Review Verdict: Despite being more powerful than the 2022 iteration, ASUS was able to make the 2023 ROG Zephyrus G14 more power efficient, bringing back its reputation of being a compact gaming laptop that has decent battery life. 

Pros

-Battery life better than the 2022 iteration

-Mini LED display a big upgrade

Cons

-AniMe matrix has been omitted

We reviewed the ROG Zephyrus G14 back in 2020 and we were impressed by it as a small gaming laptop that has decent battery life. However, battery life appears to have been compromised with the 2022 version as mentioned in our review.

We review the 2023 version of the ROG Zephyrus G14 in the Philippines, this time featuring the latest Ryzen 7000 series processors and RTX 40 series GPUs. Does the 2023 version retain the same charms we loved about the OG 2020 version–and address the shortcomings of the 2022 version?

 

ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 Review Philippines: Design

ASUS retained the same design language on the 2023 Zephyrus G14, with the higher-end variant losing the AniMe LED matrix on the lid. ASUS Philippines told us that the lack of an AniMe LED matrix is only for the Mini LED variants, which is a fair compromise, especially for those who want a better display panel.

The port selection remains the same for the 2023 model, save for one of the USB-C ports supporting USB 4.0. Both USB-C ports can function as a DisplayPort, but do note that the left side utilizes the Radeon 780M integrated GPU, while the right side utilizes the more powerful RTX 4070 discrete GPU.

The rest of the ports include an HDMI 2.1 port, a barrel plug port for the 240w charger, a combo audio jack, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a MicroSD card reader. Like its predecessor, you get two charging bricks: one is the 100w USB-C charger that you use while on the go, while the other is a huge 240w charging brick that you use when you’re at home–and want to maximize the Zephyrus G14’s performance especially with games.

 

ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 Review Philippines: Display and Speakers

While you still get the same 16:10 display that has a QHD resolution and a 165hz refresh rate, the 2023 Zephyrus G14 now has a Mini LED option that’s exclusive to the higher-end RTX 4070 variant.

Compared to the IPS variants of the Zephyrus G14, the Mini LED display has significantly higher contrast levels that are prevalent when playing back content that has bright colors. Overall brightness is also better, making it a great upgrade compared to the high refresh rate IPS panels that are available in most gaming laptops.

Aside from the great Mini LED display, the 2023 Zephyrus G14 also has equally great front-firing speakers that have a balanced overall audio fidelity. Playback at 50% volume is sufficiently loud, and pushing it to 100% still maintains the same level of audio fidelity.

 

ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 Review Philippines: Keyboard and Trackpad

ASUS kept the same compact keyboard layout on the 2023 Zephyrus, along with its trademark ErgoLift hinge that can tilt at up to 180 degrees. You still get the same RGB backlighting and the same soft-touch keys that have great overall key travel for a compact gaming laptop. It’s very comfortable to type on the 2023 Zephyrus G14 especially when you have to write long articles.

The same goes for the trackpad, which is premium with its glass build and is very responsive. It’s admittedly not great for playing games–which is why ASUS bundles a gaming mouse with every Zephyrus G14.

 

ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 Review Philippines: Internals and Battery Life

The main upgrade on the 2023 Zephyrus G14 is its use of Ryzen 7000 series processors and RTX 40 series GPUs. Our review unit is the top-end variant in the Philippines that has a Ryzen 9-7940HS processor, RTX 4070 discrete GPU, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Those components inside the 2023 Zephyrus G14 are powerful enough to run demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 at over 60FPS even at Ultra preset in 1080p resolution–however, you can only achieve this when using the 240w charger and setting the fans to Turbo mode. Using the 100w USB-C charger–where you’re limited to a Performance fan setting, the 2023 Zephyrus G14 can run Cyberpunk 2077 at over 60FPS at Medium preset in 1080p resolution.

The same can be said with other titles like Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 5, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Using the 240w charging brick and setting the fan speeds to Turbo, we managed to play these games at a minimum of 60FPS even at the highest graphics settings at 1080p.

Thanks to the Zen4 cores of the Ryzen 9-7940HS processor, the Zephyrus G14 has brought back the great battery life we missed on the 2020 OG model. With our video loop test, we got 6 hours and 10 minutes of battery life, which is great for a gaming laptop. As we mentioned earlier, the 2023 Zephyrus G14 comes with two chargers: a huge 240w charging brick if you want to maximize its performance, and a smaller 100w USB-PD charger if you prefer a compact charger on the go.

Battery life also varies depending on how you use the 2023 Zephyrus G14–and it takes a dip when you use the RTX 4070 discrete GPU. However, if you’re using only the Radeon 780m integrated GPU, you can get good battery mileage with the 2023 Zephyrus G14.

 

ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions

Despite the omission of the AniMe Matrix on this variant of the 2023 ROG Zephyrus G14, ASUS made up for it with a superior Mini LED panel. Aside from that, the 2023 Zephyrus G14 has redeemed back its reputation for great battery life on a compact gaming laptop thanks to the improved power efficiency of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series processors.

ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 Review Philippines: Price

The Zephyrus G14 2023 is priced at Php 159,995 as reviewed. All variants come with a Strix Impact gaming mouse, 100w USB-PD charger, and a bag.