Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 G834JZ

The latest to join the Asus family is none other than the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 RTX 4090. As far as its design is concerned, this device is a futuristic stunner. While the lid itself is made from a cool-to-the-touch black aluminium, a glossy strip with tiny ROG emblems diagonally cuts the lid with a giant LED-backlit version of the symbol in the centre left. Furthermore, the vents are made of transparent plastic where the top lights up. Apart from that, while the hinge is totally plastic and the majority is black, a small removable magnetic tag called a Customizable Armour Cap is made from the clear plastic on the vents.

This is not all when it comes to the design because the fun really begins when the laptop is opened. The rear vent lighting gives a mock K.I.T.T. effect with red scrolling lights while the emblem begins cycling through colours. In addition to that, a sword unsheathing sound effect plays and the keyboard mimics the lid’s logo with its rainbow light show. It is worth noting that the entire deck is made of a semi-translucent plastic that fades to black about a quarter of the way down from the top with the right side of the palm rest rocking that ROG strip. In place of a recess, there is a full-sized keyboard which is embedded in the deck above the touchpad with the power button situated right above the Home/End key.

As for its connectivity, there are two USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 2 ports on the right. On the left, there is a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2 ports, a HDMI 2.1, a LAN port and the DC input. In terms of its display, this model delivers bright pops of colour, sharp detail and silky smooth rendering by way of the 18-inch, 2560 x 1600, ROG Nebula display. Despite its matte finish, the panel still did a really good job in conveying colour. For its keyboard, this device carries a full-size keyboard which is rather nice and bouncy. The whole setup is quite nicely spaced. Furthermore, Asus was also kind enough to add media and hotkeys to add to the convenience.

This gaming laptop has been equipped with Nvidia’s new 4000 series mobile graphic chips. In addition, along with the Nvidia 4000 series, the Strix Scar 18 has a 2.2-GHz Intel Core i9-13900HX processor manning the ship. One of the weakness of this laptop has to be its battery as the laptop could only last 4 hours 26 minutes with full charge. In a nutshell, this is definitely an excellent gaming laptop which requires more exploration depending on the need and preference of the user.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam