I tested ASUS' Surface Pro on steroids and it's clearly designed for nerds like me, but probably not for you

To be clear, the "you" in the headline doesn't refer to my fellow tech nerds who are more than willing to accept any number of compromises in a product if it's fun or cool enough.

I've known the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) is both fun and cool since I first went hands-on, and I will never stop singing the praises of any company still willing to go out of its way to build something weird like this Windows 2-in-1 tablet on steroids.

A chunky chassis chock full of cheeky features you won't find anywhere else makes the ROG Flow Z13 a dream device for some, and it's certainly a sign of things to come in the future.

Every advantage its design offers also poses a new compromise, though, and most people simply looking for the best device that fits within their budget and fulfils their need may be hesitant to accept them.

Regardless of whether you should actually buy one of the more ridiculous products from ASUS in recent years, I still had a blast reviewing it.

ROG Flow Z13 review: Pricing and specifications

• The ROG Flow Z13 starts at $2,100, a little higher than originally announced.
• You can go all the way to $2,800 if you want the max amount of RAM.
• There are few configuration options, and all the models are expensive.
• Value rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The new ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is expensive in a way only bespoke, truly unique devices tend to be.

It's similar to the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 (Gen 10) I reviewed; I somewhat forgave that laptop's steep price tag because it offered an experience unlike any other, and the ROG Flow Z13 is in a similar situation.

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) starts from $2,099.99 at ASUS, though, making it an even more expensive product in an even more niche category. That starting configuration drops down a tier to the 12-core AMD Ryzen AI MAX 390 with a 32-core integrated GPU and Windows 11 Home.

The configuration most will look to (and the model I reviewed) retails for $2,299.99 at ASUS, with that additional $200 netting you the beefier, 16-core Ryzen AI MAX+ 395, a 40-core GPU, and Windows 11 Pro.

Finally, those that want to truly take advantage of the unique capabilities that set this device apart from most gaming machines can equip the previous model with a ridiculous 128GB of RAM (shared between the CPU and GPU). That high-end model runs for a whopping $2,799.99 at ASUS.

There's nothing affordable about the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 and I can't describe it as a good value, but you're also not getting unreasonably fleeced. This is a powerful and premium device at the start of a new generation of products, but most people don't need to be on that cutting edge.

In the box, you'll find the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) tablet, its detachable keyboard cover, a 200W proprietary ASUS DC charger, and a 3-month subscription to PC Game Pass. This product is covered by ASUS' standard 12-month warranty.

Recommended Configuration ✅

ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) — Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 | 32GB RAM | 1TB SSD
Buy now: $2,299.99 at ASUS

This is a quirky device built for enthusiasts, with all the power it needs to demolish any game or task you throw at it. The model I reviewed is the one most should consider, but those looking to get some serious AI work done can splash the extra cash for a crazy 128GB of shared RAM.

👉See at: Shop.ASUS.com

👀Also consider: ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) w/ Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 | 128GB RAM | 1TB SSD for $2,799.99 at ASUS

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Design and build quality

• The ROG Flow Z13 isn't really that thick or heavy, but feels dense.
• The industrial design is embellished with all manner of "gamer" details.
• It's a surprisingly great Surface Pro lookalike, and it's fun.
• Design rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The defining characteristic of the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is its design; it's not just a gaming laptop, it's a gaming tablet, with an adjustable kickstand and detachable keyboard.

Yes, it's the 2-in-1 form factor popularized and perfected by the Surface Pro. There have been plenty of would-be Surface Pro competitors, including the ASUS ProArt PZ13 (2024), but few veer away from the ultra-portable foundation of the design.

The ROG Flow Z13, of course, is different. Packing enough such powerful hardware necessitates a different approach to this form factor, and it's immediate obvious at a glance.

This device isn't particularly heavy (1.2-1.59kg) or thick (12.9-14.9mm) on paper, but in the hand it is dense. It feels more substantial than it is because it's all shoved into the frame of a 13.4-inch device.

Rather than attempt to disguise its mass, though, the ROG Flow Z13 leans into it. The matte black aluminum frame has an industrial feel with bold lines and harsh cuts, and ASUS took advantage of the additional real estate to embellish.

Straight out of the "gamer" aesthetic handbook, the ROG Flow Z13 combines different textures and shapes to dramatic effect. A raised kickstand and rear vents, laser cut lines and openings, and a ton of easter eggs and tiny details make this tablet incredibly interesting to look at.

