ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 Review: ROG Zephyrus S Revamped

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ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15: At First Glance

In 2020, ASUS released the ROG Zephyrus S15 as an update to the 2019 ROG Zephyrus S. The 2019 release of the S series was a powerful gaming laptop and now it is even better.

The latest model boasts of improvements like better screen, CPU, GPU, and thermals amongst others.

As expected out of fairness, improved features and specifications equal an increase in price as well. Hence, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 starts at a price of $1,999.97 in August 2021 when we published this article.

Now, let us move on to checking how the improved features of this new release performed against its predecessor.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15: Design, Dimension & Weight

In terms of design, not much has changed in the 2020 refresh of the series. That is a good one because the predecessor has an impressive design already.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 still bags an all-metal chassis whose drawback is only its attraction to oily smudges. To be, precise ASUS made the laptop from an aluminum-magnesium alloy with a brushed-black finish.

The lid is characterized by two diagonally separated sections of brushed pattern in different directions.

ASUS has ditched the RGB lit logo on the predecessor for a subtle glossy black logo. This is great news for less-attention seeking users but the RGB lovers might be a bit disappointed.

The laptop passes for a business-looking laptop but only until you open the lid. Opening the lid reveals beautiful RGB lights that will definitely put a smile on the faces of RGB lovers.

More about the lights in a bit. Lifting the lid exposes the 15.6-inches display that maintains slim bezels on its top and sides.

Maintaining the recent tradition of the Zephyrus series, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 lacks an in-built camera. As a fix of this, ASUS has included an external 1080p camera in the package which should satisfactorily meet your video conferencing needs.

Asides from exposing the powerful screen and the beautifully lit keyboard, opening the lid also triggers the Active Aerodynamic System(AAS). The AAS is the exclusive cooling design made for ROG Gaming notebooks.

Furthermore, the AAS works by lifting the bottom of the laptop’s flex creating about 5 to 9 mm ventilation opening for proper air circulation and heat escape. The AAS mechanism is not a new feature to the ROG laptops but it feels sturdier on the Zephyrus S15.

Moving on to the keyboard, it still retains the satisfactory keyboard layout from its predecessor. The keys are nicely spaced and the four extra keys four volume controls, mic controls, and Armoury Crate launcher does their job well.

The keyboard lacks a dedicated Numpad. However, there are dedicated End, Home, Page Up, and Page Down keys.

The keys have an individual RGB backlight that you can customize in the Armoury Crate app or the Aura Creator. There are also lighting animation effects that users can browse through using the function keys or the arrow keys.

Additionally, the keys are decently sized and support touch-typing. Overall, you will get a positive typing experience from the keyboard.

Below the keyboard sits the buttonless glass touchpad which integrates seamlessly to the rest of the palm rest. The touchpad supports precision drivers which makes it responsive and allows smooth gesture control.

The rest of the deck is made from a soft-touch coating that reduces smudges. Below the deck is a honeycomb reinforcement that supports and minimizes flexing.

In terms of size and weight, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is a compact and lightweight gaming laptop. Specifically, it measures 360 x 252 x 18.9 mm and weighs 2,086.5 g.

In comparison, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 maintains the same footprint as its predecessor. However, it is slimmer and lighter than the likes of MSI GE66 Raider 10SFS and Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB.

Specifically, the MSI GE66 Raider 10SFS measures 358 x 267 x 23 mm and weighs 2,400 g. Likewise, the Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB measures 356 x 250 x 25 mm and weighs 2,300 g.

Despite the slim chassis, there is a numerous selection of ports on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15. On the left, there are two USB Type-A ports, a Thunderbolt 3 port, and a Kensington lock slot.

On the right, there is a Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and another USB 3.2 Type-A port. Additionally, there is an AC adapter and a 3.5 mm headphone and microphone jack.

In summary, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is characterized by quality and beautiful design. It is slimmer and lighter than most 15-inch laptops and it has a decent port selection.

Therefore, I’ll rate the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 a nine out of ten in this aspect.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15: Processor (CPU) Performance

On the processor front, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is handled by a 10^th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H Comet Lake-H processor. The 8 core processor has a cache memory of 16 MB.

Additionally, it has a base frequency of 2.30 Hz and a maximum frequency of 5.10 GHz.

The 10th Gen processor of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 results in about a 10% increase in performance in comparison with the 9th Gen processor of its predecessor. As proof of its performance increase, I performed a Cinebench R20 multi-core benchmark test.

Cinebench R20 is a free cross-platform test suite that benchmarks the speed of your computer’s CPU cores.

Based on the test result, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 scored 3,907 points. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 significantly outperformed its predecessor and the other competitors I paired it against

Speaking of which, the predecessor – ASUS ROG Zephyrus S – scored 2507 points. Also, the Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB which also uses a Core i7-10875H processor scored 3,723 points in the same test.

In conclusion, the processor performance of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is impressive considering that it surpasses the average category score. Additionally, it beats its predecessor as well as competitors using the same processor.

Therefore, I’ll rate it an eight in this respect.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15: Memory (RAM) Performance

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is equipped with two DDR4 RAM. One of them is soldered to the motherboard and cannot be removed while the other can be removed and upgraded.

Speaking of the upgradability, users can upgrade the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 RAM with a maximum RAM capacity of 32 GB. My test model shipped with two 16 GB RAM – one soldered while the other is removable.

