If I would possibly possibly likely handiest win one pc pc for work and gaming, I’d gather this one

I’ve loved the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 since it launched in 2020. I offered one for my wife after reading about how superior it became on somewhat of enviornment called The Verge dot com.Since then, the G14 has gotten some facelifts, chip bumps, an occasional special version, a bulky redesign, and a 16-streak sibling — and it’s remained monumental. Now, in 2026, Asus has sleek flagship units making the swap from AMD chips to Intel Panther Lake CPUs. And it now has one thing I if truth be told win a soft jam for on any pc pc: a bulky-dimension SD card slot.The Zephyrus G14 already had me attend in 2020, when it didn’t if truth be told win a webcam, but now it feels delight in a pc pc particularly for me: a skinny-and-gentle OLED-equipped gaming pc pc that can per chance play the rest you throw at it, address photo and video bettering with ease, and perfect all day performing well-liked responsibilities.But in its pursuit of more energy, and because of RAMageddon, the G14’s trace has risen an ungodly amount. The sleek Intel-basically basically based units begin at $3,450, and our evaluate config is $3,600. The worth proposition that first defined the Zephyrus line is sadly prolonged long gone.$3450The GoodVery genuine all-spherical performance for work and gamingBattery can perfect spherical 10 hours underneath gentle loadsA bulky-dimension SD card slot in want to microSDGreat keyboard, display, speakers, and trackpadThe BadNew Intel units are orderly expensiveThe cheaper perfect-gen G14 easy makes more senseSlightly slower learn / write speeds than its predecessorThe Zephyrus G14 pale to begin in the low $1,000 range, with elevated-stop configs hiking to $2,500 or so. I paid underneath $1,400 for my begin-field G14 with Ryzen 9 5900HS, RTX 3060, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD attend in 2021. How the events win changed.Part file cardScreen: AWebcam: CKeyboard: ATrackpad: BPort decision: ASpeakers: ANumber of grotesque stickers to rob away: 3 (one underneath)Zephyrus laptops were getting regular trace will increase for years, even earlier than the continued world memory shortage spurred by AI recordsdata facilities that’s driving up the worth of RAM and SSDs. But my evaluate unit with the sleek Intel CPU is $1,000 more than a virtually the same perfect-gen configuration with an AMD processor. Asus is keeping perfect 300 and sixty five days’s AMD units spherical to retain cheaper alternate choices, but we don’t know if these prices would possibly possibly likely sometime rise delight in so many others. The sleek Intel-basically basically based G14 comes with a 16-core Intel Core Extremely 9 386H chip, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Pc pc GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. Our $3,599.Ninety nine evaluate configuration doubles the RAM to 32GB.The sleek G14 desires to be somewhat of more extremely efficient than the most effective-gen with a 5080, as a outcome of it reaches a high TGP of 130W in want to 120W, but that doesn’t change the truth that you simply now gather less RAM and storage for the same prices to a if truth be told perfect-gen G14 or elevated G16 with a elevated-stop GPU.Excluding for these very high prices, there’s no necessary flaw in the G14. The webcam is grainy in low gentle, and the SSD is spherical 12 p.c slower than the most effective-gen, but these are minor considerations. The G14 appears to be and feels largely the the same as the redesigned mannequin that launched in 2024, and it’s a the same dimension and weight to the 14-streak MacBook Pro. The 2026 G14 additionally has some runt cosmetic refinements, delight in more LED segments in the though-provoking prick lighting fixtures on the lid and spherical hole vents in the backside cowl in want to rectangular slots.Here’s as subtle as ROG branding will get.Like outdated generations, the G14’s keyboard and mechanical trackpad are amongst the handiest spherical. The keys win good deep race and are handiest surpassed in feel by the more tactile ones from the likes of Lenovo’s ThinkPads. The orderly trackpad doesn’t click on in all four corners (delight in even a $600 MacBook Neo does now), but it’s solid-feeling, with a satisfyingly firm and tactile kachunk. Most of us will sport with a mouse anyway.The 2880 x 1800 / 120Hz OLED point out is as crisp as ever, and it appears to be amazing. It’s brighter than the 2025 mannequin in SDR (500 nits in want to 400) and worthy more and heaps brighter at HDR high brightness (up to 1,100 nits in want to 500). The port decision is easy huge, and it’s been somewhat upgraded with Thunderbolt 4 in want to USB4 and the aforementioned bulky-dimension SD card slot. Even the speakers are spectacular for a pc pc of this dimension. Asus manages to cram six of them into this runt chassis, and audio sounds rich and complete with even a minute little bit of a left-to-correct stereo soundstage. It’s the handiest Windows pc pc I’ve pale that I heinous carefully to the MacBook Pro for sound quality.On the correct: USB-C, USB-A, and my necessary SD card slot.On the left: Asus’ proprietary reversible energy connector, HDMI 2.1, USB-A, USB-C, and 3.5mm audio.The creature comforts are basic, but whereas you utilize $3,600 on a pc pc it higher carry out effectively. I’m contented to reveal the G14 does. It feels rapid throughout gentle and heavy responsibilities alike. Making improvements to thru about a hundred 50-megapixel RAW photos in Adobe Lightroom Basic felt fleet, even on battery energy with the fans barely running and never worthy warmth being generated. Culling and score photos in Lightroom became a the same trip to a MacBook Pro, with 100 p.c previews loading promptly. The heavier processing is the put issues every so continuously gather somewhat of slower, particularly after I started making hundreds edits and pasting them from one photo to a bunch of others. But it managed to hang in there and protect me flowing thru my edit, even when I pale it prolonged enough to dip into Energy Saver mode.Like any Windows laptops, the G14 performs handiest when plugged in, but its Panther Lake chip has handiest a runt dropoff in multicore and GPU performance when on battery energy. This has been a huge win for Intel’s sleek chips, allowing laptops delight in the G14 to feel correct about as fleet whereas a long way from a wall outlet. Panther Lake’s a form of enormous succor is its energy efficiency, and total battery existence on the G14 is monumental, particularly for a gaming pc pc. In our battery rundown take a look at, the sleek Zephyrus lasted over 17 hours when put next with the most effective-gen AMD mannequin’s 8.5 hours. That’s clearly in the end indicative of loyal-world employ, but it reveals how worthy more environment friendly Intel’s Panther Lake chip will also be in mixed browsing and video playback.In loyal employ I would possibly possibly likely gather thru a total workday on the G14, managing somewhat of over 10 hours of mixed utilization (dozens of Chrome tabs begin correct thru two or three desktops, hundreds Slack, and some hours of song streaming). And that became all whereas the display became at 80 p.c brightness, so it will in all probability escape longer whereas you shadowy it somewhat or escape Energy Saver all day. For these that lean on the discrete graphics you would possibly possibly per chance even tank the 73Wh battery worthy faster. I got about five to six total hours on battery after spending over an hour of it doing my heavy edits in Lightroom. That’s easy no longer irascible.1/10Get rid of these stickers and you’ve got yourself a if truth be told graceful having a watch pc pc.But I wager you recognize what I’m going to reveal next. As genuine as the G14 is for ingenious work, a cheaper 14-streak M5 MacBook Pro easy outperforms it or comes shut in CPU-dependent responsibilities, with higher battery existence. And a baseline 14-streak M5 Max mannequin for the the same $3,600 will kill it.What makes the Zephyrus special when put next with a MacBook is that it additionally performs any sport you delight in to win. In Battlefield 6, I got 65 to 70fps at native resolution in the Excessive preset with none need for DLSS. Helldivers 2, which doesn’t make stronger DLSS the least bit, yielded a just correct elevated 80 to 90fps in the same settings. And Marathon became with ease in the 70fps range at Excessive settings with DLSS jam to Quality. The backside of the G14 will get somewhat hot whereas taking half in all these games, but fortuitously the keyboard deck stays tolerable — correct a microscopic warming of the left palm rest whereas I work the WASD keys.This became all whereas using the Performance profile in Asus’ Armoury Crate, which is the default mode when the G14 is plugged into wall energy. Switching to Turbo mode, which overclocks the GPU by 50MHz and will increase the G14’s TGP by up to 20W with dynamic enhance, can beef up performance by as worthy as 10fps — although the fans gather correct loud enough to warrant headphones.The Zephyrus G14’s sport performance is clearly without wretchedness bested by worthy bigger gaming laptops. Asus’ possess Strix Scar 16, which prices $3,300, has a elevated 240Hz Mini LED display, and crushes the G14 with elevated physique charges on the the same high settings. But you lose your complete portability and battery longevity with a behemoth of a pc pc delight in that. The G14 is all about getting somewhat of all the issues in one compact and versatile package deal.1/11The sleek Intel G14 in grey (left) vs the most effective-gen AMD version in silver / white (correct).For