Of course, that's without even mentioning the transparent glass window on the rear, which lets you peer into the device's actual internals under the glow of customizable RGB lighting. It's ridiculous and over the top, just like the rest of the ROG Flow Z13.

Image 1 of 2

Apart from aesthetics, the ROG Flow Z13 is actually pretty practically designed. You get a healthy selection of ports, although the complex hardware shoved inside the compact chassis has led to some odd placements.

Still, you get two full-blown USB Type-C 4.0 ports with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Those USB4 ports only support up to 100W of Power Delivery, though, so not enough to meet the 200W required by the ROG Flow Z13, and they're both one side.

The display supports multi-touch and stylus input (you will not find a stylus in the box, though), and there's a rear-facing 13MP camera for scanning documents (or declaring your insanity by using a massive tablet to take pictures).

The adjustable kickstand is rock solid, offers a solid degree of movement, and even has a little silicon tab on one side to help you lift it. The detachable keyboard is also well-connected, can prop up on the bottom bezel to give you an angled typing experience, and magnetically seals to the display to stay in place (and wakes or sleeps the ROG Flow Z13 as it's opened or closed).

All things considered, ASUS did an excellent job designing the ROG Flow Z13. It's an evolution of ASUS' truly unique approach to the Surface Pro form factor, and it looks and feels like the premium product it's supposed to be.

But it also suffers from all the weaknesses of the Surface Pro form factor and then some, thanks to its added weight and thickness. It's already inefficient in a lap or on small tables before that weight uses the kickstand to dig into your leg, it's too cumbersome to comfortable use as a tablet, and the flimsy keyboard isn't as suited to intense tasks like gaming.

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Display quality

• The ROG Flow Z13 packs a 13.4-inch IPS LCD touch display.
• It's a comfortable, consistent panel with great performance and brightness.
• It's just as good for productivity and media consumption as gaming.
• Display rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 may not rock an OLED panel (for good reason, ASUS already did a ton of thermal work to ensure this touch display never gets hot to the touch), but its 13.4-inch IPS LCD display is still great.

This is 16:10 aspect ratio, which isn't quite as tall as the 3:2 of the Surface Pro, but it's still a good shape for a tablet. You're looking at a QHD+ resolution, or 1600p, at 180Hz — and the ROG Flow Z13 absolutely possesses enough power for reliable gaming at that resolution.

A 3ms response time isn't the most impressive you'll find, but my experience gaming, consuming content, and staying productive on the ROG Flow Z13 has been a positive one.

Touch input is also responsive, allowing you to take advantage of Windows 11's (albeit limited) touch gestures to navigate while in tablet mode. For the notetakers and casual artists, the ROG Flow Z13 also supports stylus input, but that's a separate purchase (and I wasn't able to test it for myself).

Like any great IPS LCD panel, the ROG Flow Z13's screen is comfortable for long sessions. It skews slightly warm in tone and barely misses meeting 100% of the cinematic DCI-P3 color gamut that ASUS promises, but still looks good displaying all manner of content.

The ROG Flow Z13 did keep ASUS' promise with brightness, though, easily hitting 500nits; it's bright enough to use outdoors and anything short of direct sunlight. Dolby Vision support is onboard if you're in the mood for HDR gaming or media consumption, too.

Contrast ratios are average, nowhere near the inky blacks of an OLED, but backlight bleed is kept to a minimum with small splotches in the corners.

This is a reliable panel for anything short of professional creative work that demands picture perfect color accuracy, and it's not as hard on the battery as a high-end OLED display would be.

It's a 180Hz refresh rate, but you get AMD FreeSync Premium adaptive sync support for smoother visuals in-game, and Windows Dynamic Refresh Rate support for improved efficiency everywhere else.

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Performance and thermals

• The ROG Flow Z13 is one of the first powered by AMD's Ryzen AI MAX.
• While bizarrely named, it's a highly capable new platform.
• This is an incredibly powerful tablet, but it does run a bit too hot.
• Performance rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We've already been impressed by AMD Ryzen AI, the red company's latest mobile platform centered around artificial intelligence, and the ROG Flow Z13 is among the first products to feature the next stage in that evolution.

