Asus ROG Strix GL502 review

It's hard not to love a gaming laptop this good

Asus ROG Strix GL502 review

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Efficient cooling has been the biggest hurdle for thin gaming laptops to get over. While MSI, Razer, Gigabyte and more have been trying to crack the code, Asus has done a stellar job of shrinking down the 15-inch gaming laptop to a more portable size and squeezing in the performance we expect from a much larger machine.

We liked

The Asus ROG Strix GL502 is stylish without out being overtly obnoxious about it. Beyond its sharp looks, there aren't many other gaming laptops this thin and light that can be equipped with an 8GB Nvidia GTX 1070. Even with a 6GB Nvidia GTX 1060, this machine more than kills it with Full HD gaming now and for years to come. Plus, there's the super vibrant screen and potent speakers help round out the entertainment experience with this amazing machine.

We disliked

The biggest detraction we can give this 15-inch gaming laptop is battery life, three-to-four-hour battery life is unpleasant considering the nearly six hour usage we got out of its predecessor. Once again, you'll have to worry about being left hanging like other machines that only last for three hours and keep you anchored to the plug.

Asus ROG Strix GL502 review

Final verdict

It's rare for us to be this thoroughly impressed with a gaming laptop. Aside from the knock against battery life, there's not much wrong with the Asus ROG Strix GL502. In fact, almost everything else about the machine is stellar, from its crisp keyboard and loud speakers to its stunning screen for a solid Full HD gaming experience. This is one of the best all-around gaming laptops we've ever reviewed, hands down, and we recommend it if you're in the market for a solid mobile PC gaming system.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.