Asus Announces Trio of New ROG Zephyrus Gaming Laptops
Asus's ROG Zephyrus line of light, but powerful gaming laptops is gaining three new and influential members. In addition to the AMD-powered Zephyrus G GA502 (which we covered elsewhere in-depth), the company took the wraps off of the high-end ROG Zephyrus S GX502 and mid-range Zephyrus M GU502, both of which have Intel's new 9th Gen Core i7-9750H and 15-inch displays that operate at up to 240Hz. Asus also announced refreshes for two existing Zephyrus laptops, the 15-inch, 0.59-inch thin Zephyrus S GX531 and the 17-inch Zephyrus S GX701.
The Zephyrus S GX502 features either an Nvidia RTX 2060 or 2070 GPU that Asus says will be factory overclocked up to 1,540 MHz. Asus says that its advanced cooling system really helps with performance. The design uses six heat pipes and fans with ultrathin fins, which are strong enough to withstand high speeds. Users will be able to choose among Silent, Balanced and Turbo modes.
The very-similar Zephyrus M GU502 comes with RTX 2060 or GTX 1660 Ti graphics, but has the similar components and an identical design. The laptops have the same exact dimensions of 14.2 x 9.9 x 0.74 inches (36 x 25.2 x 1.89 cm), though the GX502 weighs 4.4 pounds (2 kg) while the GU520 is 0.22 pounds (0.1 kg) lighter.
| Spec | Asus Zephyrus S GX502 | Asus Zephyrus M GU502 |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9750H | Intel Core i7-9750H |
| GPU | Nvidia RTX 2070 / 2060 | Nvidia RTX 2060 / GTX 1660 Ti |
| Screen | 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 240 or 144Hz | 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 240 or 144Hz |
| RAM | Up to 32GB of DDR4 2666 MHz | Up to 32GB of DDR4 2666 MHz |
| Storage | 256 / 512 / 1TB / RAID 0 NVMe SSD | Up to 32GB of DDR4 2666 MHz |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac 2x2) / Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac 2x2) / Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | USB Type-C, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x 3.5 mm audio, 1x 3.5 mm mic, 1x Kensington Lock | USB Type-C, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x 3.5 mm audio, 1x 3.5 mm mic, 1x Kensington Lock |
| Battery | 76 Whr | 76 Whr |
| Size | 14.2 x 9.9 x 0.74 inches (36 x 25.2 x 1.89 cm) | 14.2 x 9.9 x 0.74 inches (36 x 25.2 x 1.89 cm) |
| Weight | 4.4 pounds (2 kg) | 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg) |
Both Intel-powered Zephyrus laptops have 15.6-inch screens that are available in either 240Hz or 144Hz varieties with Nvidia G-Sync anti-tearing technology. The displays are also Pantone validated for color accuracy, because Asus knows that a number of creative professionals also use these laptops for video and photo editing.
Though they require proprietary power connectors to operate at full performance, both laptops have USB Type-C ports that they can use for charging or running at reduced performance, provided that you have a 65-watt adapter handy. The systems can also dispense up to 18 watts of power to fast-charge your phone or other mobile device.
The laptops will be available with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and SSDs that range from 256GB to 1TB. There will also be an option to get the laptop with dual SSDs in RAID 0.
Both the Zephyrus S GX502 and M GU502 will have RGB-backlit keyboards that provide 1.2 mm of travel. The vibrant colors are configurable via Asus's Aura Sync software.
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The laptops will launch sometime in the next couple of months. Prices and exact configurations were not available at press time.
Zephyrus S GX531 Gets 9th Gen Refresh
The company's existing GX531 design, which is just 0.59 inches (15 mm) thick and 4.6 pounds (2.1 kg), is getting upgraded components. Available for pre-order at $2,199 on Amazon, the GX531GW-AB76 has Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics, a Core i7-9750H CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 144 Hz 1080p screen. This new GX531 is set to ship on May 3rd.
Three New Zephyrus S GX701 Models
Refreshed versions of the 17.3-inch, Zephyrus S GX701 is now available for pre-order at Asus, Amazon and Newegg in three different configurations. All three come with Intel Core i7-9750H CPUs and Full HD, 144 Hz displays.
| Spec | GX701GW-DB76 | GX701GV-PB74 | GX701GX-XB78 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (USD) | $2,499 | $2,099 | $3,299 |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9750H | Intel Core i7-9750H | Intel Core i7-9750H |
| GPU | Nvidia RTX 2070 | Nvidia RTX 2060 | Nvidia RTX 2080 |
| RAM | 16GB | 16GB | 32GB |
| Storage | 1TB SSD | 512GB SSD | 1TB SSD |
| Display | 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 144 Hz | 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 144 Hz | 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 144 Hz |
| Dimensions | 15.7 x 10.7 x 0.7 inches | 15.7 x 10.7 x 0.7 inches | 15.7 x 10.7 x 0.7 inches |
| Weight | 5.73 pounds | 5.73 pounds | 5.73 pounds |
All three GX701s are due to ship May 3rd.
Avram Piltch is Managing Editor: Special Projects. When he's not playing with the latest gadgets at work or putting on VR helmets at trade shows, you'll find him rooting his phone, taking apart his PC, or coding plugins. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram developed many real-world benchmarks, including our laptop battery test.