If you’re often tethered to your desk and enjoy gaming on a monitor, then I have just the product for you. Asus has a line of ROG (Republic of Gamers) laptops, and they’ve constantly been top-notch. I’ve tested several over the years, and while the Strix line-up of laptops hasn’t been my favourite, I can’t deny that they are best-in-class when comparing price, performance, and classiness.
I’ve been testing the ROG Strix G16 G615 (2025) for the last couple of weeks, and there have been times when I’ve slept at 4 AM. Yes, that’s not much beyond my regular bedtime (I do work late nights), but it has pulled me in. It has caused me to have sleep-deprived mornings. Halo, Counter-Strike, F1 2024, Civilisation VI, Cyberpunk 2077, and many others have been my go-to games over the last few weeks.
At Rs 2,59,990, you may think that the Strix G16 (how I’ll be referencing the laptop going forward) is a tad bit expensive, but do consider what I said above. If you’re a gamer (professional/esports gamers say hi), and you have a 27-inch or larger monitor (with a high refresh rate) at home, then the perfect companion is the Strix G16 and will be by your side for the next couple of years. The model I tested came with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU.
Let me tell you this. The combination of Intel guts with Nvidia’s latest 5000-series GPU was killer. I didn’t face any loud fan noises, and cause I was tethered to my desk and plugged in, heat wasn’t an issue. Asus has added Tri-Fan technology, a full-width heatsink and a Condoctonaut Extreme liquid metal to address any heating issues. This meant that the internals were relatively cool, even when the fans kicked in (the noise was audible but minimal), and the laptop was being pushed to its limits.
For a laptop that is tethered to your desk and one that you’d look at daily, the design does matter (even if you aren’t taking it out for a spin at a café or co-working space). The Strix G16 features a minimalist design approach. It’s sans the Asus AniMe Vision LEDs on the lid and just has the logo. The back features all the vents, with some even on the sides. It’s more suave, and it screams, “I’m in an intense gaming session, leave me alone”. Inside the laptop, you’ll find a set of speakers near the rear edge and some anachronistic LEDs (to showcase power and storage accesses).
The chassis is constructed of plastic, while the lid is aluminium. The lid has little to no flex, while the keyboard is stiff.
Yes, the laptop is thick, but that’s to be expected for a gaming laptop. There are also some thick bezels at the bottom chin, while the others are relatively thin. Weighing in at 2.5 kg and featuring a large 280W AC adapter, the Strix G16 is a hefty proposition.
What Could Have Been Better?
Yes, the laptop isn’t perfect. However, the upside is that most of my issues with its laptop only arise if you plan to use it anywhere but at your desk. The display, keyboard, and touchpad fall short of the competition’s standards. That’s a shame because, at this price point, the laptop could have outshone its competitors.
There’s no numeric keyboard here, which is a shame, as I’ve learnt during several briefings that gamers do, in fact, like those keys, especially for binding macros. It’s a spacious keyboard with large keycaps, making it comfortable for typing. However, for gaming, you’d likely prefer an external keyboard.
The touchpad is large enough, and the feedback is satisfactory, but it lacks any special features. Again, the touchpad is better suited for non-gamers than gamers.
The touchpad is okay, being a large enough mechanical version. It’s better than the touchpad on the ROG Strix SCAR 18, which had buttons that were hard to engage reliably. This one’s fine, but I suspect most gamers will opt for a dedicated gaming mouse.
Yes, it’s a 16-inch 2.5K IPS display (2560x1600, WQXGA) with a 16:10 aspect ratio (something I can appreciate here). It runs at 240Hz, which again is a good thing. The issue is that it isn’t as bright as some of the other gaming laptops on the market. On the other hand, the colours do pop. Since it's an IPS display, the contrast (at 1,600:1) is excellent, and it supports 100% of sRGB. It isn’t a bad display, but with monitors getting to be extremely good, you’d probably already have one for the long haul, and that’ll any day be better than gaming on a tiny 16-inch screen.
I’m not even going to get into the battery life discussion because what even is the point? Gaming laptops have historically had below-average battery life, and the Strix G16 does nothing to change that. Yes, there’s a 90Whr battery under the hood, and it does a decent job when you’re not gaming. In a test where I was watching YouTube videos, casually browsing the web, and writing this review, I managed to get barely four hours of use on a single charge. If you’re gaming on battery power? Then, expect under 90 minutes on a single charge
Verdict: Best Balance of Price and Components for A Gaming Laptop?
The Intel variant of the Strix G16 (with Nvidia’s RTX 5070 Ti) is a perfect combination for a mid-range gaming laptop. Yes, if you aren’t competing for a title at an esports competition and just want a gaming laptop tethered to your desk for your semi-professional gaming needs, then the Strix G16 can be your next buy. It boasts good looks, numerous AI-driven features (thanks to Nvidia), and a solid build.
The downsides are only downsides if you plan on unplugging the laptop, packing it in your backpack and taking it to a cafe. If you’re a gamer, you’re rarely going to be doing that.
The RGB lighting setup adds to the aesthetics, and the performance delivers with aplomb. If your budget is in the Rs 2,50,000 range, then the Strix G16 can be your next buy. Get the RTX 5070 Ti variant, as the RTX 5080 variant is overkill for the target audience here.
