Gaming laptops tend to be bulkier, housing high-end specs and bigger cooling systems. However, Asus’ Zephyrus series laptops have proven that they can be lightweight too. A slim profile isn’t all; elements like the in-built LED matrix have helped establish a completely new design philosophy. This Zephyrus is now getting a major upgrade with the all-new Asus Zephyrus M16. This new one has a bigger screen, but it still maintains its 15-inch form factor. The internals are also on the higher side which should translate into a top-notch gaming performance.
The 2022 Zephyrus M16 (K8033WS) comes with the latest 12th generation Intel Core i7-12900H CPU, a 14-core processor with 8-efficiency cores for less demanding tasks and 6-performance cores for gaming and high-demand tasks. This is one of the first gaming laptops in the country to equip Intel’s 12th gen processors. Backed by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, it’s an absolute no-brainer that this laptop can run high-end games, video, photo and 3D modelling applications smoothly. The device comes with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and it even has an extra DDR5 slot for future expansions. For storage, the device is equipped with a 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD drive.
Asus is also offering a slightly more price-accessible variant of the laptop (K8035WS), equipped with an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU. It comes with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD. To keep the internals cool, the M16 uses Asus’ 84-blade Arc Flow fans that work along with six heat pipes to dissipate heat. Asus says the CPU uses a special liquid metal compound that significantly helps lower temperatures compared to regular thermal paste. Asus has also introduced a new Silent Operating mode that turns off all fans and passively dissipates heat so you can work in complete pin drop silence.
The laptop runs on Windows 11 Home and comes preinstalled with the Asus Armoury Crate app. This app lets you manage the performance, monitor thermals and adjust the device’s fan speeds. It also gives you the option to adjust display colour and even customise the RGB lighting effects.
Competitors can dream of beating the Asus M16’s design. It’s subtle enough to be used in working environments, but turning on its Dot LED Matrix brings out its true gaming character. The laptop comes with an aluminium lid and features the Asus ErgoLift hinge for flexible viewing angles. Despite housing brawny internals and a powerful cooling system, the laptop weighs about 2 kg, which is way lesser than most high-end gaming laptops. The device’s chassis has a matte-black finish, while the keyboard bay uses soft-touch paint to keep fingerprints and smudges away.
The device comes with an RGB-lit keyboard that is 20 per cent larger than previous generation laptops. Asus calls it Stealth Keyboard as it keeps keystrokes under 30dB. The keyboard also supports Asus Overstroke technology that lowers each key’s actuation point for effortless input. Even the trackpad is 20 per cent larger than the previous generation model. It will make gliding through video timelines, photos or large spreadsheets even more effortless. The trackpad also supports Windows 11 gestures, so you can multitask more seamlessly.
The Asus M16 has a brilliant array of ports. On the left, is an HDMI 2.0, an RJ45 LAN port along with a USB-A 3.2 port. There is also a Type-C port that lets you connect multiple external displays. The same port can be also used to charge the device. Towards the right, the Zephyrus M16 features another USB-A 3.2 port along with a microSD card. Having two USB Type-A ports means you can easily connect an external keyboard and mouse for a better gaming experience. The device also has a 3.5mm auxiliary jack for connecting wired headphones. On the wireless side, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 6 and also has Bluetooth 5.2 for connecting wireless controllers and audio devices. The M16 also has an HD web camera, a feature that was missing on older Zephyrus devices.
The Asus Zephyrus M16 (K8033WS) has one of the best displays on a gaming laptop. Asus calls it ROG Nebula Display, and it’s a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) panel with a 16:10 screen aspect ratio. It supports a 165Hz refresh rate with a 3ms response time, giving gamers a competitive advantage while playing titles such as Valorant, Fortnite, PlayersUnknown’s Battlegrounds, GTA: V and Call of Duty: Warzone. The M16’s display also covers 100 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, making the device perfect for content creators. The screen also supports a MUX switch, a feature that routes all the graphical rendering directly from the dedicated GPU to the display for improved gaming performance.
The Asus Zephyrus M16 is a top-tier gaming device for those demand an uncompromised gaming performance. Whether it’s gaming, 3D modelling or photo and video editing, this laptop has all the ingredients to smoothly run power-hungry tasks. Its high-resolution screen with gaming-centric features gives this laptop an edge over its rivals. Prices for the base variant start from Rs. 1,79,999* and all models are now available at www.reliancedigital.in. For more information or a hands-on experience of the line of gaming laptops, feel free to visit your nearest Reliance Digital store.
Note – Prices are subject to change. Please refer to the product catalogue for more details, pricing, and availability.
