ASUS Zephyrus Max Q Gaming Notebook Review

A Closer Look

The Zephyrus is an incredible bit of hardware on paper, but even just taking it out of the box, you can tell it’s pretty special. Despite its specifications and size, it weighs just 2.2 KG. Not super light, but pretty much a feather compared to most gaming laptops.

At just 16.9 – 17.9mm thick, it’ll fit in a slim carry case easily enough too. Just look at that profile!

Down the side, you’ll find a pair of USB 3.0 ports, as well as a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C over Thunderbolt.

Down the other side, our first hint of any ventilation, with a large vent cut into that gorgeous metal work. I love the brass looking trim around the edge of the frame.

the power jack, a HDMI port, two more USB 3, and a headphone jack. The headphone jack is a 4-pole one, the kind you find on mobile devices, so it’ll be compatible with similar headphone/microphone headsets.

Around the back, you’ll find two more vents for heat exhaust, as well as more of that brass coloured trim that just looks stunning against the black. What I have noticed is that all ports, including power, as on the sides. With cables at the rear, there’s nothing that can block those air vents, and that just seems like a smart idea to me.

The bottom black edge doesn’t look like it’s fixed in place, and that’s because it’s not. It’s actually a vent that opens up a little when you open the laptop, allowing for a 20% increase in airflow space.

One the lid is open, you can see a full-width vent is now below that bronze coloured metal work at the rear. That’s a really cool idea, literally, as ASUS says it allows for 32% more airflow and a 20% reduction in system temperatures.

The base is pretty featureless, with just some small feet, and a bit more ventilation towards the edges of the laptop.

Equipped with a 15.6″ Full HD display, the Zephyrus is going to be great for gaming. The resolution may not be huge, but the 120 Hz panel with G-Sync is going to mean crystal clear and smooth gameplay that’s going to make good use of the GTX 1080 graphics card. The keyboard is pushed up toward the front edge, which looks strange with all that empty space at the back; It doesn’t look bad, just strange at first.

The surface finish is quite slick though, and I like the subtle Asus eye logo in the middle.

A small power button is located on the right side, nothing too complex so far.

The keyboard has a very low profile, but very nice and responsive full-size keys that are a joy to tap away on. They’re full RGB too, so you can give them all the glorious customisation you desire.

There’s a large touchpad and mouse button combo on the right, although at the tap of a button you can turn this into a touch panel number pad, which is cool for those who want more functionality.

The keyboard is nice and bright, with some edge lighting and font lighting that makes it nice and clear to see, even in a bright room.

The anti-glare screen looks great, and it’s big enough to enjoy some movies and games on, as well as still be productive with work.