Asus announces ROG Zephyrus S GX701 ultra-thin gaming laptop

Asus has unveiled its latest super-slim gaming laptop, the ROG Zephyrus S GX701, at CES 2019 in Las Vegas. Continuing the proud tradition of the Zephyrus range of Asus laptops, which cram seriously powerful components into impressively svelte bodies, the Zephyrus S GX701 is packing some of the best gaming tech money can buy.

The headline new feature of the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 is that it comes with brand-new Nvidia GeForce RTX with Max-Q design graphics. Configurable up to an RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, Nvidia’s new laptop graphics combine the power of its high-end RTX 2080 graphics card with a slim design that allows it to be installed in thin gaming laptops.

The ROG Zephyrus S GX701 also comes with an 8th generation Intel Core i7-8750H six-core processor with a turbo clock speed of 4.1GHz. It can also be fitted with up to 24GB of DDR4-2666 RAM.

Screen star

The 17.3-inch screen has a 144Hz refresh rate, Nvidia G-Sync technology and Nvidia Optimus, which handles switching between the RTX 2080 graphics card and the more power-efficient integrated graphics that comes with the processor, depending on what tasks you’re using the laptop for.

Asus has also worked hard to keep the bezels around the screen as slim as possible, making the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 smaller than ever, while also looking fantastic. It’s managed this by not including a built-in webcam.

If you’re a keen video streamer or broadcaster, or you like to use your laptop to make video calls to friends and family, then worry not, as Asus has included an external webcam that can easily clip on to the ROG Zephyrus S GX701’s screen, or be placed in other locations. It’s a great compromise, and it’s capable of full HD footage at 60 frames per second.

According to Asus, the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 is the most compact 17-inch gaming laptop in the world, with the 17.3-inch screen fitting into a body that’s just 15.7-inches wide, while also being 18.7mm at its thinnest point.

We haven’t got a price or release date just yet, but we’ll update as soon as we hear more, and we should soon have our hands on a review unit in the coming weeks. Don’t expect this to be a budget gaming laptop, however. 

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.