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Asus are updating their ROG Flow Z13 series for 2025 and the new model is their first take at the AMD Strix Halo hardware platform, an approach that pairs up to 16 Zen5 Cores with a massive iGPU with up to 40 RDNA3.5 Compute Units.
On top of that, Asus are also updating their XG Mobile external GPU for 2025, now in a revised format with updated cooling and up to and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 24GB in it. And Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
While still being a compact 13-inch tablet format, this new Flow Z13 GZ302 is a major revamp of the previous GZ301 generation, benefiting from the changes in mobile hardware that happened in the meantime. This way, it’s ditching the Intel specs and Nvidia dedicated graphics for an AMD platform with an iGPU, but an iGPU with still plenty of processing power. Of course, we’ll need to run tests before drawing proper conclusions over what the Strix Halo platform can do in professional applications and games, so stay tuned for that. We’ll discuss our expectations down below.
In the meantime, here’re the specs sheets for the 2025 Flow Z13 next to the original model from 2023.
2025 Asus ROG Flow Z13 GZ302, vs. Flow Z13 GZ301
| 2025 ASUS ROG Flow Z13 GZ302 | 2023 ASUS ROG Flow Z13 GZ301 | |
| Display | 13.4-inch, 16:10 format, touch, glossy with Gorilla Glass 5, Nebula QHD+ 2560 x 1600 px IPS 180Hz 3ms, 100% DCI-P3, 500-nits, 1500:1 contrast |
13.4-inch, 16:10 format, touch, glossy with Gorilla Glass, QHD+ 2560 x 1600 px IPS 165 Hz, 100% DCI-P3, 500-nits, 1200:1 contrast |
| Processor | AMD Strix Halo, up to AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 16C/32T | Intel 13th gen Raptor Lake, up to Core i9-13900H, 6C+8c/20T |
| Video | up to Radeon 8060S with 40 CU | Intel Iris Xe + up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GDDR6 65W, with MUX, Advanced Optimus, Adaptive Sync |
| Memory | 32 GB LPDDR5x-8000 (soldered) | up to 32 GB LPDDR5-5200 (soldered) |
| Storage | M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 slot ?? | M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 slot |
| Connectivity | Wireless 7 2×2, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wireless 6E (Intel AX211) 2×2, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | 2x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB-A 3,2 gen2, 1x HDMI, microSD UHS-II card reader, headphone/mic | 1x USB-C gen2 with Thunderbolt 4, 1x ROG XG Mobile Interface with USB-C 3.2 gen2, 1x USB-A 2.0, microSD UHS-II card reader, headphone/mic |
| Battery | 70 Wh, 200 W USB-C power adapter | 56 Wh, 130 W USB-C power adapter |
| Size | 300 mm or 11.81” (w) x 204 mm or 8.03” (d) x from 13 mm or .51″ – .56″ (h) + keyboard folio |
302 mm or 11.91” (w) x 204 mm or 8.03” (d) x 12.9 – 14.26 mm or .5″ – .56″ (h) + keyboard folio |
| Weight | 1.2 kg (2.64 lbs) for the tablet, + folio, charger | 1.19 kg (2.62 lbs) for the tablet alone, 1.54 kg (3.39 lbs) for tablet + folio, + .49 (1.08 lbs) for the charger and cables, EU version |
| Extras | tablet format with single-zone RGB backlit detachable keyboard folio, 5MPx+3DNR front camera and 13MPx back camera, stereo mics, stereo speakers on the sides, dual-fan vapor chamber cooling module with liquid-metal |
tablet format with single-zone RGB backlit detachable keyboard folio, 5MPx+IR front camera and 13MPx back camera, stereo mics, stereo speakers on the sides, dual-fan vapor chamber cooling module with liquid-metal |
Design and functionality
This updated Flow Z13 is still a tablet format and hasn’t steered away significantly from its roots in terms of aesthetics and functionality.
The front is still occupied by a 13.4-inch display with a 1600p IPS panel, now a little more refined than its predecessor, with 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, improved contrast and better gaming specs at 180Hz refresh rate and 3ms response times. Plus, this being a tablet, the screen supports touch and pen input.
The main chassis is a CNC aluminum unibody design, in a black color scheme, with all sorts of graphical accents around the edges and back. There’s also an RGB lit window to the internal hardware on the back, as well as a 170-degree adjustable metal kickstand. Hopefully this isn’t as sharp as on the original model.
