Asus ROG Flow X13 (2023) review

This is the third iteration of the Asus ROG Flow X13. This time, Asus has come so close to absolutely nailing it, it almost hurts. The basic premise of a super-sleek 13-inch 2-in-1 laptop with a touch of gaming grunt remains. But this time Asus has upped the ante not just with the latest silicon from AMD and Nvidia, but higher spec chips that you would have thought possible.

By way of example, the OG ROG Flow X13 from 2021 ran an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU at best. For the latest Asus ROG Flow X13 2023 variant, you can opt for up to an RTX 4070. That's a pretty huge upgrade.

Admittedly, it comes with the major caveat that power to the 4070 is limited to just 60W as a consequence of the Flow X13's compact proportions. But still, up to a 4070? Remarkable. Our review sample is fitted with an RTX 4060 and is likewise limited to 60W. It's paired with no less a CPU than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, all eight cores and 16 threads.

We're talking about some fairly serious hardware, then, crammed into this laptop's lithe shell. To the two main chips you can add 16GB or DDR5 memory (32GB is available optionally), plus a 1TB M.2 SSD. 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS (8-core)
Graphics: Nvidia RTX 4060 8GB
RAM: 16GB DDR5
Screen: 13.4-inch, 2560 x 1600 (IPS, 165Hz, 3ms, 100% DCI-P3)
Storage: 1TB SSD M.2 NVME
Ports: 1x USB4, 1x x USB-A, 1x HDMI, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio, 1x XG Mobile
Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera: 1080p webcam
Weight: 2.87 lbs (1.3kg)
Dimensions: 29.9 x 21.2 x 1.87 cm (11.77 x 8.35 x 0.74 inches)
Price: $1,599 | £1,699

Then there's the 13.4-inch 16:10 display. It's an IPS-type LCD panel, and therefore not OLED. But the 2,560 by 1,600 native resolution, 165Hz refresh and 500 nits bode awfully well. In short, you're making very few compromises, on paper, for the form factor and all at a remarkably reasonable price of $1,599 or £1,699 as configured here.

Speaking of form factors, the Asus ROG Flow X13's physical bearing is perhaps its greatest appeal. This thing is gorgeous. Okay,