Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Gaming Laptop Review: Perfect In Almost Every Aspect

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Specifications

• CPU: Intel Core i9-12900H
• Display: 16-inch IPS LCD 2560x1600p, 165Hz
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop
• Memory: 32GB DDR5 4800MHz
• Storage: 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4
• Battery: 90WHr
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 64-bit

 

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: Design

Easily the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 is my favorite gaming laptop of this year. While it might have flashy RGB lighting like the Asus ROG Strix G15 (2022) G513, I personally like the stealth matte black finish of the Asus Zephyrus M16 2022 over any other gaming laptop.

The palm rest part of the laptop has a soft finish, which does get dirty, and one might have to clean the surfaces once in a while to keep the device clean. The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 has an almost perfect I/O with Thunderbolt 4 port, dual USB-A ports, HDMI 2.0b port, RJ45 port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD card slot.

Although it has a microSD card slot, I would have liked to see a full-sized SD card slot. When opened, the laptop sits at an angle, which helps with the cooling by letting in more air through. To further improve the airflow, the bottom portion of the laptop also has plastic feet, which keep the laptop at a slanted height.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: Display

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 looks like a 15.6-inch laptop, but it has a large 16-inch QHD display with a 165Hz refresh rate. While there are laptops with 1080p resolution and a slightly higher refresh rate at this price range, I personally prefer the combination of the high-resolution and high-refresh-rate panel offered on the Asus Zephyrus M16 2022.

The display on the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 is Dolby Vision certified, and it is also a Pantone validated display with 100 percent DCI: P3 coverage. This is a 16:9 aspect ratio screen, which also makes it great for watching movies and web series on platforms like Prime Video and Netflix.

Both in terms of color accuracy and refresh rate, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 seems to maintain a balance to offer the best of both worlds. While most laptops offer around 300nits of max brightness, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 offers a peak brightness of 500nits, making it a fast, color-accurate, and bright display.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: Keyboard And Trackpad

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 comes with a Stealth Type keyboard, which is a silent keyboard. Although these are very clicky keys, they are very silent (less than 30decibles), and they also support N-key rollover technology, which ensures that the laptop registers all the keys while gaming.

The keyboard supports per-key RGB. However, I personally set the keyboard backlight to white color, which offers a contrasting dual-tone look to the laptop. Coming to the trackpad, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 has a large trackpad, and it gets the job done without any issue.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: Audio And Camera

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 has a multi-channel audio setup with twin tweeters and dual force-canceling woofers along with support for Dolby Atmos. While the sound output from the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 is very clear, I felt that the speakers aren't loud enough, which has been the issue with almost every gaming laptop.

Coming to the camera, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 has a 720p web camera with an IR sensor to assist Windows Hello Face Unlock, and this feature works even in low-light and no-light situations. However, given this is a really expensive laptop, the company should have offered at least an FHD web camera like MSI.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: Performance

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 is one of the first laptops in the market to ship with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU. The device also offers 32GB DDR5 memory with 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, hence, the laptop boots quickly and also loads apps and games in no time.

The Intel Core i9-12900H powering the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 is a 14-core CPU with six high-performance cores and eight efficient cores. The combination of these cores offers great performance and efficiency. The CPU delivers great single-core performance, which is important for gaming, and also offers best-in-class multi-core performance, which is useful for professionals.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop on the other hand is also the latest GPU, which is almost as powerful as the RTX 3080 laptop GPU. Components like DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen4 SSD also improve the overall performance of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: CPU Performance

We ran several benchmarks like Geekbench 5, CPU-Z, and Cinebench R23 to gauge the CPU performance of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022, powered by the Intel Core i9-12900H. On Geekbench 5, the laptop posted 1861 points on the single-core performance test and 13535 points on the multi-core performance test.

On CPU-Z, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 posted 765.3 points on the single-thread test and 7861.8 points on the multi-thread CPU test. Lastly, on Cinebench R23, the laptop posted 1881 points on the single-core CPU rendering test and 14567 points on the multi-core CPU rendering test.

When we compare the performance of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 with the Asus ROG Strix G15 (2022) G513, the ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 offers better single-core and multi-core performance, proving the Intel Core i9-12900H is faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: GPU Performance

We ran the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark on the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022, powered by the Intel Core i9-12900H and RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, where, the device scored 10532 points, again outperforming the Asus ROG Strix G15 (2022) G513. This again proves that the Intel Core i9-12900H is a more powerful processor than the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, as both laptops have the same RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU.

3Dmark Time Spy test also claims that the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 can offer an average of 125fps on Battlefield V at 1080p resolution, and over 100fps on Battlefield V at 1440p resolution. This gives us an indication that the Intel Core i9-12900H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop is a great combinations, and can deliver top-tier performance.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: Gaming Performance

We tested Far Cry 6, Forza Horizon 5, and Shadow Of The Tomb Raider on the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022. On Far Cry 6, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 offered an average FPS of 110 and 87 at 1080p and 1440p resolution. On Forza Horizon 5, the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 offered an average FPS of 83 and 82 at 1080p and 1440p resolution. Lastly, in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, the laptop offered 120fps and 86fps at 1080p on 1440p resolution.

Although the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 outperformed Asus ROG Strix G15 (2022) G513 in synthetic benchmarks, they offer a similar gaming performance, as they use the same RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU. Hence, both the Asus ROG Strix G15 (2022) G513 and the Asus Zephyrus M16 2022 can easily handle most modern AAA games with ease.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 Review: Verdict

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 isn't the most powerful laptop out there. However, it is an upper mid-range laptop that can handle AAA games at both 1080p and 1440p with ease. It comes with a classic design and the new CPU and GPU do help the device to deliver a great performance.

Are looking for a large-screen gaming laptop with a great display, good keyboard, high-performance CPU, and GPU? Then the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 is one of the few laptops that offers almost everything that one expects from a modern 2022-class high-performance gaming laptop.