You'll find the bizarrely named AMD Ryzen AI MAX platform inside this gaming-centric device, with my model specifically boasting the highest-end SKU available in the first generation, the MAX+ 395.

This all-in-one System-on-a-Chip (SoC) is comprised of a 16-core CPU, a powerful NPU, a first-of-its-kind 40-core integrated GPU, and up to 128GB of shared RAM all on the same chip.

ASUS redesigned the interior of the new ROG Flow Z13 versus its outdated predecessor, taking advantage of a variety of new technologies to make everything as compact and efficient as possible.

In day-to-day performance, the ROG Flow Z13 absolutely flies. Nothing I could throw at this machine made it so much as stumble.

Image 1 of 6

The story doesn't change once you turn to the numbers, with the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) ranking in the upper echelons of devices Windows Central has tested in almost every category.

The new Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 is an extremely strong CPU performer, even beating gaming desktops in Geekbench 6 to take the top spot. Pairing such a strong CPU with 8,000MHz RAM and a fast PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD makes quick work of practically everything.

The real star of the show, though, is the integrated GPU. The Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 is paired with the brand-new Radeon 8060S, an RDNA 3.5 GPU with 40 compute cores. For reference, the AMD Radeon 890M behind the previous highest-end Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 boasts only 16 compute cores.

The result is a compact iGPU capable of competing with mid-range gaming laptops and workstations in performance, but with greater efficiency and less heat. Does it make discrete GPUs from NVIDIA obsolete? Certainly not, but AMD does demolish Intel's latest iGPU efforts (which were very impressive before this platform was announced).

Thermally, ASUS utilizes a new vapor chamber design, liquid metal thermal compound, and dual fans that pull air in through the back and spit the hot exhaust out the top.

The Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 is still a fiery chipset, though, and it's hard to keep it cool in such a confined space. The ROG Flow Z13 does get hot, it does get loud, and you will experience some thermal throttling.

I ran this tablet through 3DMark's Time Spy benchmark 25 consecutive times, and it achieved a framerate stability of 91.6% — far less than the 97-98% you'll see in the best gaming laptops.

• Forza Horizon 5 — 139 FPS (Medium preset, 1200p resolution, 180Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution / NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution disabled)
• Gears 5 — 147 FPS (Medium preset, 1200p resolution, uncapped framerate, v-sync enabled)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 — 118 FPS (Balanced preset, 1200p resolution, 180Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 set to Balanced, AMD Frame Generation disabled, AMD Radeon Anti-Lag enabled)
• Cyberpunk 2077 — 65 FPS (Ray Tracing: Low preset, 1200p resolution, 180Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 set to Balanced, AMD Frame Generation disabled) | 99 FPS (Medium preset)

When it comes to gaming, the ROG Flow Z13 is an excellent performer at QHD when you're targeting a stable 60 FPS, and lowering the resolution to FHD (which still looks great at this screen size) lets you take advantage of that 180Hz display.

Performance is excellent overall, with few stutters and smooth visuals. The ROG Flow Z13 does a good job automatically shifting around its shared RAM as needed, but you can choose how much VRAM to give to the GPU if you find that being a bottleneck.

I will say, though, that drivers for this new platform are still a little bit finnicky. I had some issues with games not wanting to run at first, or not being able to properly recognize the ROG Flow Z13's components.

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Software and AI experience

• The ROG Flow Z13 runs Windows 11, and is a full Copilot+ PC.
• It's one of the most capable PCs in the world for AI, if you want that.
• The overall software experience is solid, but there's a lack of options.
• Software rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) isn't just a Windows 11 PC, it's a Copilot+ PC with all the AI features here now and to come in the future. It's mostly thanks to that industry-leading NPU with up to 50 TOPS of AI computational power, but there's more than meets the eye with this tablet.

The AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ is a triple threat when it comes to AI workloads, thanks to its powerful CPU, NPU, and GPU being tuned for the task. However, this platform's unique feature is the ability to equip up to 128GB of lightning-fast RAM — RAM that is shared across the chip.

The ROG Ally normally allocates RAM automatically, but you can manually assign up to 96GB of RAM to the GPU, a specialized feature specifically for local AI (no game will realistically use so much VRAM).

So, the ROG Flow Z13 may very well be one of the best AI PCs you can buy right now, or at least it is for now. That won't matter to most people, though, because there still aren't must-have AI features for the average consumer. At least the ROG Flow Z13 isn't in danger of being left behind.

