Foldable phones have been around for a few years now but their shipments are nowhere near the levels of traditional bar smartphones. The latest IDC report forecasts a healthy increase in the number of foldable shipments in the year to come with an estimated 48.1 million flip and fold devices making their ways to consumers in 2027. At that point, the CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of foldables for the 2022-2027 period is expected to surpass traditional smartphones by tenfold.
The new IDC report sees foldables earning a combined 3.5% market share by 2027 compared to the 1.2% for...
The vivo X Fold2 is arriving next month, and today company officials showcased the device as part of the company's participation at the Boao Forum.
The new foldable will have a Red color and a circular camera island on which we can see just three shooters and one LED flash.
The vivo X Fold2 follows the overall design of the previous vivo foldables, but reports are it will be significantly lighter than the 311g of those two. It will also be thinner, according to early reports, but we cannot confirm this visually by looking at these angled images.
The trio of cameras includes a...
The AI revolution is in full swing, with new and better tools hitting the markets daily. That being said, Hypotenuse has been receiving some traction online for quite some time, with users lauding its pricing and functionality.
The platform itself is an AI copywriting tool that should help you speed up content delivery. But can it really provide high-quality content quickly and automate your blogging and writing? Let’s take a look.
Plans and pricing
The platform offers three pricing plans, with an option to try it out for free without giving out your credit card details. If you’re a single writer or a small business, you will probably look at the Starter plan, which costs $29 a month and offers roughly 25,000 words and 200 images.
If you have a small team that you want to test out, the Growth plan offers access to up to five users, with 87,500 words and unlimited AI-generated images (watermark-free). This plan also offers a plagiarism checker and will cost you $59 a month.
Finally, there is the Enterprise plan for larger teams; however, for the pricing, you will have to go through the sales team. An additional benefit of the Enterprise plan is a personal account manager and custom AI models that can be tailored to your brand’s voice.
While numerous features that the platform offers overlap with other AI writing assistants, there are still a few which make it unique.
The batch generator is a great tool if you have an e-commerce site on, for example, Shopify. You can import all of your products via CSV or directly through the Shopify integration and have Hypotenuse bulk write descriptions for each of them. However, make sure you proofread all of them before publishing.
Content detective is another great feature the platform offers, which allows you to quickly fact check your articles and find sources with just a click of a button.
Functions such as blog writing, content writing, summarizing and paraphrasing tools are pretty much the same as with other AI writing platforms. As long as you don’t expect miracles, you will get useful content that you can use with some editing beforehand. The same can be said of its social media captions and ad copy creation capabilities.
On the other hand, the AI image generation can offer interesting results, but be mindful that results will vary depending on the input you provide to the tool. It can be a great way of creating unique visuals for your blogs or products, but if you’re looking for a professional presentation, as with the text, the images will require editing in your favorite photo editing tool.
Interface and in use
Hypotenuse is a well-designed platform that offers ease of use through its simple yet effective UI. For example, the blog post writing workflow offers guided prompts, which are simple to follow and use. All you need to do is click away and add keywords and a topic.
A quirky new thing that the other platforms don’t offer is unique loading screens. Once you prompt the AI to create a text or image for you, you will be met with a fun loading screen that creates an impression of work being done behind the scene. Other platforms usually have a loading bar, a sand clock, or just a prompt that says, please wait.
You can find a robust Guides section on the platform that offers articles explaining all of the functionality of the platform. Interspersed with the text are also some video guides that can help you get to grips with advanced functions such as CSV importing and batch generation.
The company blog also offers information and ideas on how to use the platform, at the moment, it’s not as detailed but does offer enough for beginners. There is an FAQ, email support and also a get in touch form, which probably creates a Jira ticket for the dev team to respond to any technical issues you may have.
Depending on the plan you choose, you can get direct support from the Hypotenuse team, which can help you set up your project inside of their ecosystem. Overall, the support is excellent.
Security
As with most web-based platforms, Hypotenuse offers a detailed Privacy Policy and Terms of Service documents on the site itself. These contain the usual information that the company is following the commercially available means of protecting user data but do not guarantee it.
For payments, the platform uses third-party payment processors that adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS.
Test
We’ve given the platform’s writing capabilities a quick test to see how it handles a simple topic. The goal was to cover “Artificial intelligence helps writers be more succinct,” and since this platform doesn’t have a “paragraph” writer template, we decided to ask the AI to write a post on the topic.
