Asus ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EA Convertible Review - AMD's Strix Halo GPU is neck-and-neck with the RTX 4070 Laptop

The 2025 version of the gaming convertible Asus ROG Flow Z13 is the first device with AMD’s new high-end mobile processor from the Strix Halo series. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 offers enormous amounts of CPU performance in multi-core scenarios thanks to 16 Zen 5 cores, which rivals the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D. This is impressive for a 13-inch device and you will have to get the MacBook Pro 14 to get similar multi-core performance numbers in a similarly sized package.

The integrated graphics card Radeon 8060S is by far the fastest x86 iGPU and is neck-and-neck with the GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop (with a TGP range between 65-75 Watts) in games. Depending on the title there will differences, but overall, the results are pretty comparable for modern titles. The Radeon APU is a bit more efficient and the new AMD chip is also interesting for picture/video editing if you need plenty of VRAM. Our review unit with 32 GB RAM can allocate up to 24 GB for the GPU, while other SKUs can allocate up to 48 or 96 GB VRAM.

Asus still uses an IPS display with the WQHD resolution, but the refresh rate was increased from 165 to 180 Hz. The overall image quality is good, but it cannot compete with the rich and high-contrast images of OLED screens. We believe there is simply no corresponding 13-inch OLED screens on the market. Thanks to a larger battery, the runtimes have improved as well.

The cooling unit does a decent job, but you will hear the fans, especially in Turbo mode and we would recommend headphones, since the integrated speakers are not very good, either. Other disadvantages include the non-upgradeable RAM as well as the limited maintenance options overall. There is only a maintenance hatch for the compact M.2-2230 SSD. It is also quite an expensive convertible at 2499 Euros.

The RRP of the ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EA in the test specification is 2499 Euros and it will be available on February 25th. We have no pricing information for SKUs with more RAM.

Asus refreshes its gaming convertible and now uses AMD’s latest Strix Halo APUs (Ryzen AI Max), which does not only offer a very powerful CPU, but also an iGPU that is supposed to rival dedicated graphics cards. There is also an update to a 180 Hz display as well as an improved vapor chamber cooling unit. Asus offered two versions of the previous model, one with the regular chassis and up to the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop, and one much more visually striking ACRNM special edition with the RTX 4070 Laptop.

Our review unit has the model number ROG Flow Z13 GZ302-RU073W with the new flagship chip AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16 Zen 5 cores) as well as the Radeon 8060S iGPU combined with 32 GB RAM. The RRP for this SKU is 2499 Euros. 

• AMD Strix Halo Analysis (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, Radeon 8060S)
• Asus ROG Flow Z13 Review (Core i9-13900H, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop)
• Asus ROG Flow Z13 ACRNM Edition Review (Core i9-13900H, RTX 4070 Laptop)

February 24, 2025 update: Additional benchmarks for video export and gaming added

The chassis design is similar to the regular version of the previous model and the dark chassis looks pretty subtle for a gaming convertible. Only the cut-out on the rear panel, which shows some of the components, offers RGB illumination. The stability of the aluminum chassis is great and there is an anti-fingerprint coating, which works well. The integrated kickstand supports a maximum opening angle of 170 degrees and does the job, but there is a little wobble in the hinges, even though the resistance itself is decent.

The included keyboard cover is magnetically attached at the bottom and does not fall off when you lift the convertible. It also acts as a screen protector when the device is closed and the bottom is made from a leather-like material, which leaves a sophisticated impression. The chassis itself cannot be opened, so the maintenance options are limited. There is only a maintenance cover for the M.2-2230 SSD.

We measure a weight of around 1.23 kg for the convertible and 1.62 kg including the keyboard cover. The thickness is 14 and 20 mm with the keyboard, respectively, so the overall package is slightly heavier and thicker compared to the Asus ProArt PX13 or even the ROG Zephyrus G14. The 200W PSU tips the scale at 571 grams.

The Flow Z13 offers all important ports including two USB-C 4.0, HDMI as well as a regular USB-A port. On the right side you get a power button, a volume rocker, and a command center button. The layout is functional and you can even connect the external Asus XG Mobile (RTX 5090 Laptop). It is possible to charge the device via USB-C and it is a Copilot+ device thanks to the powerful NPU with 50 TOPS.

The microSD-card reader (spring mechanism) on the left side manages excellent transfer rates of up to 250 MB/s with our reference card (Angelbird AV Pro v60). While copying files from the card, the performance is significantly lower at ~85 MB/s though.

Asus uses a Wi-Fi module from MediaTek (MT9725), which supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 as well as Bluetooth 5.4. Our standardized Wi-Fi test with the reference router from Asus determines very good and stable transfer rates. We did not notice any stability issues during the review period, either.

The Z13 still offers two webcams: One 5 MP sensor at the front (including IR module for facial recognition) as well as a 13 MP sensor at the rear. Studio effects for the webcam are supported and the picture quality of the 5 MP camera is better compared to regular 1080p sensors. The 13 MP camera takes even better (especially sharper) images.

Asus does offer any information about recycled materials for the device or the CO₂ footprint during production. The packaging is mostly recyclable though.

The clickpad size went up from 10.5 x 6.1 to 12.8 x 7.2 cm, which is immediately noticeable when you use the device. The gliding capabilities are very good and we did not notice any issues with cursor controls or gestures during our review period. The only drawback is the loud clicking sound when you press the pad. You can obviously use the capacitive touchscreen (Gorilla Glass DCX) as well, which works as flawlessly as expected. Stylus inputs are supported as well, but there is no stylus included in the box.

The new ROG Flow Z13 is either available with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16 CPU cores) or the Ryzen AI Max 390 (12 CPU cores). You get at least 32 GB RAM (LPDDR5x-8000), but there are also models with 64 or even 128 GB.

The preinstalled Armoury Crate software offers three power profiles (Quiet, Performance, Turbo) as well as a manual mode where you can adjust the power limits as well as the fan curve (within certain parameters). The power profiles are also linked to the power settings of Windows. We performed all the following benchmarks and measurements in Turbo mode. On battery power, you are limited to the Performance mode.

The 32 GB of RAM are shared memory, so the GPU can access it as well. You can allocate a certain amount of dedicated VRAM for the GPU with settings between 0.5 up to 24 GB for our review unit. We tested different settings and dedicated VRAM can have an advantage, especially while gaming. However, the Auto settings also worked quite well. Asus recommends using 8 GB dedicated VRAM, which is what we used for our benchmarks. SKUs with 64 GB RAM can allocate up to 48 GB for the GPU and SKUs with 128 GB up to 96 GB VRAM.

The system performance is excellent, which is confirmed both by the synthetic benchmarks (at the top of the comparison group) as well as our subjective performance impression. We did not encounter any stability issues, either. The results in the two PugetBench tests for Adobe Photoshop as well as Premiere Pro are also decent, but there were limitations for DaVinci Resolve. The Basic benchmark test result is better compared to the RTX 4070 Laptop rivals, but we encountered two crashes while editing one of our review videos, which almost never happens with Nvidia GPUs. At this time, we cannot verify whether this problem is caused by the software or the GPU drivers.