Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review: the price is no longer right
Well, I’ll be damned. Asus did it. It fixed literally every problem I’ve ever had with the Zephyrus G14. It added a webcam. It made the screen taller. It made the screen brighter and the touchpad way bigger. When it comes to the features and chassis, I’m basically out of complaints.
But in doing so, Asus has added another major issue: price.
The reason the G14 shook up the laptop world when it was first released in 2020 wasn’t just its excellent chassis and frame rates; it was the unbelievably low price that chassis and power were available for. (The top configuration was $1,499.) The 2021 model we reviewed, also the top configuration, was $500 more expensive. And this 2022 iteration is yet another step up in price. This system, which has an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (the first Ryzen 6000 system we’re seeing this year), a Radeon RX 6800S, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, a 120Hz 2560 x 1600 display, and an animated LED matrix on the lid, will go for (as far as I can tell from the information Asus has provided) $2,499.99.
That puts this G14 model very far outside the budget range it previously occupied. It’s now significantly more expensive than other top 14-inch rigs; it’s in the same price tier as Razer’s Blade 15 Advanced, which is already considered pricey. While the G14 remains my favorite 14-inch laptop to use, it’s now in a position where you can get better performance for less.
Quick note: my test unit appears, from the information Asus sent me (which was vague and which the company wouldn’t clarify when I asked), to be the most expensive one that will be available. It looks like another configuration with the same processor and display, but an RX 6700S (and without the fancy lights, I’m guessing) will also be sold for
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