Hypotenuse.AI test (Image credit: Hypotenuse.AI)
The results were solid, though the text sounds a bit “dry” and just lists the facts, with an OK conclusion. The topic that we have given it, is quite simple, so with more prompts and a more interesting topic, the results get better. But overall, if you’re looking for content that you can actually publish and provide value, you will have to do some editing.
The competition
The competition is quite stiff for these types of tools, with Jasper AI being a strong candidate. Jasper offers numerous template and integration options, providing content of similar quality. Pricing is on the side of Hypotenuse for now, but if you don’t run an e-commerce site Jasper might be a more versatile option.
Longshot AI is another platform that rivals both Jasper and Hypotenuse. It boasts the greatest set of integrations and quite a few templates. Furthermore, it has a custom AI model that is quite powerful and can create unique text that passes plagiarism checkers.
Final verdict
All in all, Hypotenuse is a great tool for creating product descriptions, unique AI-generated images, and text that can be used after some editing. On the pricing front, it could do better, but it’s accessible for small businesses and even a single writer. However, we would recommend taking the 7-day free trial (without giving out credit card details) a try before you actually decide to buy it.
Having high-quality content is a necessity in the online world, but it’s also challenging to write well. Writing well is a time-consuming skill that is now being disrupted by the onslaught of web-based AI writing assistants. Articleforge tries to prove that AI writing assistants can offer great support for content writers, but does it succeed?
However, Articleforge pairs deep learning with AI to offer users better content the more they use it. That being said, the content is not always usable, as it requires heavy editing and fact-checking. So, set it and forget-it approach will not work with this tool. Read on to find out all of the details.
Plans and pricing
To kick things off, there is the 5-day “free” trial, for which you will be required to provide your credit card details. Keep in mind that you can cancel the free trial during this period. The other two plans are the Basic one and the Business one. The basic plan costs $27 a month, with the ability to save 51% if you go for the annual billing option. You will get up to 25,000 words for one user, API integration capabilities, and a great WordPress integration for automatic posting. Copyscape cross-referencing is included to ensure that the content it generates is plagiarism free.
For the business plan, you will have to talk to sales to determine what you’re looking for and what the pricing will look like. It features a dedicated account manager to help businesses sail through effortlessly while offering a generous 500,000+ words per month. Again, all of these features can be customized and may vary from business to business.
In our experience, one of the best features Articleforge gives its users is to speed up the writing process. No, it will not offer ready-to-publish content, and no, it will not replace an experienced writer or editor.
With that out of the way, it will offer recommendations for titles and automate SEO and WordPress publishing. Content can be produced in seven different languages (we’ve tested English only), which can help international blogs or ones that are multi-language.
After signing up, content creation is as simple as entering a few keywords with the topic of your choice, and in under 60 seconds, the content will be generated. It will use the keywords and the topic you want to cover.
When it comes to integrations, Articleforge offers a few very interesting ones, such as MS Word and WordPress integrations. Alongside these, it also offers SEO AutoPilot, CyberSEO, RankerX, SEnuke TNG, and a few others. All of the are easy to use thanks to the API key offered by the platform.
Interface and in use
Among the AI writing assistant platforms, Articleforge is one of the more user-friendly ones. The dashboard uses big, clear icons which are properly labeled. It holds your hand throughout the entire experience and leads you to the results you’re looking for.
The fact that you can create an article in under 60 seconds by typing in your title and a few keywords speaks volumes about the simplicity of the entire process. It is accessible to total beginners and veterans alike.
Articleforge UI (Image credit: Articleforge)
Support
Unfortunately, the platform does not have a help desk or a live chat. However, the entire idea behind a platform like this is that it will be so intuitive and easy to use that you won’t even need support. There is a detailed blog that covers most of the functionality where you can find answers for all functionalities and even some issues that have come up during use.
Additionally, there are videos and documents that train users on how to use the platform to get the best results.
Security
Articleforge is a web-based app, so besides the users making sure that their connection is secure, there are not a lot of security features to speak of. Payments are done through a third party that stores users' data; Articleforge does not handle users’ data.
Test
We’ve given the paragraph writing capabilities of the platform a quick test to see how it handles a simple topic. The goal was to cover “Artificial intelligence helps writers be more succinct” in a single paragraph using a professional tone. The results were surprisingly good, with the algorithm itself claiming that the output should be checked by writers or editors before being published.
