After days of using the 2025 Asus ROG Flow Z13, I think it still doesn’t quite fit

Not much has changed between the new model announced at CES of Asus’ relatively powerful 13.4-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard and the Rog Fluo Z13 I reviewed the game when it first came out, and unsurprisingly my opinion hasn’t changed much either. I like the idea and implementation, but it still seems unwieldy and isn’t the first thing I’d think of in anything but the occasional PC gamer where I want something with a bigger screen than my Steam machine.

It’s still sleek and well-designed overall, plus Asus has improved in several aspects. For example, the touchpad is larger, the keyboard travel is a little deeper, the webcam is better and now supports Windows Hello, it now has quad-channel speakers, the optional XG Mobile eGPU connects to a Thunderbolt 5 port instead of a proprietary connector, and more.

The model I used includes brand new AMD Ryzen Ae Max Plus 395 A processor with integrated Radeon 8060S graphics – previously used Intel Z13 processors – and a 1600p IPS touchscreen that runs at either 60Hz or 180Hz.

But like its predecessor, it is a bit heavy considering its size. This is to be expected given the tank-like build, and the keyboard is also heavy. However, it retains the full range of connections, including HDMI and a micro SD slot.

The Z13 comes in two models — the $2,199 one I looked at and a cheaper $1,999 model that varies by processor — it uses the lower-level Ryzen AI Max 390 with fewer CPU and GPU cores. Upcoming releases of update XG Mobile It will include mobile versions of either the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 or 5080 GPU and feature a cool transparent chassis design.

Flow in hand

Since the chips won’t be available until later this year (sometime before June), the Z13 I used still had early-stage drivers and firmware, so I didn’t measure it or test the battery life (Asus estimates it The last 10 hours will be available), and some of the small issues I had may have been fixed by the time it ships.

Although I love the feel of the new keyboard – I type on it now! – Newly added RGB backlight is not bright enough. It’s fine if you’re in a completely dark environment, but I sit in the dark with Chrome open and the white screen makes the backlight useless unless you’re staring directly at it. The keyboard is very solid, but like many of these devices, it’s not comfortable to use on your lap — when the kickstand is extended, you need very long hip bones to fit — so its firmness can become somewhat moot. However, the rigidity helps when it is leaned against the desk.

Magnets secure the keyboard section of the tablet to the top and bottom long edges, whether closed or open, and are very strong. I placed it on top of a metal desk and found it surprisingly resistant to movement. It held solidly on my iPad when I assembled it, too.

Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support sound very good. The screen looks very good, and Asus provides the usual calibration profiles – I didn’t test them because display performance can be sensitive to BIOS and other firmware. It only supports HDR for video (Dolby Vision), not gaming, but even that is in theory, because I couldn’t get anything to confirm that DV worked. It looked good; The P3’s color space coverage helps and the tonal range seems to be set correctly, but there’s only so much you can do with a peak brightness of 500 nits, especially on a non-OLED display.

Zoom in on the image

Performance aside, the ROG Flow Z13 remains a fairly niche device and may appeal to people who want something more powerful and upgradable (via external GPU) from a Service Pro For games and creativity.