ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022)

ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022)

Manufacturer	ASUS
Product family	ROG Zephyrus
Release date	January 2022 (2022-01)
Introductory price	USD 1599 to 2999
Discontinued	No
Operating system	Windows 11 Home (Can be configured with Windows 11 Pro)
CPU	Intel Core i7-12700H Intel Core i9-12900H
Memory	16 (1x16) or 32 (2x16) GB DDR5-4800 Mhz (supports up to 48 GB)
Memory slots	1 user accessible (supports up to 32 GB)
Storage	512 GB, 1 or 2 TB M.2 2280 NVME
Storage slots	2 user accessible
Removable storage	microSD
Display	Screen size: 16 inch Panel type: IPS Coating: Matte (anti-glare) Resolution: 1920 x 1200 or 2560 x 1600 Aspect ratio: 16:10 Refresh rate: 165 Hz Brightness: 500 Nits sRGB: 100 % Adobe RGB: 75.35 % DCI-P3: 100 % VRR: Adaptive Sync Screen-to-body ratio:
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop 6 GB GDDR6 120 W w/ Dynamic Boost Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop 8 GB GDDR6 120 W w/ Dynamic Boost Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop 16 GB GDDR6 120 W w/ Dynamic Boost
Sound	2 x 2 W tweeters, 2 x 2 W dual-force woofers w/ Smart Amp Technology, Dolby Atmos
Camera	Front: 720p HD IR Camera for Windows Hello
Touchpad	Large glass clickpad
Connectivity	Intel AX211 WiFi 6E Bluetooth 5.3 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C, DP 1.4, PD) 1 x Thunderbolt 4 (DP 1.4, PD) 1 x HDMI 2.0b 1 x RJ45 LAN port 1 x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack
Dimensions	W: 14.0 inches (36 cm) D: 9.6 inches (24 cm) H: 0.78 inches (2.0 cm)
Mass	4.57 pounds (2.07 kg)
Power brick	240W slim AC adapter
Battery	4 cell Li-Polymer 90 Wh
Keyboard	Single-zone RGB backlit
Chassis	Color: Black Materials: All-metal Cooling: 2 high-capacity fans, multiple heatpipes
Number pad	No
Fingerprint reader	No
Facial recognition	Yes
Website	ASUS

All statements attributed to reviews are the reviewer's own opinion. Note that these claims were accurate at the time of publication and may be dated when you are reading this article. Read more.

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   The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022) is a high-performance gaming laptop featuring Intel 12th gen Alder Lake processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series mobile GPUs. Available configurations vary by store and location. The Zephyrus M16 is designed for gamers and content creators who need a powerful yet portable device.

Primary Hardware

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Processor

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022) can come with the following processors:

• Intel Core i7-12700H with 14 cores (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores) and 20 threads, 24 MB cache and a max frequency of 4.7 Ghz.
• Intel Core i9-12900H with 14 cores (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores) and 20 threads, 24 MB cache and max frequency of 5.0 Ghz.

The Core i9-12900H processor stabilizes at around 90W of sustained power on the Turbo setting, translating to frequencies of 3.2+ GHz on the P-cores, with temperatures ranging from 92-97°C. In the Performance profile, the CPU fluctuates between 65 and 30W, with fan noise at sub 35 dB at head-level. The Silent profile caps the processor at 35W sustained, with fan noise below 30 dB and temperatures in the low 70s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-12900H performs well, achieving scores of ~2650 points in Cinebench R15, 6371 cb in Cinebench R20, and 18169 cb in Cinebench R23 (best single run).

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R15: ~2650 points
• Cinebench R20: 6371 cb (multi-core), 687 cb (single-core)
• Cinebench R23: 18169 cb (best single run), 17880 cb (10 min run), 1891 cb (single-core)

Graphics

In addition to the integrated Intel UHD Graphics, the Zephyrus M16 (2022) ships with the following discrete GPUs:

• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU with 6 GB GDDR6 memory, 1475 MHz boost clock, and 120 W Total Graphics Power (TGP) with Dynamic Boost.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU with 8 GB GDDR6 memory, 120 W TGP with Dynamic Boost.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU with 16 GB GDDR6 memory, 1175 MHz boost clock, and 120 W TGP with Dynamic Boost.

The RTX 3070 Ti runs at up to 120W with Dynamic Boost in supported games and applications. The gaming performance is solid, with the laptop capable of running modern games at QHD+ resolution and Ultra settings, with or without Ray Tracing activated. The performance is within 5-20% of the capabilities of thicker and higher power models at similar-tier specs.

