When I was slaving away in a retail environment, the best convertible device we carried was practically limited to browsing the web and performing mundane tasks like word processing and spreadsheets. Sure, they have their purpose, but I never thought that something like that could be used for gaming – until I got my hands on the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) GZ302EA-RU004W.

The 13.4” ROG Nebula Display is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 Processor, boasting up to 5.1GHz clock speeds, and Radeon 8060S Graphics, giving is a beautiful 2.5K resolution with a refresh rate of up to 180Hz. On top of that, it’s running 32GB LPDDR5X RAM with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and it’s supported by an AMD XDNA Neural Processor, providing up to 50 AI TOPS.

Being a 2.5K screen, the aspect ratio was a little off-putting for me; however, the 16:10 aspect ratio was soon forgotten when I turned it on. The Pantone-validated touchscreen has a DCI-P3 rating of 100% and a contrast ratio of 1500:1 at 500 nits, making it great for editing photos or video, and this is further emphasized by its ability to work with a stylus. I was also a little concerned about the panel being glossy, but ASUS has that covered as well – the Corning DXC coating helps to reduce the amount of light being reflected, making for a much more pleasant viewing experience.

Much like other convertible computers, the screen on the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) GZ302EA-RU004W is thicker than some might expect. This is partially to accommodate the components that give it such incredible performance, but also to provide space for the insanely effective cooling solution.

The vapour chamber has been redesigned, using a mix of stainless steel and copper components to provide higher structural integrity and cover more of the mainboard than previous models.

It also uses a pair of 2nd Gen Arc Flow Fans to circulate air throughout the system. Inspired by jet turbines, they feature a second set of 42 blades tucked inside the main 84 blades, which sounds like they should generate quite a bit of noise, but they are surprisingly quiet.

Doubling as a cover when not in use, the chiclet keyboard sports single-zone RGB lighting and easily locks into position with the aid of magnets. The downside is that it does feel a little flimsy, and it doesn’t offer support like a normal laptop would when you open it up. Instead, you need to use the fold-out support mounted on the back of the screen, but this does mean you have a wide range in which you can lay the device – anything from near vertical to completely flat on its back, though this will mean you don’t get to see the multi-zone RGB panel that shows off some of the internal workings on the back of the device.

It also means that ports are mounted around the device itself, not on the sides of the keyboard like a traditional laptop, but everything you could need is there. On one side, you’ll find a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, with transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps, and a 3.5mm combination audio jack. The other side houses two Type-C USB 4 ports, supporting DisplayPort and Power delivery, as well as a HDMI 2.1 port for connecting an external monitor, and a microSD card reader, once again making it great for editing content.

Audio can also be delivered through two 2W dual-force speakers, which when combined with the Smart Amp Technology, can produce substantially better audio than any other tablet I’ve seen on the market, and the three-microphone array performs admirably when used as an input. Internet connectivity is delivered through a triple band Wi-F 7 2*2 card, and other devices can be connected via Bluetooth 5.4. This also means you can connect compatible wireless controllers when you’re gaming, perfect for gaming on the go.

When it came to gaming performance, I was sceptical. I didn’t believe that a convertible product would be capable of anything overly impressive, but I have been wrong before. Cyberpunk 2077 is my go-to game for benchmarking at the moment, and I thought I would start things off easy. Without ray tracing or upscaling, the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) GZ302EA-RU004W was able to exceed 80 FPS while playing on high settings, though it dropped down into the 50s when there was a lot going on. 

I was even more surprised when I bumped the resolution up to make use of the screen’s native resolution. Although the average dropped, hovering in the mid-50s, I barely ever saw the numbers drop below 50 FPS. Somehow, with a high resolution, the frame rate was more consistent. 

I didn’t think it could be done, but once again, ASUS ROG have proven me wrong. ASUS has taken a tablet device and crammed it with everything we would expect as gamers. The result is the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025) GZ302EA-RU004W, a 13.4” convertible device that can outperform even dedicated gaming laptops.

Written by: Mathew Lindner