ASUS Zephyrus G16 (2025) Review: A Great Laptop, but Don't Pay Too Much
June 5, 2025
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Zephyrus G16 - A Fantastic Laptop for Gaming on the Go
Summary
ASUS’s Zephyrus G16 sees some key upgrades—Intel’s new Arrow Lake H processors, Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs, and notably better thermals and battery life.
Table of contents:
What’s New in 2025?
- Back to Intel: After an AMD Zen 5 version in 2024, the G16 returns to Intel, now featuring the Core Ultra 9 285H (Arrow Lake) chip.
- RTX 50-series GPUs: Configs up to RTX 5090—though GPU wattage is capped, hurting real-world gaming performance.
- Improved thermals: The G16 runs cooler than last year’s model, with significantly more comfortable keyboard temperatures during load.
- Better battery life: Over 10 hours in light use with the dedicated GPU disabled.
Real-World Gaming: Tempered Expectations
Despite the new hardware, most RTX 5080 configurations see only a modest 10–16% uplift over last year’s RTX 4080 version. That’s because ASUS caps the GPU’s power well below 175W—limiting performance even against similar laptops like the Razer Blade 16.
In demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Monster Hunter Wilds, the uplift is measurable but not groundbreaking. Most thin-and-light RTX 5080 laptops—including this one—underperform larger counterparts due to thermal and power constraints.
Our take: Stick to the RTX 5070 Ti or below. The 5080 and 5090 configs aren't worth the cost in this chassis.
Creative Performance: Noticeable Gains
In Premiere Pro, the 5080-powered G16 outperforms last year’s model by about 31% thanks to improved GPU encoding and its new, better-performing Intel CPU (which Adobe software still favors). It nearly matches the Blade 16 in this test which has an AMD Ryzen 9 365 processor.
Thermals and Efficiency: Major Wins
The 2025 G16 now stays far cooler during stress loads:
- Cinebench temps dropped by ~10°C vs. 2024’s G16.
- Underside heat maxed at just 36°C, compared to 50°C on last year’s model.
- Fan noise is slightly improved, and nearly imperceptible in silent/quiet mode.
- Performance in Quiet Mode is still strong enough for light use, but severely limited from its Performance Mode.
Much of this is owed to better power efficiency from Intel’s new chips, and a vapor chamber cooler available on higher GPU configs (5070Ti and up this year, 4080 upwards last year).
Display, Build, and Inputs: Mostly Unchanged
- Display: Vibrant 2560x1600 OLED, 240Hz, ~440 nits brightness. Slightly brighter than last year, but still glossy and reflective outdoors.
- Keyboard & Trackpad: Decent but unremarkable. The keyboard feels mushy compared to the Blade or MacBook Pro. The trackpad is basic, with a deep mechanical click.
- Chassis: Unchanged from 2024. Still light, premium-feeling, and compact—lighter than both the MacBook Pro 16 and Blade 16.
Upgradeability & Ports
- RAM is soldered, but you can swap the SSD, Wi-Fi card, and battery.
- No Thunderbolt 5, but there’s a full SD card reader and decent port selection.
Final Verdict
The 2025 Zephyrus G16 remains one of the best thin-and-light gaming laptops, especially for those who value thermals, battery life, and portability. But the GPU wattage limits hold it back in higher-end configurations. For most, the 5070 Ti model will strike the best balance of performance and value.