ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 review: 240Hz OLED display, Intel Core Ultra CPU, and RTX-40 GPU for solid performance

The included Armoury Crate software offers plenty of customization options but is overly complicated to navigate.

However, it’s still a solid laptop overall.

1.Pricing & specs2.Design & build3.Software & lighting4.Display5.Performance6.Battery life7.Keyboard & touchpad8.Camera, mic, & audio9.Competition10.Scorecard11.Should you buy it?

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is a bit thick but still decently slim for the components it houses.

But is it worth buying?

Let’s discuss the ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)’s pros and cons.

This review was made possible thanks to a review unit provided by ASUS.

The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

However, so far, only one of these configurations has been spotted at major retailers.

For instance, Best Buy currently only sells the RTX 4080 configuration.

There is a microSD Card reader, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, and a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port on the right side.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

So, if you want more options, you’ll need to purchase directly from ASUS.

As for storage, anyone who plans to play several video games will want a 1TB SSD or higher.

So, it’s not too surprising that the chassis is relatively thick.

There is a power port, HDMI 2.1 port, USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, and headphone jack on the left side.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

Still, the casing looks good and provides the illusion that the laptop is slimmer than it actually is.

Something I really like about the casing material is that it hides fingerprint smudges rather well.

Something I really like about the casing material is that it hides fingerprint smudges rather well.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16’s power button is above the keyboard.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

There is a good selection of USB ports to utilize when it comes to connecting accessories and monitors.

It’s not uncommon to rely on wired Internet to maintain a stable connection for online gaming.

As such, I docked some points from the Zephyrus G16’s overall score as a gaming-centric laptop.

Slash Lighting on the back of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 lid can be customized or turned off.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

There are a few preset effects to choose from, or I can choose to turn the light off.

To my annoyance, the keyboard would sometimes flash white as if in response to the Slash Lighting effects.

This was distracting and honestly agitating.

RGB keyboard backlighting can be customized or turned off.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

I could stop this by turning off the RGB backlighting and Slash Lighting.

It doesn’t always happen, so I’m not entirely sure what combination of controls causes it.

However, clicking this brings up a notice that explains thatWindows Dynamic Lightingnow controls the laptop’s lighting.

A button shows up that takes me to this tweaks menu.

I can also determine the brightness of the RGB coloring or turn it down to turn it off.

It’s all straightforward for easy interaction.

Armoury Crate is useful in that it allows you to check system performance and make customizations.(Image credit: Windows Central)

Still, it is plenty colorful and provides a fun vibe for the keyboard.

On a more sophisticated level, I ran colorimeter tests to gauge the OLED display’s capabilities.

Meanwhile, it also produced extreme contrast with its true black dynamic, as seen in the chart below.

The Slash Lighting tab allows you to choose from preset effects or turn the lighting off.(Image credit: Windows Central)

Thanks to the screen’s max brightness/dimness level, it can be used in various options.

With these prefs, the laptop scored a very impressive average of 78FPS.

That’s pretty sweet, all things considered.

The Zephyrus G16’s OLED display produced 100% of sRGB, 96% of AdobeRGB, and 100% of P3 in my colorimeter color gamut testing.

However, the fans get relatively loud to keep up with intensive gaming sessions, which can be distracting.

I pulled out my thermal camera and registered the touchpad temperature at around 97.4 degrees Fahrenheit (39.3C).

It’s not the worst thing, but it’s notable.

Even the most intensive games run very smoothly on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16.

I got basically the same time when the laptop was on Standard and Performance mode, too.

This is short but also expected from a hefty gaming laptop running an intensive game.

It will take longer if the gear is being used while it recharges.

Cyberpunk 2077 was able to reach up to 78FPS while on Ray Tracing: Medium.(Image credit: Windows Central)

Really, it will just be a matter of preference for whether or not you like it.

The chicklet keys all press in nicely and the system responds quickly to their input.

Colors come through accurately, and the 1080p resolution makes details look crisp enough.

With Path Tracing and Ray Reconstruction on in the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, the laptop averaged 36FPS.(Image credit: Windows Central)

I was upset to find that there is no physical camera shutter on this gaming laptop.

There doesn’t appear to be a digital camera shutter either.

To test the microphone, I attended a few work meetings with the laptop.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) earned a score of 13,249 in the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark(Image credit: Windows Central)

This is likely thanks to the two-way AI noise cancellation.

The Zephyrus G16 honestly surprised me with its speaker quality.

It has four 2W woofers and two 2W tweeters that hit deep notes and higher-pitched ones with great depth.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) earned a multi-core score of 18,399 and a single-core score of 1,862 in Cinebench.(Image credit: Windows Central)

These speakers are situated on either side of the keyboard and point skyward.

I can create specific movie and game presets from this program to match my listening desires.

Only MSI’s offering is more expensive, starting at a $3,299.99 MSRP.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) earned a score of 1,783 in CrossMark.(Image credit: Windows Central)

Breaking away from Intel Core Ultra CPUs, another very similar gaming laptop is the Razer Blade 16.

In 3DMark graphics testing, this laptop outperformed the Zephyrus G16.

As with most Razer devices, it’s rather expensive, with a $4,199.99 price point.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) measured a write speed of 5,226 MB/s and a read speed of 7,063 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark.(Image credit: Windows Central)

If power is what you’re after, then maybe you want a gaming tower or desktop.

It can have up to an RTX 4070 GPU and up to an Intel Core i9-14900KF CPU.

Meanwhile, the price is a bit easier to swallow, starting at $1,399.99.

The keyboard area can get decently hot, but the touchpad is where you’ll likely feel it most.

There are definitely plenty of other gaming laptops out there that do have them.

However, this program provides plenty of ways to customize your gaming experience.

Additionally, sometimes the keyboard did flash white when I didn’t want it to.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 has limited battery life like most gaming laptops.

Additionally, the lack of a physical camera shutter makes me feel less comfortable privacy-wise.

Plus, that gorgeous OLED display shows off game environments with plenty of color and detailed contrast.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 touchpad is large and requires fewer swipes to use.

The Zephyrus G16’s 1080p camera captures good color and clarity as long as there is enough light in a room.

I was surprised by the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 speakers' sound quality.

Razer Blade 16 (2024) is a powerful gaming laptop.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 is a solid gaming laptop.