The sentence structure is difficult to distinguish from professional writers, and no mistakes were noticed in terms of grammar or syntax. All in all, a very positive surprise for our test, but keep in mind that the topic is very straightforward with few factual data requirements.
Articleforge Test (Image credit: Articleforge)
The competition
The competition among AI writing assistants is increasing, with Jasper AI being the closest competitor to Articleforge. It offers a wide range of features that target content creators and businesses; in terms of pricing, it is more expensive but offers crisper output.
Scalenut is a less-known alternative. Its strengths lie in the field of SEO and content marketing. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that Articleforge does, it offers SEO automation and integration, which cannot be said for many AI writing assistants.
Final verdict
While the platform offers speedy delivery, simplicity, and numerous integrations, the quality of the output leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the content that the platform offers will have to be fact-checked. You can get better output with tailored input, but it requires a lot of testing, which uses up your “word meter.”
All in all, it will significantly speed up the writing process; it can also help break through writer's block by offering title suggestions or offering a different way of looking at a certain topic. It is worth testing out, but leaning on it exclusively for all your content needs should not be an option.
As a content writer, you need to understand the complex intricacies of word interplay and how each one interacts with the other. To master such a skill, a lot of practice and reading is required. However, by utilizing an AI writing assistant, this concept could be flipped on its head. Enter WordAI, a content rewriter with a deep understanding of the interplay between words.
WordAI automatically rewrites paragraphs, phrases, or sentences to come up with unique content that is SEO-optimized and plagiarism free. As a user, you simply have to enter content, click on rewrite and enjoy new content. But is it as simple as that? Let’s delve deeper into all of the details surrounding this AI writing platform.
Plans and pricing
There is the option to try the platform out for 3 days totally free, though you will have to enter your credit card details to access the option. After the free trial is over, you will be billed either $57 monthly for the first plan option or $27 monthly if you opt to subscribe for a year (read: pay for the entire year). With this plan, you will get almost all of the bells and whistles the platform offers. The platform leans heavily onto content that will not be passed off as AI-generated through multiple rewrite options that offer “human quality” content. One-click rewriting is the standard offer, which you can also test out during the free trial, but API access and multiple bulk rewriting are worth paying for if you are looking to create a lot of content quickly.
It’s a shame that “higher-quality” content is only offered under the Enterprise plan, for which more money will have to be shelled out. If you’re looking to have multiple users play around with the service, and are looking for more throughput, then the Enterprise plan seems like a better option. You will also have a dedicated account manager to handle all of the administrative issues and guide your team for you.
WordAI pricing options (Image credit: WordAI)
Features
WordAI was initially envisioned as an article rewriting assistant but morphed into a content creation platform over time. What helped it morph into a more robust platform is a neat feature of integration with ArticleForge, an AI content creation platform. With this, you can import content from ArticleForge and have WordAI “spin” the content to create unique articles or richer paragraphs.
In addition, if you’re looking to bulk edit grammar and tense in your content, WordAI can help out through the Perfect Tense integration. It detects spelling mistakes and erroneous use of tenses, and suggests corrections.
Equally important is the title spinner the platform uses, it manages to offer high-quality titles by analyzing the entered content, ensuring that titles are relevant. Furthermore, the new version now offers HTML support. This means that you will be able to spin HTML directly from the editor, to add styling, spin videos, images and much more.
Interface and in use
The AI web platform has a simple interface, which can be easily navigated. All of the important functions are on the left-hand side, while the larger area on the right is reserved for entering content and displaying content from the option you chose.
Getting rewrite suggestions is as easy as copying over your content and clicking on the rewrite button. A slider below the button allows you to choose three modes of content “spinning,” more conservative, regular, or more adventurous. You can also choose how many iterations you wish to create.
The menu in the panel to the left holds access buttons to bulk rewriting, plagiarism detection, and all other features the platform offers to make navigation a breeze.
Support
A help center is available directly from the platform’s dashboard panel, but with such a clean interface and ease of use, there should be little need for it. Articles outlining the features, affiliates, accounts, billing, and everything in between are located in the help center section.
If you have a special problem that cannot be solved by the numerous articles, there is an option of raising a ticket via email. Usually, the support through email offers help within the first 24 hours the ticket has been raised.