these that prefer to no longer put aside your whole eggs in one basket, for the worth of our evaluate unit you would possibly possibly per chance without wretchedness aquire an entry-stage M5 14-streak MacBook Pro and a 2d tool in your gaming wants (a PlayStation 5 Pro, Steam Deck, or even a whole a form of rate range gaming pc pc) and simple win cash left over. But whereas you gather need one tool for all the issues, the sleek Intel G14 is awfully genuine. It’s nearly all the issues I’ve wished in one pc pc. It’s correct a shame that it prices so worthy, particularly whereas you happen to mediate its articulate predecessor with a 12-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and the the same GPU, RAM, and storage prices nearly $1,000 less. I delight in the sleek G14’s marathon battery existence and SD card slot, but I don’t $1,000 love them.Here’s liable to be the web site online quo for the foreseeable future: Supreme Windows laptops will near out at prices starting from high to extensive. As monumental as this sleek Zephyrus G14 is, it’s laborious to interpret its $1,000 top class over the most effective-gen AMD version for higher battery existence, a brighter display, an SD card slot, and a Thunderbolt 4 port. Even perfect 300 and sixty five days’s entry-stage mannequin, with an RTX 5060, that you simply would possibly possibly per chance even easy gather for underneath $2,000 on sale is monumental to this day.You’ve consistently had to pay more to collect more, but Windows laptops this day are getting more and more pricey, correct when most of us win less and less spending energy. The G14 became consistently an distinctive day to day gaming pc pc, but it pale to additionally provide genuine performance for the cash. Now it’s one other pricey luxury.2026 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 specs (as reviewed)Repeat: 14-streak (2880 x 1800) 120Hz OLEDCPU: Intel Core Extremely 9 386HGPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Pc pc GPURAM: 32GB LPDDR5X (soldered)Storage: 1TB NVMe SSDWebcam: 1080p with IRConnectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6Ports: 1x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (DisplayPort / Energy Offer), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort / Energy Offer), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, bulky-dimension SDXC UHS-II card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jackBiometrics: Windows Hey facial unlockWeight: 3.Forty eight pounds / 1.58kgDimensions: 12.24 x 8.66 x 0.63 ~ 0.72 inches / 310.9 x 220 x 16 ~ 18.3mmBattery: 73WhPrice: $3,599.99Photogaphy by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The VergeAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2026) / Intel Core Extremely 9 386H / 32GB / 1TBAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) / AMD Ryzen 9 270 / 16GB / 1TBMacBook Pro 14 / Apple M5 / 16GB / 1TBRazer Blade 16 (2025) / AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 / 32GB / 2TBAsus ROG Strix Scar 16 / Intel Core Extremely 9 275HX /Framework Pc pc 16 (2025) / AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 / 16GB / 1TBAsus ROG Zephyrus Duo / Intel Core Extremely 9 386H / 32GB / 1TBCPU cores168101224816GPUNvidia RTX 5070 Ti Pc pc GPU (5,888 CUDA cores)Nvidia RTX 5060 Pc pc GPU (3,328 CUDA cores)Apple M5 (10 cores)Nvidia RTX 5090 Pc pc GPU (10,496 CUDA cores)Nvidia RTX 5080 Pc pc GPU (7,680 CUDA cores)Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Pc pc GPU (4,608 CUDA cores)Nvidia RTX 5090 Pc pc GPU (10,496 CUDA cores)Geekbench 6 CPU Single2909241242082968311328972886Geekbench 6 CPU Multi17145113811794815922197091256616966Geekbench 6 GPU (OpenCL)16237310752349059213016200189122744200809Cinebench 2026 Single517518736Not testedNot testedNot tested516Cinebench 2026 Multi464534444486Not testedNot testedNot tested5098PugetBench for Photoshop99417398123548679848275608825PugetBench for Premiere Pro (2.0.0+)1037897122571122Not testedNot tested109757118183Blender school room take a look at (seconds, lower is extremely most practical)29464418213420Blender cosmos take a look at (seconds, lower is extremely most practical)163295Not tested121Not testedNot tested115Premiere 4K Export (lower is extremely most practical)4 minutes, 20 seconds6 minutes, 25 seconds2 minutes, 47 seconds1 minute, 56 secondsNot tested2 minutes, 18 seconds5 minutes, 0 secondsSustained SSD reads (MB/s)6154.226963.857049.456726.256832.065280.317033.11Sustained SSD writes (MB/s)5372.856112.857317.64931.416550.214560.475808.613DMark Time Undercover agent graphics score1494110331Not tested22498209771342218417Price as examined$3,599.Ninety nine$2,299.Ninety nine$1,949$4,499.Ninety nine$3,299.Ninety nine$2,524$5,499.99Follow issues and authors from this legend to gaze more delight in this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Antonio G. Di Benedetto