The IO is lined on the sides, with two USB-C slots, one USB-A, a full-size HDMI, an audio jack, a microSD card-reader and a square power plug. There’s no longer that dedicated XG mobile connector, as the new XG Mobile external GPU hooks up via USB-C and Thunderbolt 4/5 now.
However, all these ports are on the top-left side of the chassis, including the power connector, making for a potentially weird experience when connecting peripherals. Having these on the bottom side somehow would have been more convenient.
The top is reserved for heatsinks and hot-air output, while on the back you get the intake cuts over the fans. More on the cooling design in a little bit.
The bottom includes the physical connectors for the keyboard folio, which seems much like on the original Flow Z13, with a minimalist keyboard layout and a spacious touchpad. The keyboard doesn’t work on Bluetooth and doesn’t include an internal battery, it only works when physically connected to the tablet.
Hardware and cooling – AMD Strix Halo, vapor chamber module
This 2025 Asus ROG Flow Z13 is available in a few different configurations, all based exclusively on AMD’s Strix Halo hardware platform.
At the very top, there’s the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 configurations, paired with 32 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 1 TB SSD of storage. This comes with a 16 Zen5 Cores / 32 Threads processor and a Radeon 8060S iGPU with 40 CUs (Compute Units). This model is priced as $2199 in the US.
A more affordable version is scheduled as well, built on a Ryzen AI Max 390, paired with the same amount of memory and storage. This includes a processor with 12 Cores and 24 Threads and a Radeon 8050s iGPU with 32 CUs. Pricing on this variant is now yet known. Store availability for both should be later in the year, around Q2.
Now, these platforms are cooled by a dual-fan dual-radiator cooling module with a vapor-chamber and liquid metal compound. Asus didn’t mention anything about the power settings or any performance numbers, but I would expect the overall GPU capabilities of the AI Max+ 395 configuration to be somewhere in between the 4060 and 4070 variants of the original Flow, while the Zen5 cores should perform slightly better than the i9-13900H on the past models. The faster hardware will helps as well in certain aplications, and the AMD platform should have an advantage in daily-use efficiency as well, especially when paired with the larger 70W battery implemented in this 2025 Flow.
All these should also come with more affordable pricing than of the initial Flow Z13 at launch, albeit having a new product that performs similarly to one released 2 years ago doesn’t sound too appealing, especially since that one can be found discounted today, and since everything else hasn’t changed notably between the two Z13 generations.
The total sustained crossload power on Turbo on that original Flow was around 80W, but this 2025 generation should handle higher settings. The Strix Halo hardware is meant to run anywhere between 45 to 120W TDP, and I’d expect this unit will probably run at around 100W or so. For what is worth, the included power supply is 200W for this Flow Z13 GZ302, while the previous iteration came with a much smaller 130W charger, so that alone should suggest higher sustained power settings for this update. But there’s still only so much you can push from a tablet format, even if this generation is a little thicker than before and should see some improvements in cooling capacity.
We’ll get to draw conclusions on the performance and thermal/noise output of this series once we get to spend more time with it for the review. That might be a while, though, probably around Spring this year.
Refreshed XG Mobile with up to RTX 5090
So, while the new Flow Z13 unit that will most likely perform similarly to the original one in games and sustained GPU loads might not sound that appealing, the updated XG Mobile external GPU is an exciting new addition to the eGPU world.
For 2025, the XG Mobile is a brand new design, aesthetically refreshed and much smaller in size, but also more powerful and quieter in operation. Asus implemented an updated vapor-chamber cooling module in this new XG Mobile, alongside Nvidia Blackwell graphics chips, up to an RTX 5090 24GB running at 175W.
They’ve also updated the selection of ports and their layout, with the major novelties being a 2.5G LAN connector and the fact that this eGPU now connects to laptops via an USB-C Thunderbolt 5.0 port and cable.
So there’s no longer that thick attached cable that was included with the previous XG Mobile design, and thus you can create more ergonomic setups. Plus, this XG Mobile generation is no longer exclusive to a handful of Flow units that came with that XG Mobile connector, but can work with any device that offers a Thunderbolt 4.0 or 5.0 port, or even an USB 4.0 port for that matter.
Pricing and availability were not yet unveiled for this update 2025 XG Mobile, but I look forward for more details and hopefully will get to test it soon enough.
Bottom point, there’s a new Asus ROG Flow Z13 performance tablet for 2025, mostly similar in functionality and performance to the previous generation, but more affordable in pricing and probably more efficient in everyday use as well. On top of that, Asus put together an updated XG Mobile external eGPU, which is actually much more exciting, as it is more powerful and more ergonomic than the previous designs. What are your thoughts on these ones?
