop in its class.
Webcam & Mic: Solid Performance
The 1080p webcam remains the same, but the microphone setup has been vastly improved. ASUS includes multiple recording modes and AI noise-cancellation, making this laptop a strong contender for video calls and remote work.
Ports & Power: More Efficient, but Fewer Options
The port selection has changed a bit. You now get:
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Right Side: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (linked to dGPU), USB-A, MicroSD slot
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Left Side: USB-A, USB4 Type-C (linked to iGPU), HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm jack, and a new proprietary slim power port
The new slim port can deliver more power (up to 330W) than USB-C’s 240W max, while staying efficient and compact. The charger is small and easy to pack, ideal for students and travelers.
Display: OLED Brilliance with a Trade-Off
This year, ASUS ditches IPS and Mini-LED for a stunning 3K OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Color accuracy is top-notch, making it great for creatives. But there are caveats:
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SDR brightness is lower than last year
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Refresh rate drops from 165Hz to 120Hz
However, ASUS added Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology in partnership with NVIDIA and Samsung. By setting the pixel emission rate to 960Hz, screen tearing and brightness inconsistencies are minimized, offering a smooth and vibrant gaming experience.
Performance: Slight CPU Gains, GPU Power Nerf
The G14 2024 uses AMD’s Ryzen 8000 series, but don’t expect major gains over the Ryzen 7000 chips—they’re essentially the same with improved AI NPUs.
CPU Performance:
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Turbo mode shows only slight improvements in clock speeds
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Power levels are similar to last gen, but the 2023 model sustains power longer
GPU Performance:
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The RTX 4070 is throttled to ~90W vs. 120W last year
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RTX 4060 on the older G14 matches the new 4070 in most cases
This reduction in GPU power means lower performance in games, especially at 1440p. The benefit? Cooler operation, with temps ~10°C lower.
Real-World Benchmarks & Creative Workloads
In Cinebench and other synthetic tests, performance gains are marginal. For creative workloads:
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DaVinci Resolve: Small improvement over last gen, beats some Intel HX chips
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Adobe Premiere Pro: Better performance, but Intel’s Quick Sync still wins for rendering
Gaming Benchmarks
Due to lower GPU wattage, gaming performance is slightly worse than last year’s G14 with the same GPU. The RTX 4060 G14 from 2023 often matches or beats the newer RTX 4070 G14 in both 1080p and 1440p tests.
Battery Life: Small Improvements
Battery life is a bit better under light loads, thanks to Ryzen 8000’s efficiency. Under heavy use, it outlasts the previous model slightly. Still, don’t expect miracles—this is a gaming laptop, after all.
Upgradability: A Major Downgrade
This year, ASUS soldered the RAM with a max config of 32GB. There’s only one M.2 Gen4 SSD slot. The older G14 offered user-upgradable RAM, which is a major advantage for power users.
Final Verdict: Form Over Function?
The 2024 ROG Zephyrus G14 is a beautiful, premium device with impressive build quality, great speakers, and a jaw-dropping OLED display. But those improvements come at a cost—literally and figuratively.
Pros:
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Gorgeous, slim, and lightweight design
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Premium materials and build
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Stellar speakers
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Excellent OLED display
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Slightly improved battery life
Cons:
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Reduced GPU performance
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Soldered RAM
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Lower refresh rate display
If raw gaming performance is your priority, the 2023 G14 with RTX 4060 or 4070 is still a better value. But if you want a luxurious, ultra-portable gaming laptop with a best-in-class screen and speakers, the 2024 G14 is a compelling (if slightly flawed) package.
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