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    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604 vs ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605 – Which Is the Better 16-Inch Gaming Laptop?

    From: Severin Kolakov | 0

    We didn’t expect to have an ASUS internal conflict, however, it turns out that the ROG Zephyrus lineup is pretty keen on having 16-inch gaming notebooks. This is how we end up with the M16 and the G16. The two laptops have some similarities, as they both want to offer a relatively lightweight gaming and content creation laptop that still preserves the spirit of the ROG brand (aka ultimate gaming performance).

    In terms of hardware, the Zephytus M16 brings the Core i9-13900H. It’s the only CPU available, with 14 cores and 20 threads. As for the G16, it gets upgraded to the Meteor Lake H-series, with either the Core Ultra 7 155H or the Ultra 9 185H, both with 16 cores and 22 threads. The more important part of the specs sheet, the GPU selection, offers the RTX 40-series, with the 4070 and 4080 for the M6 and the entire series for the G16.

    Today we’re giving you a complete comparison between the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and the Zephyrus G16, with display, battery, performance, and cooling tests.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604: Full Specs / In-depth Review

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605: Full Specs / In-depth Review

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604 configurations:

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605 configurations:

    Specs table

    SpecificationASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    ProcessorIntel Core i9-13900HIntel Core Ultra 9 185H
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
    GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 150W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (Laptop, 145W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (Laptop, 140W)    		NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 115W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (Laptop, 115W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (Laptop, 105W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 100W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop, 100W)
    Display16.0″, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), 240 Hz, IPS16.0″, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), 240 Hz, OLED
    MemoryDDR5-4800LPDDR5X 7467
    Battery90Wh90Wh
    Weight4.6 lbs (2.10 kg)4.1 lbs (1.85 kg)
    Dimensions13.98″ x 9.69″ x 0.78″ (355 x 246 x 19.9/21.1 – 22.3/22.9 mm)13.98″ x 9.69″ x 0.59″ (355 x 246 x 14.9 – 17.2 mm)
    Ports
    • 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
    • 1x USB Type-C 4.0, Thunderbolt 4
    • HDMI 2.1
    • MicroSD (UHS-II)
    • Wi-Fi 802.11ax
    • Bluetooth 5.2
    • 3.5mm Combo Jack
    • 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-C 4.0, Thunderbolt 4
    • HDMI 2.1
    • SD card reader
    • Wi-Fi 802.11ax
    • Bluetooth 5.3
    • 3.5mm Combo Jack

    Unboxing

    The Zephyrus M16’s box includes paperwork and a 280W power adapter. The G16 is more interesting. The configurations with an RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 get a 240W charger. Other configurations get a 200W charger. Depending on your region, the box might include the ROG Zephyrus G16 Sleeve, ROG Impact Gaming Mouse, or a 100W Type-C AC adapter.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    Charger power280W240W or 200W

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Design and construction

    The M16 does get additional style points thanks to the AniMe Matrix on the back, which can be customized to show different graphics, including an audio visualizer for when you blast tunes. More importantly though, in terms of dimensions and portability, the G16 is 0.5 lbs (350 grams) lighter, while also being 0.19″ (half a centimeter) thinner.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    Weight4.6 lbs (2.10 kg)4.1 lbs (1.85 kg)
    Dimensions13.98″ x 9.69″ x 0.78″
    (355 x 246 x 19.9/21.1 – 22.3/22.9 mm)    		13.98″ x 9.69″ x 0.59″
    (355 x 246 x 14.9 – 17.2 mm)

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Keyboard and touchpad

    The keyboards and layout of the base on the two laptops are super similar. Both laptops lack a NumPad and feature keys with surprisingly long key travel. The feedback is clicky, however, the M16 gives you quite a bit of resistance when typing. There are also glass-covered touchpads. The one on the G16 is gigantic, while being incredibly smooth and responsive.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Ports

    The Zephyrus M16 brings faster USB Type-A ports, which double the transfer speeds. The rest of the I/O is pretty much identical.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    Ports
    • 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
    • 1x USB Type-C 4.0, Thunderbolt 4
    • HDMI 2.1
    • MicroSD (UHS-II)
    • Wi-Fi 802.11ax
    • Bluetooth 5.2
    • 3.5mm Combo Jack
    • 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB Type-C 4.0, Thunderbolt 4
    • HDMI 2.1
    • SD card reader
    • Wi-Fi 802.11ax
    • Bluetooth 5.3
    • 3.5mm Combo Jack

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Display and Sound Quality

    Both laptops bring displays with the same resolution and aspect ratio. The Zephyrus M16 brings a Mini LED IPS panel while the G16 brings an OLED panel, which means an infinite contrast ratio and deep blacks.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    Resolution2560 x 16002560 x 1600
    Aspect ratio16:1016:10
    Panel technologyIPS, Mini LEDOLED
    Pixel density189 PPI189 PPI
    Dot pitch0.13 x 0.13 mm0.13 x 0.13 mm
    Retina distance18″ (46 cm)18″ (46 cm)

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    The Zephyrus M16 with its Mini LED panel is nearly 100 nits brighter, but G16’s OLED has super deep blacks that make the overall screen just pop.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    Peak brightness (middle of the screen/average for the entire display area)501/495 nits416/416 nits
    Max deviation4%1%
    Color temperature (on white screen)6280K6470K
    Contrast ratio1190:1infinite

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Color coverage

    Here are some illustrations (Fig. 1) & (Fig. 2). The whole “sail-shaped” map below consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.

    Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors that the panels of the laptops can display:

    Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
    For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
    For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
    Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content

    The yellow dotted line shows the color coverage of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604 and the Zephyrus G16 GU605, both of which cover the entire sRGB and DCI-P3 gamuts.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    sRGB99%100%
    DCI-P398%100%

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Color accuracy

    Now let’s see how big is the difference between the real colors and the ones you’ll see on the three laptops. We measure that distance in DeltaE – the bigger the number, the more different they look.

    For the next illustration, we’ve chosen 24 common colors like dark and light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.

    Below you can see the results of the two laptops with our Web Design and Office Work profile applied. The Zephyrus M16 is the more accurate of the two, with a dE value of 1.0.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 (GU604, 2023) 16.0″ BOE NE160QDM-NM4 (BOE0B74) (2560×1600) IPS: Buy our profiles

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605 16.0″ Samsung ATNA60DL01-0 (SDC41A3) (2560 х 1600) OLED: Buy our profiles

    PWM

    PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) is a way for displays to adjust brightness. When used at lower frequencies it can seriously tire out our eyes. OLED and MiniLED panels are notorious abusers of PWM. Unfortunately, both panels use PWM, which is not ideal.

    However, GU605 is a bit easier on the eyes since its screen is only pulsating, compared to the rough 12 kHz spikes of GU604.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Sound

    Both speaker setups produce audio with no deviations across the entire frequency range. Moreover, the two laptops have speaker grills on the front and the bottom, resulting in a great stereo experience.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Performance – CPU, GPU, Gaming, Storage

    Below we’ve highlighted the configurations that we’ve tested. We’ve chosen the most powerful GPUs and CPUs available.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605
    ProcessorIntel Core i9-13900HIntel Core Ultra 9 185H
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
    GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 150W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (Laptop, 145W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (Laptop, 140W)    		NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 115W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (Laptop, 115W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (Laptop, 105W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop, 100W)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop, 100W)

    CPU benchmarks

    Here we have two powerful processors, the i9-13900H and the Ultra 9 185H. The latter has the cores and threads advantage, with 16 and 22, respectively. The Ultra 9 leads in Cinebench R23, with a 4% higher score. On the other hand, the Core i9-13900H is faster in Photoshop, by around 0.6 seconds.

    Here, we evaluate the CPU's performance using a real-world 3D rendering task, assessing its ability to handle complex computations and rendering workloads efficiently.

    Results are from the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core test (higher is better)

    Intel Core Ultra 9 185H ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
    1120

    GPU benchmarks

    You can see the difference in power limits between the two GPUs. The M16 sports a 150W RTX 4090, which is more powerful than the 115W RTX 4090 across all benchmarks that we ran.

    The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.

    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 150W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
    $3139.00
    19147
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 115W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
    17553

    Results are from 3DMark Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)

    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 150W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
    $3139.00
    45832
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 115W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
    41450

    The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.

    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 150W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
    $3139.00
    37289
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 115W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
    34873

    Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)

    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 150W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
    $3139.00
    11450
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop, 115W) ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
    10610

    Gaming tests

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Borderlands 3Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Badass (Check settings)
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604 – RTX 4090 (150W)176 fps (+9%)151 fps (+6%)135 fps (+3%)
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605 – RTX 4090 (115W)162 fps143 fps131 fps

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    Battery

    The Zephyrus G16 lasts for a lot longer. To be specific, there’s a 6 hour 5 minutes lead in video playback, and 15 hours 20 minutes more in the web browsing test.

    Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
    Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 90Wh, 4-cell
    $3139.00
    4h 54m
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 90Wh, 4-cell
    10h 59m+124.1%

    In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 90Wh, 4-cell
    $3139.00
    4h 40m
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 90Wh, 4-cell
    20h 00m+328.6%

    Upgradeability

    The ROG Zephyrus M16 gets two SODIMM slots for memory upgrades, while the G16’s RAM is soldered onto the motherboard. Storage-wise, both laptops have two M.2 PCIe Gen 4 slots for fast SSDs.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605

    Verdict

    These two laptops are somewhat similar, but both are really powerful, so whichever you choose, you’ll be good to game and create content. Starting with the external appearance and dimensions, the M16’s AniMe matrix is quite fun to use and adjust, bringing tons of uniqueness to the laptop. On the other hand, the G16 is much lighter and thinner, so it its mobility you’re after, the G16 has what you need.

    The port selection of the two laptops is the same, with the only difference being that the M16’s Type-A ports are twice as fast (Gen 2 vs Gen 1). The two laptops deliver quality displays, with a QHD+ IPS Mini LED panel for the M16 and a QHD+ OLED panel for the G16. The IPS panel of the M16 is brighter, but the OLED panel has an infinite contrast ratio. Both have wide color coverage and great color accuracy. Both panels use PWM at all frequencies, unfortunately with the G16 being a bit easier on the eyes.

    Finally, in terms of performance, the Core Ultra chips are better in Multi-core performance than the 13th Gen Core I-series processors.  On the other hand, the Core i9-13900H does have stronger individual cores than the Core Ultra 9 185H. The Zephyrus M16 has the more powerful GPU, thanks to a higher 150W power limit.

    The G16 has a longer-lasting battery, showing the efficiency of the Core Ultra series of processors. Lastly, the M16 features much better upgradeability, with two SODIMM slots and two M.2 slots. Looking at pricing, the M16 is around $300 to $400 more affordable, which instantly sways this battle in its direction. That’s unless you put more value on efficiency and battery, but still want a lot of performance, in which case, the G16 will be preferred.

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604: Full Specs / In-depth Review

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605: Full Specs / In-depth Review

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604 configurations:

    ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605 configurations:

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