The ROG series of Asus has built a gaming niche powered by a strong configuration and a robust look. In its latest launch, the company unveiled its most powerful gaming laptop, the Zephyrus M16. The laptop features an Intel Core i9-13900H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 16GB GDDR6, 32GB DDR5-4800 RAM, and 16-inch miniLED 240Hz panel with a 3ms response time, as well as the new AniMe Matrix LED lights on the system.
So, let’s explore what the new Zephyrus M16 2023 packs.
Design
The Zephyrus M16 2023 does an excellent job of maintaining mobility amid all that firepower. It features a relatively compact matte black chassis and carries a rugged look. The rear panel has the AniMe Matrix LED lid, which we first saw on the Zephyrus G14 line. It offers some extra style without drawing attention to the power level. The good thing about the LED lighting on the rear panel is that it is easy to switch off, helping save battery power.
The laptop comes with all the major connectivity ports, including two USB-A 3.2 Gen1 ports, a Thunderbolt 4 port (Type-C) with DisplayPort 1.4 support, an HDMI 2.1 port, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio input. However, Asus has excluded the Ethernet jack, which we feel is not a strategic move.
The laptop features an Intel Core i9-13900H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 16GB GDDR6 | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan
The front of the laptop has a 180° ErgoLift Hinge, which helps with enhanced collaboration and allows the laptop to lie completely flat on a table. A larger volume of air can pass through the bottom of the chassis of the laptop because of the hinge’s wide range of motion. Bezels around the display area are extremely thin (4.26mm), resulting in a 92% screen-to-body ratio.
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Display
The display of the ROG Zephyrus M16 2023 is an absolute treat for gaming or watching movies. The 16-inch Mini LED panel comes with a maximum resolution of 1600 x 2560, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and an upgraded refresh rate of 240Hz. It also has a much better brightness. The display has a maximum brightness of about 600 nits in typical use, but because of its VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification, video games and movies seem even better. The display is a visual delight with 100% DCI-P3 colour coverage, over 1,000 dimming zones, and over 1,100 nits of peak HDR brightness. The screen also has Dolby Vision support to enhance content quality. Furthermore, the company has incorporated NVIDIA G-Sync technology that eliminates tearing, stuttering, juddering, and other visual artifacts while gaming by matching the refresh rate of the display to the frame rate GPU.
One irritating flaw was the screen flashing and blacking out when switching between integrated graphics and the discrete GPU. This is especially frustrating if Optimus is set to switch automatically based on whether you are plugged in or using battery power.
Webcam
The camera quality has been upgraded to 1080p HD in the new Zephyrus M16, as compared to its predecessor, which had 720p. The camera quality allows you to play online streaming games with your video on. The camera is also suitable for attending professional meetings, thanks to its quality and clarity.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2023 does not miss out on any aspect, making it a top gaming laptop in the year so far | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan
Keypad and Touchpad
The laptop is not carrying the usual keyboard frame; rather, it feels like the keys are just placed on top of the flat body. The keyboard deck features a large 129x84mm glass trackpad, a keyboard with a 1.7mm travel distance and two upward-firing tweeters for the best audio experience. The keyboard is available with a 1-Zone RGB backlight or white backlight and features four programmable macro Hot Keys on the upper left section of the deck. The keypad is very silent while typing, which we enjoyed when working on our drafts.
The touchpad is well segregated from the keypad, making it very easy to use, especially if you are playing games using the touchpad. It is fluid when scrolling or navigating content.
Processor
The new Zephyrus M16 is equipped with all the ammunition required to fire through any requirement, be it intense gaming or high-profile graphic design. The 2023 Zephyrus M16 comes equipped with the latest Intel 13th Gen series processor based on the Intel 7 process (10nm). It is powered by Intel CoreTM i9-13900H with 14 octa cores, 20 threads, and 40 default TDP. The core is clocked at a maximum 5.4GHz, driving a top-notch performance. The processor further gets a boost from the 32GB DDR5-4800 RAM, which allows users to perform any task with utmost ease. To allow easy storage of large files, the laptop comes loaded with 2TB of internal storage.
Being a gaming laptop and also a fine choice for designers, it offers the right configuration of the processor with the right graphics card. The company has used NVIDIA RTXTM 40 series laptop graphics. The onboard graphics is 16GB GDDR6 which makes it easy to run any game very easily. The 2023 Zephyrus M16 now has the support of NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, allowing an automatic switch between the discrete graphics and integrated graphics depending on the situation - without restarting the laptop.
Performance
Being a powerful processor with octa-core clocked at 5.4GHz, the new Zephyrus M16 jets through everything thrown at it. There is no lag at all with the processing of the laptop. The gaming experience is on another level as the processor, and the graphic support takes you on a fairytale ride. Every game ran with ease, and the advanced display further made it more of a treat.
A laptop is a powerful machine, meaning when pushed to intense limits, the cooling system gets active, making a lot of noise which might distract you. However, even during intense gaming, the 2023 Zephyrus M16 maintains the heat level efficiently as the cooling system is on point. For cooling, the laptop the company has integrated tri-fan technology, liquid metal on the CPU, a new full-width Heatsink, 84-blade Arc Flow Fans, Dust Filter, and 0dB Ambient Cooling. Also, the laptop offers multiple operating modes to fit different scenarios and user requirements.
Sound
A gaming experience is incomplete without proper sound effects. The 2023 Zephyrus M16 comes with Dolby Atmos sound support and features six speakers, four 1W woofers and two 1W tweeters for a solid acoustic experience. The downward firing woofers are equipped with Smart Amp technology and thus produce sounds up to 2.85X louder than non-Smart Amp-equipped woofers. The tweeters are upward-firing and placed on the upper corners of the device for the best possible experience. The sound is very loud, and it can easily suppress the fan sound when the laptop gets overworked.
The display of the ROG Zephyrus M16 2023 is an absolute treat for gaming or watching movies | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan
Battery
The battery section has also seen an upgrade, as the 2023 Zephyrus M16 features a massive 90Wh battery. There are multiple options to charge the laptop, as it can be charged by either the included (up to 280W) adapter, through the conventional DC plug, or through both 100W PD charge-enabled Type-C ports.
We tried the Type-C charging, and it was very sluggish. The charger provided in the box can charge the battery up to 50% in 30 minutes. We noticed the discharge speed is very fast and requires a constant plug-in.
Verdict
The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2023 does not miss out on any aspect, making it a top gaming laptop in the year so far. If you want to invest in a gaming laptop which is easily portable and loaded with top-notch configurations, then the 2023 Zephyrus M16 is the right choice.
This isn’t an everyday kind of laptop but targets dedicated gamers who prefer a subtle look with a bit of animation. The performance is extreme and so is the heat dissipation, making it a deadly combination in its segment.
The 2023 edition of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 starts at ₹2,99,990.