With 32GB of RAM at its disposal, my test model was proof of efficiency. It was able to perform everyday tasks as well as intensive tasks seamlessly.

Also, the system loads speedily and programs run smoothly even while performing multiple tasks. To test the multitasking ability of the laptop I launched about 40 Chrome tabs.

Each of these tabs was performing individual tasks. On three out of these tabs, I was streaming Youtube videos while I was browsing through different websites on others.

Despite these multiple activities running simultaneously, the laptop didn’t slow down at all. Switching between the tabs was also a smooth process.

As a basis of benchmarking, I used the PCMark 10 benchmark test. PCMark 10 is an industry-standard benchmark for measuring PC performance.

Based on the result, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 scored 5,447 points. In comparison with the Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB, my test model performed better.

Specifically, the Gigabyte Aorus 15G XB scored 5,393 points. In contrast, the Razer Blade 15 scored a significantly higher score of 6,739 points.

In summary, the performance of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 in the benchmark test is not outstanding. However, we consider any score above 4,000 a good score, and my test model crossed this line.

Therefore, I’ll rate the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 a seven in this aspect.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15: Storage Options & Performance

On the storage front, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 uses a two M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD in RAID 0 configuration.

The unit I tested shipped with a 512 GB SSD which is a meager storage space and will get easily filled up. Thankfully, users can increase the storage capacity up to 1 TB using the second slot.

Moving on to the storage benchmark test, I employed the CrystalDiskMark test. CrystalDiskMark is an open-source benchmark tool for evaluating Windows PCs disk drives.

On the test, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 recorded a sequential read speed of 1,297 MBps. Meanwhile, it recorded a sequential write speed of 2,617 MBps.

I checked its performance against the Alienware M15 R3 which recorded a sequential read speed of 2,112 MBps. Also, it recorded a sequential write speed of 2,239 MBps,

Furthermore, the Acer Predator Triton 500 also recorded a sequential read speed of 2,303 MBps. It also recorded a sequential write speed of 2,884 MBps.

In summary, the sequential read speed recorded by the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is the least compared to its predecessor. Moreover, its sequential write speed occupies a middle position compared to the two competitors.

Hence, I’ll rate the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 a seven for its good but not outstanding storage performance.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15: Graphics Card Performance

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is a multi-purpose laptop. However, gaming is its strongest suite hence, it is important to evaluate its graphics capability.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 employs two powerful dedicated graphics configurations. The first is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Max-Q with an 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM.

The RTX 2070 SUPER Max-Q has a base frequency of 930 MHz which users can increase up to 1,080 MHz using Turbo boost.

Also, there’s another configuration with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Max-Q graphics also with an 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM. The RTX 2080 SUPER Max-Q has a base frequency of 735 MHz and a boost frequency of 1080 MHz as well.

As a basis for judging the graphics performance of my test model, I used the 3DMark 11 benchmark test. 3DMark 11 is a DirectX 11 video card benchmark test for measuring your PC’s gaming performance.

Analyzing the test result, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 scored 29,174 points. In the performance chart, the Zephyrus S15 secured a lower position than the MSI GE66 Raider 10SFS which scored 30,309 points.

In Contrast, the position of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 on the performance chart is higher than that of the Razer Blade 15 which scored 28,678 points.

Moving on, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is a gaming laptop. Hence, it is essential to talk about its real-life gaming experience.

To deliver on that, I played the 2020 Doom Eternal at different quality settings. Consequently, at low-quality settings, the game is played at a frame rate of 232.2 fps.

Additionally, at medium quality settings the game played at 152 fps while at high-quality settings the game played at 135.1 fps. Lastly, at ultra high quality, the game played at 130.2 fps.

The gaming test result is proof that the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is competent in playing modern AAA titles at high frame rates.

In conclusion, I’ll rate the graphics performance of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 an eight.

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ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 Battery Life & Performance

A 4-cell 76 WHr battery powers the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 with a battery life expectancy of 8 hours 18 minutes under light workloads.

To check if the battery life expectancy is attainable, I performed a video playback test.

The test involved playing a locally stored 720p resolution video repeatedly until the battery drains. In a bid to conserve as much energy as possible, I set the laptop to power-save mode.

Additionally, I turned off the WiFi and set the screen brightness to 50%. Consequently, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 lasted 10 hours 13 minutes.

Comparatively, it lasted longer than the other laptops in the chart. For instance, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Edition lasted 7 hours.

Meanwhile, the Acer Predator Triton 500 lasted 3 hours 44 minutes.

Based on the test result, the battery life of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is impressive. Although playing games will significantly reduce the battery life from the 10 hours recorded in the video test.

However, the battery still proved to be better than what a typical gaming laptop would deliver which is evident from the competitor’s performance.

Finally, I will rate the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 a nine for its outstanding battery performance among its competitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Zephyrus S15 is a nearly perfect gaming laptop, it boasts a premium-looking package that’s subtle enough as a regular laptop until you spot its beautiful RGB lights. It boasts a light and compact form factor as well as a fast and colorful display.

However, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is more than just looks, it also impresses in terms of functionality and performance. It employs an effective cooling system and enough ports to plug your peripherals.

Additionally, its battery life is outstanding and its performance has earned it a place among its competitors. Despite its strong points, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S15 is expensive and lacks a built-in webcam.

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