Asus’ entry-level ROG Zephyrus G14 is the one to buy
Devoted Verge readers will remember that I was not the biggest fan of the most recent ROG Zephyrus G14. The model we received had a lot of great things about it — Asus had improved the aspect ratio, added a webcam, enlarged the touchpad, and fixed basically every other complaint I’d had about G14s of the past.
But the unit I had for review was the top SKU, and it was just too expensive.
Specifically, the Radeon RX 6800S / Ryzen 9 6900HS model I received was priced at $2,499.99. That put it in the same price category as some of the market’s most premium 15-inch gaming rigs, including Razer’s Blade 15 Advanced — and way above the price of the larger and better-performing G15. It was not a good deal. But I did note in the review that Asus intended to sell cheaper models of the G14 and that those models, if they produced similar frame rates, could be phenomenal buys.
Well, I’ve finally gotten my hands on one of those cheaper models. I’m typing this right now on a $1,649.99 model of the Zephyrus G14 that has the same Ryzen 9 6900HS processor but swaps that 6800S GPU out for a slightly less powerful 6700S. I’ve strongly suspected for months that this configuration would offer very similar performance to its $2,499.99 counterpart.
And folks, that suspicion has proven correct. The difference in frame rates, while extant, is nothing worth paying for. The 6700S model’s battery life is better. It’s thinner and lighter. The one thing it lacks, which the 6800S has, is a fancy animated light display on the lid. The light display is very cool, and you can go ahead and pay $850 extra for it if you want, but I will say that most people should get the $1,6499.99 model instead. It is hands-down a better deal.
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