Asus' ROG Flow Z13 (2025) review: An unassuming gaming powerhouse

Summary

Small footprint with powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max+ chip.
Capable of running high-performance games smoothly.
Great for gaming & content creation, but poor battery life and overheats.

I’ve never gone hands-on with Asus’ ROG Flow line before. So, when I started looking at 2025’s model, I didn’t know what to expect. Asus commonly develops high-performance gaming rigs. With this in mind, I was initially thrown off by the ROG Flow Z13’s small stature and footprint. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this two-in-one laptop when I started to understand the power AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ chipset offers.

2025 has been a year for travel for me. I’ve been on a plane nearly every week and have consistently rotated through my various gaming devices. Whether it’s my Nintendo Switch, ROG Ally X, or 16-inch gaming laptop, I’ve packed at least one device away before I hit the airport. Unfortunately, I always felt like I was missing something. Either the Switch wasn’t powerful enough to run the games I wanted, or my laptop was too big to play on a plane comfortably. The ROG Flow Z13 (2025) feels just right and can run intensive titles with the only major concession being battery life.

Asus has developed the most powerful laptop-tablet device I’ve ever used. Given the ROG Flow Z13 comes with a $2,099 price tag, this should be somewhat expected.

Recommended

ROG Flow Z13 (2025)

A refresh to 2023’s ROG Flow Z13. This 2-in-1 gaming laptop features a new AMD Ryzen AI chip, enabling the device to be a Copilot+ PC, capable of supporting AI functions. It also offers a 13.4-inch 2.5K ROG Nebula display, supporting 180Hz refresh rate.

Pros & Cons

Minimal footprint
Use of AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip
Tactile and slim keyboard

No OLED display option
4-5 hour battery while gaming
Fans aren’t sufficient for cooling

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Price, availability, and specs

Right out of the box, the ROG Flow Z13’s sheer size (or lack thereof) is apparent. It only measures 11.8 x 8 x 0.5-inches (30 x 20.4 x 1.29 x 1.49cm), making it ridiculously small given what’s under its hood. It features a 13.4-inch 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution IPS LCD display that’s capable of supporting up to a 180Hz refresh rate. Even though it weighs 2.65lbs (1.2kg), it can easily be stowed in a backpack or bag.

The ROG Flow Z13 I’ve been testing sports an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395. This year, Asus ditched the Intel chip the ROG Flow Z13’s predecessor utilized. Now opting for AMD’s chipset, the company offers a 16-core Zen 5 CPU with a 40-core GPU, a powerful combination for tasks like high-end games and video rendering. It also gives way to using Copilot+ AI functions, if that’s of interest.

The design of the ROG Flow Z13 is best described as alluring. At first glance, it might look like a tablet thanks to its 5-megapixel camera with a cover that doubles as a durable keyboard. The keys are very responsive and have a great tactile feel while typing. Along the sides of the device, Asus includes two USB 4 Type-C ports, one USB 3.2 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a microSD slot, and 3.5mm headphone jack (this is all you can ask for from a laptop).

The device’s rear side features a 13-megapixel camera and a discreet kickstand built into the body. This kickstand allows the ROG Flow Z13 to adjust anywhere within 170 degrees, which I’ve found works well. There’s also a small windowed cutout in the design that’s complemented by RGB lighting, allowing you to take a quick glance at the motherboard.

ROG Flow Z13 (2025)

Operating System: Windows 11
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395
GPU: AMD Radeon 8060s
RAM: 32GB LPDDR5X 8000
Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
Battery: 70Wh
Display (Size, Resolution): 13.4-inch 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution ROG Nebula
Camera: 13-megapixel
Ports: 1x 3.5mm audio jack, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 2x USB Type-C, 1x micoSD slot
Dimensions: 11.89 x 8.11 x 0.51-inches (30.2 x 20.6 x 1.29cm)
Weight: 2.65 lbs (1.2Kg)
Brand: Asus

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What I liked about the Asus ROG Flow Z13

