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First thing it was always an odd machine. It felt like a strange love child between the Surface Pro and a traditional gaming laptop. But at CES 2025, ASUS is giving the tablet a very important refresh that includes a big boost thanks to the updated XG Mobile system.
One of the biggest departures from the previous model is that this time instead of relying on a CPU/GPU solution from Intel and NVIDIA, ASUS is going with an all-AMD configuration. The ROG Flow Z13 is equipped with a Ryzen AI Max + 395 APU with an integrated memory that goes up to 128GB (although the ASUS sheet shows that it has 32GB of RAM). Also, using a chip with more emphasis on energy efficiency and including a larger 70Whr battery (up from 56Whr), ASUS says the Z13 should offer up to 10 hours of battery life per charge. Meanwhile, the system remains sleek, weighing 2.6 pounds and half an inch short. This means that it should be very good for mobile and high-performance games.
The screen of the Z13 is very beautiful, because although it is not OLED, its Nebula Display is controlled by a bright IPS panel with a 180Hz refresh rate, up to 500 nits of lightness and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 spectrum. I also appreciate the fact that even in such a good looking machine, ASUS still managed to find a place for HDMI 2.1 jack in addition to two USB 4 ports, one USB-A, 3.5mm audio and even a MicroSD card reader.
Other subtle changes include a redesigned keyboard with larger keys, a durable PU leather cover and a larger touchpad. Inside, there’s also a new metal cabinet that ASUS says outperforms traditional copper models, while the addition of a Keypad on the side of the system makes it easy to change the display or launch any app you want.
Of course, one of the coolest things about the Flow Z13 update is that when you want the best performance, you can connect to ASUS’ ROG XG Mobile Dock, which has also received a major refresh for 2025. The same design, now supports up to NVIDIA RTX 5090 to improve the graphics power. Another big change is that instead of relying on the ASUS XG Mobile port to connect the two devices, this time the port uses Thunderbolt 5. The port also has more connection options including HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 jacks, so you can use it as a hub when standing on desk. Finally, it’s also backwards compatible with the original Z13, so owners of the previous model have another way to extend the life of their machine.
Unfortunately, ASUS still hasn’t given any details about the ROG Flow Z13’s release date. However, we expect the device to start around $2,000 for the model with the Ryzen AI Max 390 chip or $2,200 when configured with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU. The price of the XG Mobile dock is still to be determined, although with RTX 5090 games, it will cost more.