The rest of the software experience is solid. Windows 11 runs great and ASUS doesn't load its PCs with unwanted bloatware (and the few preinstalled ASUS apps you will find are easily removed).

My major complaint is the same as all the other ROG devices, plus a little extra. ASUS divides all your system options between the normal MyASUS app (which I love) and the gaming-specific Armoury Crate (which is... Fine), so it can be tedious to tweak the device to your needs.

On top of that, Armoury Crate just does not feel particularly smooth on this specific device. I'm not sure why.

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Battery experience

• AMD Ryzen AI and a massive 70Whr battery promises great endurance.
• The ROG Flow Z13 shows signs of longevity, but it's inconsistent.
• Even at its best, though, the ROG Flow Z13 isn't quite a true all-day machine.
• Battery rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

Two of the biggest promises of an all-in-one chipset is decreased heat and increased efficiency. Both are true, but not to the revolutionary degree you might hope for in such an expensive device (and being a tablet doesn't help in the slightest).

ASUS managed to stuff a 70Whr battery inside the ROG Flow Z13, which is impressive in itself, and tuned the internals to be as efficient as possible. Combined with the AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 theoretically requiring way less juice than any system with a discrete GPU, the ROG Flow Z13 should be reliable off the charger.

In synthetic benchmarks, it's true. In Procyon's one-hour battery consumption test, the ROG Flow Z13 drained 8% of its battery when looping a typical Microsoft Office workload and 9% when looping an HD video at around 200nits display brightness, 50% volume, the Balanced power profile, and Windows Dynamic Refresh Rate enabled.

In ideal settings, the ROG Flow Z13 could go 6-8 hours before calling it quits, and that's without going out of my way to disable or reduce any of its features. The problem is consistency.

Gaming laptops and other machines with discrete graphics are never known for having good battery life, but you can almost always point directly at the GPU and blame it for any sudden drains. With the ROG Flow Z13, nearly identical workloads may result in wildly different battery life expectancies.

My usual workload consists of a dozen or more open browser tabs, six or more open apps, an active Virtual Private Network (VPN), and music playing in the background.

Sometimes I'd get the ideal endurance, other times I'd get 3-4 hours of life. Running a Windows Battery Report reflects this juxtaposition, averaging just under 5 hours of actual usage.

I could throttle the performance, lock the display to 60Hz and lower its brightness, disable extraneous features like the RGB lighting, and all of that would squeeze a few more precious hours of life out of this battery, but it'll never be consistent enough to trust away from the charger.

This may come down to tuning and drivers and the ROG Flow Z13 may become more consistent in the future, but it isn't now.

Performance-wise, the ROG Flow Z13 also throttles itself more than other AMD Ryzen AI devices, losing around 15% CPU performance and 18% GPU performance on the max power profile.

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Keyboard and touchpad

• The ROG Flow Z13's keyboard is actually pretty great for a 2-in-1 tablet.
• It's comfortable and spacious, with a massive glass touchpad to boot.
• But it's not good for gaming, and ROG Flow Z13 is supposed to be.
• Keyboard rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the areas in which many Surface Pro competitors fall short is the keyboard attachment. Designing a thin, flexible, detachable keyboard that's still comfortable, durable, and tactile is no small task, after all.

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is surprisingly one of the better contenders I've seen. ASUS has gotten in the habit of making good keyboards lately, and the ROG Flow Z13's keyboard cover boasts a familiar, spacious, and intuitive layout with useful function row hotkeys and shortcuts.

Despite being so thin, you still get a shocking 1.7mm of travel distance. The key action is tactile, responsive, and consistent, and there's N-Key Rollover.

The typical white LED backlighting has been replaced with RGB lighting, too. It's only one zone and the lighting is quite muted (so it's sometimes not very effective), but it's still unique as far as this form factor is concerned.

All that, and the keyboard magnetically detaches. Oh, and it does prop up at an angle by magnetically clipping to the ROG Flow Z13's bottom bezel. Oh, and it also magnetically attaches to the ROG Flow Z13's top bezel to keep it flush when closed.

There's contextual awareness, too, so the ROG Flow Z13 knows when the keyboard has been detached and shifts Windows 11's UI to be more touch-friendly, or when it should wake up or go to sleep when the keyboard is open or closed.

The touchpad is also quite good. It's larger than you'd expect, with a smooth glass surface and Microsoft Precision drivers for great gesture support. It's not a haptic touchpad (and the keyboard can't be used wirelessly), but it's also included in the box (ahem, Microsoft), so I'll give it a pass.

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Other hardware

• ROG Flow Z13 is well-equipped in most respects, with some weaknesses.
• The world-facing camera is the privilege of this form factor.
• Even quad speakers can't quite deliver great sound, though.
• Other hardware rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

As a premium device, the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 boasts all the fixings you hope it would, such as the latest and fastest wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support.

The 5MP webcam is average but gets the job done, and Windows Hello facial recognition is on board — it works quickly and reliably. There's sadly no proximity or ambient light sensors for Human Presence Detection (HPD) features or automatic brightness, though.

Yes, you do get a 13MP camera on the back of the ROG Flow Z13. It's garbage for actual photography, as you'd expect, but it's more than good enough for scanning documents and other related tasks.

The ROG Flow Z13 does contain a quad-speaker system with Smart Amp technology and Dolby Atmos support, and ASUS has been doing well enough with its speakers that I admit I got my hopes up a little. Sadly, these speakers are just okay; they get loud enough, but are quickly afflicted with a metallic, hollow sound at higher volumes and generally lack clarity all the way through.

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Also consider

Better for Most 🔥

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) — Ryzen 9 8945HS | RTX 4060 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD
Buy now: $1,599.99 at Best Buy

If you're looking for a premium, capable Windows laptop with solid gaming performance, the Zephyrus G14 is still one of my favorite laptops ever. It's also about to be upgraded with Ryzen AI and RTX 50-series hardware, so you can either wait for that or look out for the frequent sales on the current version.

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

👉See at: BestBuy.com

The Simple Option 🟢

ASUS ROG Ally X — Ryzen Z1 Extreme | 24GB RAM | 1TB SSD
Buy now: $799.99 at Best Buy

If what you're really wanting is simply a portable PC gaming machine, why are you considering a $2,000 tablet? The ROG Ally X is an actual handheld PC running full Windows that costs less than half as much. It won't be the AI monster, of course, but it's a great companion.

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

👉See at: BestBuy.com

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Score card

• Back to the top ⤴

ROG Flow Z13 review: Final thoughts

You should buy this if ...

✅You very specifically want a Windows 2-in-1 tablet with more power

If you love the Surface Pro but find yourself thinking "Gee, I really wish this was twice as thick and had three times as much power," then the ROG Flow Z13 might be for you! You're in the minority, but you can at least appreciate just how cool and quirky this thing is.

✅You can actually make use of 96GB of VRAM

The ROG Flow Z13 has a lot of potential for AI workloads, given the unique ability of the Ryzen AI MAX platform to assign up to 96GB of RAM just to its powerful GPU, enabling local AI workloads that not even the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 can quite handle.

You should not buy this if ...

❌You want the best gaming laptop you can get for your money

This is where most people will rest — those who are just looking for a great gaming laptop. Even if you want something both premium and compact, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 offers you a better overall experience for much less.

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) is weird in the best possible way. It takes a form factor no one associates with gaming or serious, intense workloads and then packs it with the most ridiculously powerful, overqualified mobile hardware AMD has ever created.

It's thick and heavy, not subtle in the slightest, and somehow blends the opposing design ethos of thin-and-light Windows 2-in-1 tablets and big-and-powerful Windows gaming laptops into a single chunky slab.

In many ways, it's a great product — and Ryzen AI MAX is seriously impressive. Either because of the form factor or because it's early days for drivers and firmware (or, more likely, a combination of both), though, the ROG Flow Z13 can't quite bring out its full potential.

It's hot, it can't always run at peak performance, the battery life sways wildly between "incredible" and "typical gaming laptop awfulness," and the unique form factor that makes the ROG Flow Z13 so fun also makes it impractical for gaming.

Unless you're a nerd like me who can overlook those weaknesses for the "cool factor," or you're one of very few that could actually make use of up to 96GB of VRAM, the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is better replaced with a more traditional, clamshell gaming laptop.

If that hasn't deterred you, though, you can get the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) from $2,099.99 at ASUS.

• Back to the top ⤴