Asus is bringing new displays and the latest Intel and AMD silicon to its gaming laptops. New 16- and 18-inch Strix Scar models feature Mini-LED displays powered by Intel’s new 14th-gen HX series of mobile processors and Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics. The Strix Scar 18 is the first 18-inch model from the company to feature a Mini-LED panel.
In another first, the new Zephyrus G14 and G16 models are the first gaming laptops from Asus to feature OLED displays. The Zephyrus G14 offers up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and RTX 4090 graphics, and the Zephyrus G16 is based on Intel’s new Meteor Lake chips with up to a Core Ultra 9 185H processor.
Mini-LED for Strix Scar
The new Strix Scar 16 and 18 models are based on either a 16- or 18-inch Mini-LED display with a 2.5K resolution and 240Hz refresh rate that’s rated for 1,100 nits of peak brightness with HDR. The Mini-LED panels have more than 2,000 dimming zones. In addition to the new display tech, the new Strix Scar models feature an updated chassis design that doesn’t look too different at first blush from past iterations.
The Strix Scar 16 (model G634JZR-XS96) starts at $2,900 for a configuration with a Core i9-14900HX CPU, RTX 4080 graphics, 32GB of 5,600MHz DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD. The step-up model (G634JYR-XS97) costs $3,700 and bumps you up to an RTX 4090 and a 2TB SSD.
The Strix Scar 18 (model G834JZR-XS96) starts at $3,000 for a configuration with a Core i9-14900HX CPU, RTX 4080 graphics, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The step-up model (G834JYR-XS97) costs $3,900 and bumps you up to an RTX 4090 and a 2TB SSD.
Asus states the new models will start shipping in the first quarter of this year.
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OLED comes to Zephyrus
The Zephyrus G14 and G16 models also received a facelift and now offer a slimmer, all-aluminum unibody enclosure and OLED displays, making them the first ROG laptops with OLED panels, according to Asus. There’s also a new white chassis color option in addition to the standard black.
The 14-inch model is based on AMD Ryzen 8040-series processors, and the 16-inch model is based on 14th-gen Intel HX processors.
The Zephyrus G14 features up to a Ryzen 9 8945HS and RTX 4070 graphics powering a 14-inch OLED display with a 3K (2,880×1,800-pixel) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.
The Zephyrus G16 features up to a Core Ultra 9 185H processor and RTX 4090 graphics powering a 16-inch OLED display with a 2.5K (2,560×1,600-pixel) resolution and 240Hz refresh rate. Yes, the larger display features a lower resolution than the 14-inch model’s.
You don’t get per-key or even multizone RGB lighting with either model. Nope, these mainstream gaming laptops offer keyboards with one-zone RGB lighting.
The new Zephyrus G16 and G18 models will be available later this quarter, according to Asus. Pricing information was not available at this time of this writing.
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