High-performance gaming on a small rig

Make no mistake, the ROG Flow Z13’s size certainly doesn’t quantify its performance. Despite a relatively small footprint, Asus leverages everything under the hood to be able to play even the most resource-intensive modern games. Throughout my weeks of using the device, I played recently released PC games like Horizon Forbidden West and jumped into the odd match of Marvel Rivals. With 180Hz refresh rate support, the visuals looked buttery smooth. I often got stable 60fps visuals while running games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider on high settings. Horizon Forbidden West ran steady at around 80fps on high graphics settings with AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling turned. When I benchmarked the hybrid device, the ROG Flow Z13 hit an impressive Geekbench 6 score of 2,884 for single-core and 21,006 for multi-core.

Asus’ ROG Flow Z13 may look like it’s designed to be a gaming rig, especially given its RGB keyboard. However, it’s also a workhorse for content creation. I could multitask effectively with no slowdown or performance issues during my time with the hybrid device. Even while rendering videos, I was able to continue doing other things. The LCD screen might not be as vivid or eye-catching as an OLED, but given that the Flow Z13 features a 13-inch display, the panel’s clarity loss isn’t that big of an issue.

As noted earlier, the ROG Flow Z13 has a fantastic keyboard. The spacing between keys feels perfect, and they have a satisfying click to them. This also extends to the trackpad. I’m typically very harsh on overly sensitive laptop trackpads, but with the ROG Flow Z13, I’ve been delighted that it doesn’t register gentle grazes.

ROG Flow Z13 with a spaceship against a futuristic landscape.

Asus’ ROG Flow Z13 upgrade puts AI solutions first

During CES 2025, Asus announced its ROG Flow Z13 for 2025, the refresh to its 2023 2-in-1 gaming laptop.

What I disliked about the Asus ROG Flow Z13

Battery life varies based on usage, but the jet engine fan sounds rarely stop

One of the downsides to using the ROG Flow Z13 as my travel gaming rig has been managing its battery life. Asus suggests the tablet/laptop can support 10 hours of usage on a single charge. That may be the case if you only respond to emails or scroll social media throughout your day. The second you do some gaming or video editing, the battery nosedives to roughly four hours at maximum. Thankfully, the battery life has gotten me through most of my flights this year. However, my day-to-day workflow typically requires me to almost always have the ROG Flow Z13 plugged in.

The company designed the ROG Flow Z13 to feature a vapor chamber capable of offering 55 percent better cooling coverage across the motherboard than its predecessors.

The other major issue with the ROG Flow Z13 is that it easily gets hot. The fans start sounding like a jet engine even when just installing games. This, of course, persists when playing games, too, even on Medium settings. It’s a buzzing distraction that’s difficult to ignore if you’re not wearing noise cancelling headphones while working or playing games.

Unfortunately, due to the device’s size, there’s very little Asus can do on the cooling prevention front. The company designed the ROG Flow Z13 to feature a vapor chamber capable of offering 55 percent better cooling coverage across the motherboard compared to its predecessors. Unfortunately, even with the vapor chamber, the ROG Flow Z13 is a noisy 2-in-1 device, especially when playing games.

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Should you buy the Asus ROG Flow Z13?

If the novelty of having a high-performance 2-in-1 laptop is on your list, the Flow Z13 is worth considering — if you have the cash to spend, of course

After spending roughly three weeks with the ROG Flow Z13, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by its power and efficiency. I’m not used to a device this small that can competently run modern, performance-intensive games so well. Asus’ adoption of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has panned out impressively, especially when adding AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution.

I would have loved to see Asus feature an OLED panel in the Flow Z13. As a fan of the color and contrast OLED screens offer, I wanted more from the ROG Flow Z13’s LCD. However, that would understandably balloon the already steep $2,099 price tag and probably further limit battery life. While Asus’ ROG Flow Z13 will likely be a premium purchase for most, if you can deal with its relatively low battery life and loud cooling, you won’t be disappointed with how well the laptop-tablet handles your favorite PC games.