Security
There is not a lot to report regarding security as the platform is a web-hosted application.
Test
We’ve given the rewriting capabilities of the platform a quick test. To avoid bias we did not import directly from ArticleForge, but from another AI writing assistant platform, and had WordAI rewrite the content using the regular content option. Unfortunately, the rewrites offered an option that reads more like a bullet list created by a robot, than something that a human would actually create.
WordAI test (Image credit: WordAI)
The competition
Quillbot offers a similar interface and article-spinning options to WordAI but offers seven modes of work. What's more, it comes with a summarizer, a grammar checker, a citation generator, and a co-writer. Rates the tools offers are reasonable and could be a viable alternative to WordAI.
SpinRewriter is more of a premium alternative, with a similar pricing structure to WordAI. It enriches its offer with direct blog posting options, stock media, and high-quality accuracy thanks to its ENL technology.
Final verdict
WordAI is an easy-to-use and intuitive tool for content rewrites. While it is pricy, it can be a great tool in the toolbox of content writers, SEO experts, bloggers, and small businesses. It manages to offer accurate content, which is the biggest selling point when it comes to rewriting tools.
For those that are looking to automate their content creation fully, WordAI is not for them. Additionally, if you’re looking to rewrite a few paragraphs or titles from time to time, you may benefit more from free online tools than paying for an expensive AI tool.
We all strive for unique and interesting content, but if you have been writing for a long time, it can become increasingly difficult to stay consistent. The creators of Longshot AI understood this when they created their AI writing assistant platform that aims to speed up content delivery and help you stay consistent.
As with most other AI writing assistants, Lonsghot also features capabilities such as keyword research, grammar checker, and SEO-specific text creation capabilities that will help you stay relevant for your target audience. But is it the best in its class, or are there reasons to avoid it? Read on to find out!
Plans and pricing
The platform offers three pricing plans, with each containing a free 5-day trial for just $1. The initial Pro plan costs $29 a month and is limited to one user with 50,000 words per month. You will get almost all of the features the platform offers, minus the analytics dashboard and advanced integration options. If you opt for the Team plan, you will pay $59 a month for 5 users and 150,000 words. The earlier mentioned integration and dashboard come included.
Finally, the last plan is the Agency plan which costs $399 a month and has everything that the Team plan has; plus there is no limit to the number of users you can have. The number of words is advertised as 1 million plus.
Furthermore, if you opt for annual billing, the plans will cost $19, $49, and $299, respectively.
Longshot AI pricing options (Image credit: Longshot AI)
Features
Longshot AI relies heavily on Templates that allow you to Interface quickly with the platform and write compelling articles. From the Templates menu, you can create marketing copy, headlines, product copy, and rephrase content easily. Here too, you will find the headline creator, which will help you create compelling headlines, of which you can create the body of a blog post, for example.
If you’re a blogger, there is a blog creation wizard that will lead you through the entire process. All you need to know is the topic you want to write about, and the platform will do all the work for you. For copywriters, the tools include AIDA (which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) copywriting framework generator, BAB (which stands for Before – After – Bridge) copywriting framework generator, PAS (which stands for Pain, Agitate, Solve) copywriting framework generator, FAB (which stands for Features – Advantages – Benefits).
Moreover, with the FactGPT, you will be able to check the factual accuracy of the created text or text that you already have created earlier.
When it comes to integration, the platform offers Chrome and WordPress plugins, as well as the ability to integrate with platforms such as Medium, Semrush, HubSpot, Ghost and even an option for Custom integrations.
Interface and in use
The interface of the platform relies on modern UI design, which means that you have a panel on the left side of the screen that contains all of your shortcuts for navigation across all of its functionality. On the other hand, having templates eases content creation and leads you by the hand to where you need to get.
If you’re looking to play around with the recipes for automation purposes and custom integration, then you will have to know what you’re doing. The learning curve here steepens; it's not overly complicated but will require some learning if you have never done it.
Overall, the ease of use is solid, with a modern design and ample features to keep you busy. Blog creation wizard tends to take its time (roughly 2 minutes) once you give him a topic to research, but it doesn’t detract too much from the use of the platform.
