The former was always a strange machine. It felt like a weird love child between the Surface Pro and a traditional gaming laptop. But at CES 2025, ASUS is giving the tablet a much-needed update that includes major performance improvements thanks to the company’s updated XG Mobile dock.
One of the biggest departures from the previous model is that this time instead of relying on a CPU/GPU solution from Intel and NVIDIA, ASUS is going with an all-AMD configuration. The ROG Flow Z13 features a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU with integrated memory that tops out at 128GB (although ASUS’ sheet suggests that it actually comes with 32GB of RAM). Also, by using a chip with increased emphasis on energy efficiency and combining that with a larger 70Whr battery (up from 56Whr), ASUS says the Z13 should deliver improved longevity of up to 10 hours per charge. Meanwhile, the system remains solid, weighing only 2.6 pounds and half an inch thick. This means it should be an excellent choice for portable gaming and productivity.
The Z13 screen is also very impressive, because although it is not OLED, its Nebula Display is powered by a clear IPS panel with a refresh rate of 180Hz, up to 500 nits of brightness and 100 percent coverage of DCI-P3 spectrum. I also appreciate that even in this slim design, ASUS has still found room for a full-sized HDMI 2.1 jack in addition to two USB 4 ports, one USB-A, 3.5mm audio and a microSD card reader.
Other subtle updates include a redesigned keyboard with larger caps, a tough PU leather cover and an extra-large touchpad. Inside, there’s also a new metal vapor chamber that ASUS says surpasses the traditional copper variant, while the addition of a customizable Action key on the side of the system makes it easy to adjust display settings or call up any app you want.
Of course, one of the coolest things about the Flow Z13’s flexibility is that if you want even better performance, you can connect it to ASUS’ ROG XG Mobile Dock, which also got a major refresh in 2025. This is because while it maintains the same design, it now supports up to NVIDIA RTX 5090 for enhanced graphics power. Another big change is that instead of relying on ASUS’ proprietary XG Mobile port to connect the two devices together, this time the dock uses Thunderbolt 5. The dock also has a wealth of connectivity options including both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 jacks, so -then you can use it as a hub while standing at the desk. Finally, it’s also backwards compatible with the original Z13, so owners of the previous model have another way to extend the life of their device.
Unfortunately, ASUS has not yet provided details about the ROG Flow Z13 release date. However, we expect the device to start around $2,000 for the version with the Ryzen AI Max 390 chip or $2,200 when configured with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU. The price of the XG Mobile dock is yet to be determined, although if it sports an RTX 5090, it will cost about a pretty penny.