Tom's Guide Verdict
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) delivers the goods thanks to its thin design, powerful performance, gorgeous OLED display and excellent typing experience. This is the best overall gaming laptop we’ve tested so far in 2024.
Pros
- +
Svelte design
- +
Stunning OLED display
- +
Powerful performance
- +
Excellent typing experience
Cons
- -
Poor battery life
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The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) feels like it was designed specifically for me. It has everything I look for in the best gaming laptops — namely an ultraportable design, powerful performance and a drop-dead gorgeous OLED display. The fact that it runs quietly is a bonus.
Digging into specifics, the model I tested packs an Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card. Thanks to this mobile GPU and the laptop’s 32GB of RAM, I can play the best PC games with smooth frame rates at medium to high settings without a problem. All that power also ensures I can use this notebook for everyday productivity.
The new Zephyrus G14 might be a gaming laptop but it doesn’t look the part thanks to its minimalist design. The machined aluminum chassis reminds me of the flat design of the best MacBooks. There’s a diagonal slash on the lid that produces light, but that’s as close to “gamer aesthetic” as this laptop gets. The G14 also has a decent number of ports on both sides.
Speaking of appearance, games and videos look stunning on the 14-inch (2880 x 1800) OLED display. Darks are pitch-black when they need to be and the HDR makes lighter elements pop. Performance-wise, the silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate and 0.2ms response time ensure you never miss a beat during heated online matches.
This laptop is also nice to work on because of its spacious keyboard deck and thick keycaps. The smooth and responsive touchpad is also quite large for a gaming laptop. Even if you prefer using the best wireless mice and best wireless keyboards with a laptop, you might not want to thanks to the overall excellent typing experience the Zephyrus G14 offers.
The Zephyrus G14 has a lot going in its favor but it has one flaw. Though it works great for productivity, this notebook’s middling battery life likely won’t last you for an 8-hour workday. If you plan to travel with the Zephyrus G14, don’t forget to bring its power brick.
Nitpicks aside, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the finest gaming laptop I’ve tested this year. Though this configuration is pricey at $1,999, I think it’s worth every penny. Find out why in my full review.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? An ultraportable gaming laptop featuring a vivid OLED display and excellent performance.
- Who is it for? For folks who want a light and thin notebook that doesn’t sacrifice power.
- What does it cost? This model of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 typically costs $1,999 on Best Buy’s website.
- What do we like? The lightweight design, OLED display and strong gaming performance.
- What don’t we like? Poor battery life for productivity.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review: Specs
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (tested) |
|---|---|
| Price | $1,999 |
| Display | 14-inch (2880 x 1800) OLED | 120Hz | 0.2ms |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 |
| Memory | 32GB |
| Storage | 1TB |
| Ports | 2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI, 1x headphone jack, 1x MicroSD |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 12.2 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches |
| Weight | 3.3 pounds |
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review: The ups
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 has a lot going in its favor. This includes a vivid 14-inch OLED display, rock-solid Nvidia RTX performance, an elegant design, and a pleasing typing experience. Asus’ laptop is adept at both gaming and productivity.
Strong RTX 4070 performance
The ROG Zephyrus G14 I reviewed packs an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 laptop GPU, an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Thanks to these specs, I was able to run many games at the laptop’s native 1,800p resolution and at high settings without sacrificing performance.
I ran both Doom Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077 at the aforementioned display and graphical settings with Nvidia’s frame-boosting DLSS enabled. The former zipped along at a smooth 120 to 130 frames per second while the latter ran at a very respectable 45 to 55 fps.
I should note that these games still run great without DLSS. Doom Eternal fluctuates between 110 and 120 fps while Cyberpunk 2077 runs at around 40 fps. So even without frame-boosting enabled, games run quite well on the Zephyrus G14. But since those options are available, you might as well turn them on to get smoother gameplay.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) | HP Omen Transcend 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin’s Creed: Mirage | 56 fps | 66 fps |
| Dirt 5 | 58 fps | 30 fps |
| Far Cry 6 | 55 fps | 40 fps |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 40 fps | 31 fps |
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 delivered excellent results in our lab tests. As you can see in the chart above, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, Dirt 5, Far Cry 6 and Grand Theft Auto V ran between 40-60 frames per second at native resolution. The HP Omen Transcend 14 I reviewed (which also has an RTX 4070) didn’t fare as well in comparison, though it has 16GB of RAM instead of 32GB.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) | HP Omen Transcend 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 multi-core CPU | 12,891 | 13,066 |
| 25GB file copy speed test (Mbps) | 1,352 | 1,729 |
| Handbrake video editing time (time:sec) | 4:16 | 4:57 |
Given its components, the ROG Zephyrus G14 can handle everyday workloads without a problem. Even with over 30 open tabs and a YouTube video playing, the laptop sprinted along just fine. If you plan to use this machine as your daily driver for work or personal computing, you won’t be disappointed.