Longshot AI UI (Image credit: Longshot AI)
Support
The platform prides itself on its detailed explanation videos, transparency when it comes to its roadmap, and announcements, and the ability for the community to seek improvements and additions to Longshot AI. On the website, you will find the Ideas section, which basically represents explanations for using the platform and, instructions on how to create “recipes” also known as automation tasks on the platform.
With this complexity comes a steeper learning curve, but overall it is easy to use. Finally, the help desk option is a typical Atlasian Jira helpdesk (there is also an FAQ), which means that all of your questions will be turned into Jira tickets and sent to the developers. The response rate is roughly 24-hours, which is OK overall.
Security
Information on security features of the platform are sparse, with the site itself only contains the Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy documentation. Furthermore, the site claims: “We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the Personal Information submitted to Us, both during transmission and once We receive it.” I guess users will have to take their word for it.
Test
We’ve given the platform our standard test of writing a simple topic. The goal was to cover “Artificial intelligence helps writers be more succinct” utilizing its AI writer option.
The entire content creation was more “click and input heavy” compared to the competing solutions, with the results being solid. The platform offers questions you want answered, compelling title (as you see it’s different from what we suggested), and creates content that is easy to read, and not overly complex. So overall, it deserves a passing grade.
Longshot AI test (Image credit: Longshot AI)
The competition
JasperAI has a comprehensive platform that rivals Lonsghot, with wider application of SEO tools and Google ads research. JaspeAI has fewer integration options but overall more features. Finally, Jasper relies solely on GPT, while Longshot combines some in-house AI models alongside GPT.
Rytr is another competitor offering similar functionality. It offers the same number of features at a very steep discount compared to Longshot but ends up offering only one integration option.
Final verdict
If you’re looking to replace a human writer then you need to look elsewhere. However, Longshot AI is a great tool for supplementing a content writer, it offers long-form content creation that can generate new ideas, innovative angles on a topic, and help with SEO. All in all, Longshot AI is worth the $1 trial to see if it can speed up your content creation process.
The Samsung Galaxy A34 unveiled two weeks ago debuted in South Korea today. The smartphone comes in four colors but has a single 128GB storage option, priced at KRW499,400 ($385/€355). However, Samsung hasn't revealed if it has 6GB or 8GB RAM onboard, so we'll have to wait until March 31 - which is when its sales begin in South Korea - to be certain about the RAM amount.
The Samsung Galaxy A34 is powered by the Dimensity 1080 SoC and runs Android 13-based One UI 5.1 out of the box. It's built around a 6.6" 120Hz FullHD+ Super AMOLED display and packs a 5,000 mAh battery with 25W wired...
The refresh of last year’s model, 2023’s Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 sets out to be a monster of a gaming machine while avoiding the pitfall of taking on the weight and bulk issue of desktop replacements (to a point of course). It comes in only black, a bit boring for color choices, but the chassis itself is surprisingly thinner than most, which is especially impressive for a laptop housing a GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.
The 16-inch display is a beauty, as it’s a QHD+ (2560 x 1600, WQXGA) mini-LED with a ridiculously high 240Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time that also supports HDR and G-Sync. The sound system is one that befits what the best gaming laptop would be outfitted with, as it’s powered by Dolby Atmos, uses Smart Amp Tech, and features two 2W Tweeter and a 2W dual-force woofer. This ensures that during your session, the laptop conveys every bit of audio design and music, making for a more immersive experience.
It seems that RGB lighting is a requirement for any gaming keyboard, and this one doesn’t disappoint, as both the touchpad and keys are beautifully backlit. The Chiclet keyboard itself is smooth and easy to type on, which helps if you prefer gaming on a keyboard versus connecting a controller.
Gaming performance is the crown jewel of this laptop, with some serious specs, memory, and storage even in the lowest configuration. The base model has an RTX 4070 and the highest is equipped with the incredibly powerful RTX 4090. While testing out the latter graphics card in the review unit I received, I found its boosting capabilities to be quite impeccable, thanks to its max TGP of 150W when using Dynamic Boost on Manual Mode.
Another feature of note and one that sets this refresh apart from previous models as well as other gaming laptops is the AniMe Matrix mode. This mode allows you to activate either default animations and messages or create your own, then display them on the outside chassis. It’s a fun, if not useful, feature that’s best for showing off and entertaining others. But you can easily save money by opting for a model without it.
