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This hands-on was made possible by a review sample provided by ASUS.
Don’t care how much it costs?
The new ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 with NVIDIA RTX 5090 Laptop GPU inside.
Removing the laptop from the box reveals some documentation and the rather massive 380W AC adapter tucked away below.
ASUS uses a proprietary power connector for the laptop that resembles USB-C, only a bit chunkier.
It has clean lines, a slight wedge shape, and about as much thermal venting as possible.
The ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2025) boxed up.(Image credit: Future)
It’s huge, but it doesn’t look huge if that makes sense.
ASUS has gone with a smooth-touch finish that reminds me of modern ThinkPads.
It feels great, but that’s the tradeoff.
The ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2025) boxed up.(Image credit: Future)
That leaves the side edges free for ports (and some smaller venting).
On the outside of the lid, ASUS has installed its AniMe Vision display.
With 810 LEDS and more than 9,000 machine-drilled cutouts, it can be customized to show images or words.
The laptop pops up and the inside of the box lid has some standout features.(Image credit: Future)
That’s thanks to the 1,200 nits peak brightness and ASUS' Ambient Contrast Ratio (ACR).
ACR now has two layers on the display.
It seems to be working.
The included 380W adapter is large and has a decent cable length.
There’s plenty of travel, and key spacing feels right.
Each key has customizable RGB lighting.
I hope this becomes the industry norm, at least forhigh-end gaming laptops.
“Est. 2006” shows ASUS history on the chassis.
ASUS has included dust filters here, and it looks like they’re easy to clean.
As someone who lives with two cats, this is greatly appreciated.
The vapor chamber now stretches from end to end, and it’s sandwiched between two heatsinks.
The ROG Strix branding is visible on the bottom panel’s cutouts.
I’ll be sure to test that in my review.
I was shocked at how little space the battery takes up inside.
ASUS says the system can handle up to 255W of power for the CPU and GPU combination.
A look at the left-side ports, including dual Thunderbolt 5.
I will be sure to perform the right tests to analyze power balancing.
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 (G835L): Where can I buy it?
The baseline model starts at$2,699.99 and can be purchased from ASUS.
The laptops left-side ports and smaller venting cutouts.
It costs about $3,400 atNeweggorB&H.
It looks to be sold out everywhere at the time of writing.
The AniMe Vision panel provides a customizable look on the laptop’s lid.
I can already tell this mini-LED display is going to look awesome when gaming.
The keyboard offers per-key RGB lighting, a massive touchpad, macro keys, and a full number pad.
A look at the quick-release latch for the bottom panel.(Image credit: Future)
A look inside at the ROG Strix SCAR 18’s fans and some performance hardware.(Image credit: Future)
This panel can be removed for further access to hardware.(Image credit: Future)
The back edge of the laptop is all exhaust venting.
A look at the RGB halo that surrounds the bottom of the laptop.