Gorgeous design
The ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the most aesthetically pleasing gaming laptops I’ve ever tested. It’s very reminiscent of modern-day MacBooks thanks to its flat, utilitarian design. Other than the diagonal light on its lid, there’s nothing to identify it as a gaming laptop. That might be a turn-off for some, but it’s a big selling point for me.
Though thin and light, the ROG Zephyrus G14 is a sturdy device that doesn’t easily bend or flex. The lid glides smoothly and doesn’t wobble even if you’re walking with the laptop open. The sturdy aluminum chassis also makes the device pleasant to hold.
The ROG Zephyrus G14 has plenty of ports. This includes a pair of USB-C ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port and a microSD card slot. It also has two USB-A ports for those of us who want to use legacy peripherals.
Fantastic OLED display
The 14-inch OLED display delivers excellent image quality for games, videos, websites and more. Doom Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077’s detailed and colorful worlds looked fantastic on the display, which made them feel alive and vibrant. Movie trailers on YouTube also appeared stunning thanks to the stark contrast between dark and light elements.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) | HP Omen Transcend 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Nits (brightness) | 391 (SDR) | 392 (SDR) |
| sRGB | 114.4% | 190.6% |
| DCI-P3 | 81.1% | 135% |
| Delta-E | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Our lab tests corroborated my anecdotal experience. The HP Omen Transcend 14 gets brighter than the Zephyrus G14 and features more oversaturated colors, while the latter delivers more natural hues and tones. Our testing data reflects this, as the Transcend 14 can achieve well over 100% of both the sRGB and more demanding DCI-P3 color gamuts while the Zephyrus G14 does not.
That said, the G14’s screen looks good in person and is perfectly usable unless you plan to do color-accurate work (like photo editing), and the display can get fairly bright both in SDR and HDR.
Incredible keyboard
The laptop’s keyboard is a delight to type on, even if you’re like me and prefer the best mechanical keyboards. This is thanks to the thick and large keycaps, which have excellent travel distance and provide a decent level of resistance when pressed. Even if you have big hands like I do, you’ll find the keyboard deck plenty spacious.
Similarly, I enjoyed using the smooth and responsive touchpad. It never failed to register my gestures, and despite its large size, I didn’t accidentally graze it while typing. Gaming laptops don’t often have big touchpads, so I appreciated that this machine went against the norm in that regard.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review: The downs
The ROG Zephyrus G14 has plenty of strengths, but its biggest flaw could be a deal breaker for some. If you’re looking for a work laptop that can last all day on a single charge, you might want to look elsewhere.
Poor battery life
Gaming laptops might offer powerful performance but they don’t always have the best battery life. You’ll typically get two hours of battery life at most while gaming and maybe six to seven hours for productivity. In that respect, the Zephyrus G14 isn’t different from other gaming notebooks.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) |
|---|---|
| Non-gaming | 6:45 |
| Gaming | 1:06 |
The Zephyrus G14 lasted for 1 hour and 6 minutes in the PCMark 10 gaming battery life benchmark test. That’s pretty bad even for a gaming laptop.
It lasted 6 hours and 45 minutes in our standard battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness. While you get better battery life outside of gaming, less than seven hours won’t get you through a full workday if you’re using this machine for productivity.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review: Verdict
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a perfect laptop for folks who want a gaming machine that’s powerful and elegant. It’s comparable to the HP Omen Transcend 14 in that regard, though Asus’ notebook delivers better performance and has more ports. And while $1,999 for the model I reviewed isn’t cheap, it’s a great value for what it offers.
Battery life is the main thing preventing the Zephyrus G14 from being truly excellent. Yes, people tend to keep gaming laptops plugged in, but if you want to use this machine for work when you’re outdoors, battery life will be a concern.
That aside, I wholeheartedly recommend the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 to anyone looking for a well-priced gaming rig that delivers the goods in terms of performance, elegance and overall useability.