Though it may be a contender for one of the best Asus laptops, there are some drawbacks to this laptop. First, the throttling issue concerning the CPU is more pronounced in this laptop, which not only lowers the potential of the normally powerful Core i9-13900H but even causes stuttering with any tasks not directly related to gaming. The software, while possessing many features and modes, is counterintuitive and requires a lot of time and effort to navigate.
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023): Price & availability
(Image credit: Future)
Starting at $2.999.99 / £2,399.99 (around AU$4,417)
Available now
Available in the US and UK, and possibly Australia in the future
The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) is an incredibly expensive and luxurious gaming laptop. Its starting price is $2.999.99 in the US and £2,399.99 in the UK through the official Asus online store. That pricing works to around AU$4,417. Compared to other similar desktop replacements released with current-gen components like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, this laptop is definitely a step above in cost. However, compared to something as premium as the MSI GT77 Titan (2023), it’s a more affordable choice for a high-end machine.
Currently, it isn’t available in Australia just yet. According to a representative, that’s likely to change in the future. As of this writing, the ROG Zephyrus M16 is sold out in the US as well, which makes obtaining it a bit more difficult.
Price score: 4 / 5
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023): Specs
(Image credit: Future)
The specs for the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) review unit sent to me are as follows: an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 2TB of storage, as well as the AniMe Matrix mode that comes with only certain models. The base version is nearly identical in specs except for an RTX 4070 GPU, while the most premium version has the same GPU but with 64GB of RAM.
While there are plenty of models to choose from, each model cannot be configured to your unique specifications.
Specs score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023): Design
Simple color, sleek form factor
AniMe Matrix mode is a fun gimmick
Display and sound system are great
Though the color of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) is a pretty standard black, overall it has a surprisingly sleeker design than most desktop replacements, especially as my own review model is housing an RTX 4090. That beefy card also increases the weight, putting it at five pounds compared to the RTX 4070 laptop at about four and a half pounds. Despite that, its form factor is well-balanced enough that you barely feel it. The chassis is solid, though not as hardy as other heavier laptops.
It has both an excellent display and audio system that’s built for the best portable gaming experience possible. The 16-inch display is a QHD+ (2560 x 1600, WQXGA) mini-LED with a ridiculously high 240Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. It also supports HDR and G-Sync for those extra smooth and crisp visuals. As an extra bonus, the bezels are thin enough to offer over 90% screen-to-body ratio, meaning more of your favorite PC game’s UI is visible.
AniMe Matrix mode is the defining feature of this laptop, and it’s pretty cool. You use the built-in software to create messages or animations, which is then displayed on the back of the chassis for others to see. It makes for some fun conversation starters but otherwise has no impact on the laptop’s performance. Not all models have this mode, so feel free to purchase a different version if you need to save some money.
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The sound is much better quality than most other laptops, as it’s powered by Dolby Atmos, uses Smart Amp Tech, and packs two 2W Tweeter and a 2W dual-force woofer. It’s crystal clear and loses nothing in quality when turned up, perfect for capturing audio design and music. It’s complemented by a superior mic quality that keeps background noises out of your conference calls when the webcam is activated, though the webcam visuals are slightly above average.
The keyboard is a Chiclet type, which makes for nicely snappy, responsive keys. However, the downside is that since the speakers are hugging said keyboard, it doesn’t leave room for a numlock pad, which is an important part of any gaming rig. Both the keyboard and touchpad have RGB lighting, great for illuminating a night session and just pretty to look at.
There’s plenty of ventilation going on as well including liquid metal, a vapor chamber, a heat sink, heat pipes, and fans. It can get a bit noisy at times, and despite all the precautions, some parts – namely the underside and space between the keyboard and screen – are prone to warming up. I also noticed that having AniMe Matrix mode active puts even more of a burden on the ventilation so after a while I had to turn it off.
It has a solid port selection as well, including one 3.5mm combo audio jack, one HDMI 2.1 FRL, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, one Thunderbolt 4, one microSD reader, and one Kensington Lock. It is missing an ethernet cable, which for a normal laptop wouldn’t be too big of a deal but for a dedicated gaming laptop that’s supposed to replace a desktop PC? It forces you to rely on wireless connections only, a kiss of death for connection-reliant fighting games for instance.
Design score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future)
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023): Performance
Gaming performance is top-notch
Clears benchmarks
CPU struggles along
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023): Benchmarks
Here's how the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
If there’s one thing the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) does extremely well, it’s gaming. Even the base model of the gaming laptop is absolutely ripped and the most tricked-out version can flex its way through any title at absolutely max settings plus ray-tracing with no issues.
