The Actual Floor Professional for Players

Asus’ previous generations of the ROG Move Z13 had been interesting for those who wished a Floor Professional-style removable pill with a aptitude for gaming, however the know-how held them again between Intel’s not-so-efficient Twelfth- and Thirteenth-gen Core chips in addition to power-hungry devoted graphics.

The 2025 model of the ROG Move Z13 guarantees to vary that. Asus is utilizing AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ (aka Strix Halo), an all-in-one chip that mixes a 16-core Zen 5 CPU, unified reminiscence, and a brawny 40-core GPU that competes with among the hottest discrete video. That theoretically makes it an important possibility for players who just like the pill formulation, and even AI builders who need a number of muscle with out a cumbersome standard laptop computer.

In the true world, the Z13 achieves these objectives with model. It’s essentially the most highly effective pill of its type for players and creators. Nonetheless, it’s additionally $2,999 — and as you’ll quickly discover out, you do should make a couple of compromises to get that uncooked velocity.

Specs

• Show: 13.4-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS LCD 180Hz panel
• Processor: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395
• Reminiscence: 32GB (unified)
• Storage: 1TB SSD
• Dimensions: 30cm x 20.4cm x 1.29cm ~ 1.49cm
• Weight: 1.2kg (2.65lbs)
• Digital camera: 13MP entrance digicam and 5MP IR digicam for Home windows Hi there
• Working System: Home windows 11 Professional
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Ports: 2x USB 4 Gen 3 Sort-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio
• Graphics: Radeon 8060S (built-in)

Observe: the above specs are for the ROG Move Z13 configuration obtainable in Canada. Different international locations’ fashions might differ.

Design: Constructed for energy, not portability

Regardless of the brand new processor, the ROG Move Z13 design will appear very acquainted for those who’ve tried earlier fashions. That’s, it’s conspicuously constructed for players who need efficiency and a little bit of flash, in distinction with the significantly lighter, subtler designs of Microsoft’s Floor Professional 11 or Apple’s iPad Professional M4.

At 1.2kg and as much as 1.49cm thick, you gained’t be carrying this in your arms for very lengthy; it’s actually a laptop computer whose keyboard you possibly can take away whenever you’re curling up in mattress or watching movies throughout a protracted flight. The adjustable kickstand is sturdy, nonetheless, and even the great-feeling keyboard doesn’t wobble considerably on a desk. I wouldn’t use the Z13 a lot on my lap, however for those who do, you’ll take consolation understanding that the CPU’s place retains it from cooking your arms or legs.

There are many gamer PC requirements, together with customizable RGB lighting for the keyboard and rear window. That features the show. It’s an IPS LCD with “simply” a 1600p decision, however that’s high quality at this dimension, and I didn’t crave OLED throughout my evaluation stint. The 180Hz refresh charge can be a slight enchancment over the prior 165Hz, so that you’ll get barely smoother, extra responsive visuals whenever you’re taking part in excessive frame-rate video games.

A efficiency monster

You’d count on the top-of-the-range Ryzen AI Max+ 395 to do effectively given the sheer core depend and highly effective graphics, and it actually does right here.

Artificial assessments like Geekbench 6 and Cinebench R24 inform a lot of the story for common computing. Single-core efficiency matches what you’d get with Intel’s Arrow Lake and Apple’s M3 (sorry, of us, the M4 nonetheless leads right here), however these 16 CPU cores assist it thrash most equal chips. It’s akin to an M4 Professional.

AI efficiency is surprisingly underwhelming. In Geekbench AI, the ROG Move Z13 fell effectively behind the Zenbook A14 utilizing a base Qualcomm Snapdragon X, regardless that the 50TOPS (tera operations per second) NPU within the Ryzen AI Max+ ought to theoretically outperform the 45TOPS from Qualcomm’s silicon. Most giant language AI fashions (assume GPT or Gemini) nonetheless run within the cloud, although, and the unified reminiscence will make you content for those who’re an AI developer or media editor when you possibly can throw as a lot reminiscence as you want on the GPU.

Gaming is the centrepiece, although, and that’s the place the Z13 shines. The new staff shooter Marvel Rivals runs at 70-80 frames per second on the native show decision with particulars set to Excessive and AMD’s upscaling (FideltyFX Tremendous Decision) enabled. Obsidian’s GPU-intensive RPG Avowed can be easy whereas utilizing particulars robotically set to Excessive. And a few video games are clearly restricted extra by the CPU — Counter-Strike 2 and Future 2 routinely run effectively over 100FPS regardless of maxed-out visuals.

Successfully, you’re getting GeForce RTX 4060 efficiency (minus Nvidia’s benefit in ray tracing) with out the necessity for a devoted graphics chipset and among the compromises Asus has needed to make on warmth, energy, and house in earlier Z13 fashions. That’s not simply an enormous technical achievement, however a sensible one which makes a gaming pill like this simpler to reside with.

What you quit: Battery life and noise points

In case you had been anticipating the Ryzen AI Max+ to be as energy-efficient as it’s fast, you gained’t be joyful. Asus claims 10 hours of peak battery life for the ROG Move Z13, however you gained’t get that until you’re utilizing it for very light-weight duties. In my typical work course of, which incorporates Photoshop 2025, Slack chat, a number of browser tabs, and the occasional video name or music stream, I received three to 4 hours of use. You’ll be able to count on much less with video games or media modifying.

That’s not essentially a deal-breaker when many gaming laptops share this downside, and also you’re unlikely to be taking part in for hours on battery. However it’s one thing to recollect if it will double as a piece machine, particularly for those who want it to final via a protracted flight. I’d somewhat get the Floor Professional 11 if I wished a removable primarily for productiveness, particularly now that there’s an Intel-powered variant that may run extra software program.

And like earlier Z13 fashions in addition to many gaming portables, the fan system engages usually until you invoke Asus’ Silent mode and settle for a efficiency drop. That wouldn’t be as a lot of a problem if the audio system weren’t lackluster. You’ll possible be reaching on your headphones.

Is the ROG Move Z13 well worth the cash versus a Floor Professional?

The $2,999 worth for the ROG Move Z13 in Canada offers you numerous worth, however there’s no denying that it’s steep. If you would like uncooked gaming functionality from Asus, the 2025 ROG Strix 16 begins at $3,299 with a bigger display screen, sooner RTX 5070 Ti GPU, and a 240Hz show. Different manufacturers aren’t far off.

However that’s not why you’d contemplate the Z13. This actually is the “Floor Professional for players,” with the efficiency of a bigger gaming laptop computer in a tool you possibly can match on even smaller seatback trays. The Ryzen AI Max+ additionally makes it a really stable AI and content material workstation. Simply be prepared to remain plugged in more often than not.

My predominant concern is whether or not or not a pill is the precise type issue. I’d somewhat get AMD’s chip in a standard laptop computer with room for a bigger battery and a extra lap-friendly design. HP’s upcoming Zbook Extremely 14-inch G1a may match that invoice, no less than for professionals. For now, the Z13 is value a glance exactly as a result of it’s so distinctive and addresses an underserved class.

The Asus ROG Move Z13 is accessible from Asus’ web site.