Compared to other gaming laptops like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or the MSI GT77 Titan (2023), benchmark scores are lower, except for the latter which loses out on the PCMark 10 benchmark to the ROG Zephyrus M16. And considering that the pricing of said laptop is higher than Lenovo’s own offerings, it calls into question what you’re paying for. Especially since the Pro 7i is using a 4080 compared to the 4090 of the M16.
But that’s not to say that you aren’t getting your money’s worth either. The fact that this laptop weighs significantly less than the other two laptops, can run every possible graphical and performance enhancement, can be overclocked for even better performance, and will still fit into a modest-sized laptop bag is nothing to sneeze at.
Other than the standard benchmarks, I also performed some personalized ones to test out what it could handle in terms of DLSS 3-enabled ray-tracing. Cyberpunk 2077 performed beautifully, with frame rates consistently above 100. Both the Dartmoor and Dubai benchmark in Hitman 3 also stayed above 100fps and 115fps, respectively. Finally, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered was the clear winner, averaging between 115-150fps during web-swinging and above 150fps during intense combat sections.
However, while the GPU worked splendidly when it came to any PC game I tested it with, there’s a major flaw that could turn away those needing a more well-rounded machine. Not only did the few CPU-based benchmarks feature plenty of throttled results thanks to the overpowered GPU, but there was very noticeable stuttering when I tried out regular productivity tasks like typing documents and browsing the internet. It’s nothing significant but enough that it made anything other than gaming a bit tedious.
Performance score:4.5 / 5
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023): Battery
(Image credit: Future)
Mediocre battery
Charges fast
I tested the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) using TechRadar’s movie battery test and found that it managed to last, at most, four hours and 45 minutes. That is generally quite bad for a laptop, but for a gaming laptop it’s about average. It’s certainly an improvement over the Legion 7i Pro, which can’t pass the two-and-a-half-hour mark, and it squeaks by with a victory over the GT77 Titan by about 15 minutes.
Of course, this is meant as a desktop replacement, so you won’t be unplugging this machine from the AC power, even to do some productivity work unless you can get anything done in less than five hours. If you need to transport it to another location, though, it’ll definitely last long enough for that transfer. And it also charges fast, about 30 minutes for a half charge, so at least you won’t be waiting long.
Battery score: 3 / 5
Should you buy the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023)?
Buy it if...
You want a gaming performance beast It chews up and spits out any PC game on the highest possible settings with both ray-tracing and DLSS 3 enabled.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a budget
Though this is a high-quality laptop that can truly do it all, it also comes at a steep price. The average worker or creative person might have trouble affording it.
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023): Also consider
If the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...
How I tested the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023)
I tested the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) for several weeks
I tested it using both benchmark tests and video game benchmarks
I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test
First, I tested the general weight and portability of the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) by carrying it around in a laptop bag. After I set it up, I ran several benchmarks to thoroughly test out how much the graphics card affected gaming performance. Finally, I used a variety of programs and applications to test out both battery life and general performance during work-like conditions, as well as gaming benchmarks to test the RTX 4090 GPU.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 is a desktop replacement for gaming, meaning it's meant to be used for hardcore gaming sessions. I made sure to thoroughly test out this laptop in that regard, to make sure it reached certain levels of performance.
I've tested plenty of gaming PCs and laptops, making me more than qualified to understand benchmark test results and how to properly stress test machines to see how well they perform as a work machine.
Today Apple has unveiled the official dates for its annual WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC). This will take place online from June 5 to June 9.
On June 5, the traditional first-day keynote will take place, and that's where the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS will be introduced.
While the event will be online, developers and students will have the opportunity to attend a special day at Apple Park on June 5 to watch the keynote and Apple's own version of a State of the Union address. Space for this in-person event will be limited of course.
Susan...
Today Apple has unveiled the official dates for its annual WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC). This will take place online from June 5 to June 9.
On June 5, the traditional first-day keynote will take place, and that's where the next versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS will be introduced.
While the event will be online, developers and students will have the opportunity to attend a special day at Apple Park on June 5 to watch the keynote and Apple's own version of a State of the Union address. Space for this in-person event will be limited of course.
Susan...