Benchmarks:

• 3DMark Fire Strike: 21717 points
• 3DMark Time Spy: 9841 points
• 3DMark Cloud Gate: 59794 points
• 3DMark 11 Performance: 29169 points
• 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU: 42739 points

Memory

The Zephyrus M16 (2022) supports a maximum of 48 GB DDR5-4800 MHz memory. Pre-configured SKUs come with either 16 GB (1 x 16) or 32 GB (2 x 16) DDR5-4800 memory. The laptop has partially soldered RAM, with 8 GB or 16 GB onboard depending on the configuration, plus an extra DDR5 DIMM slot.

Benchmarks:

• AIDA64 Memory Copy: 63157 MB/s
• AIDA64 Memory Read: 67051 MB/s
• AIDA64 Memory Write: 66275 MB/s
• AIDA64 Memory Latency: 88 ns

Storage

The Zephyrus M16 can ship with 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs. The storage slots are both PCIe gen4, and the review unit shipped with a fast high-tier Samsung PM9A1 SSD.

Benchmarks:

• CrystalDiskMark Sequential Read: 6585 MB/s
• CrystalDiskMark Sequential Write: 4887 MB/s
• AS SSD Score Total: 6864 points
• PassMark 10: Disk Mark: 42800

Co-processors

The Zephyrus M16 (2022) includes the Intel Alder Lake-P PCH, which supports various functionalities including audio and voice processing, enhancing the overall multimedia experience.

Input Devices

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Keyboard

The Zephyrus M16 comes with a single-zone RGB backlit chiclet keyboard. The keycaps are smooth and comfortable to the touch, providing a good typing experience with quiet and fast actuations. The RGB control is single-zone, and the keys are averagely bright and mostly uniformly lit, although some light creeps out from underneath the keycaps.

Touchpad

The Zephyrus M16 features a large glass clickpad that is spacious, smooth to the touch, and accurate. The surface does not rattle with casual taps, and even the physical presses are smooth and quiet.

Webcam

The Zephyrus M16 is equipped with a 720p HD IR camera for Windows Hello. The image quality is average, but it performs adequately in fair lighting conditions. The IR functionality supports facial recognition for quick login.

Microphone

The Zephyrus M16 includes a built-in array microphone. The microphone quality is decent for video calls, capturing clear audio without significant background noise.

Output Devices

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Display

The Zephyrus M16 (2022) offers two display options:

• 16-inch, FHD+ 16:10 (1920 x 1200, WUXGA), IPS-level, anti-glare, 100% sRGB, 75.35% Adobe RGB, 165 Hz, 3ms response time, Adaptive-Sync, Pantone Validated, MUX Switch + Optimus
• 16-inch, QHD+ 16:10 (2560 x 1600, WQXGA), IPS-level, anti-glare, 100% DCI-P3, 165 Hz, 3ms response time, Adaptive-Sync, Pantone Validated, MUX Switch + Optimus, Dolby Vision HDR

The QHD+ display is excellent for daily and professional use with 500 nits of peak brightness and nearly 100% DCI-P3 color coverage. The black levels are average, and the contrast ranges from 1150:1 to 1300:1. The panel comes well pre-calibrated out of the box, with a Pantone certification.

Benchmarks:

• Panel HardwareID: AU Optronics AUOC199 (B160QAN02.Q)
• Coverage: 99.8% sRGB, 85.2% AdobeRGB, 98.9% DCI-P3
• Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 505.80 cd/m2
• Min brightness in the middle of the screen: 28.37 cd/m2
• Contrast at max brightness: 1145:1

Audio

The Zephyrus M16 features a 6-speaker system with two woofers on the bottom and four tweeters firing through the grills surrounding the keyboard. The audio quality and volume are excellent, with decent bass response.

Connectivity

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WiFi

The Zephyrus M16 is equipped with an Intel AX211 WiFi 6E module. The WiFi performance is strong, supporting high-speed connections and stable connectivity.

Benchmarks:

• Average transmit speed: 1596 MBit/s

Bluetooth

The Zephyrus M16 comes with a Bluetooth 5.3 module.

SD Card Reader

The Zephyrus M16 includes a microSD card reader. The reader performs well with decent transfer speeds.

Benchmarks:

• Average JPG Copy Test: 138.1 MB/s
• Maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test: 261.31 MB/s

USB

The Zephyrus M16 is equipped with the following USB ports:

• 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
• 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery
• 1 x Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery

Display Outputs

The Zephyrus M16 comes with the following display outputs:

• 1 x HDMI 2.0b
• 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4
• 1 x Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort 1.4

Case

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The Zephyrus M16 (2022) features an all-metal black design. The compact format is showcased by the tiny bezels around the display, with a barely noticeable chin and enough space at the top for a camera and microphones. The black materials are prone to showing smudges and fingerprints.

The overall design and build of the M16 series haven’t changed from the original release, so this is still a 16-inch chassis with a total weight of around 2.075 kg (4.57 lbs).

Maintenance

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Accessing the components requires popping up the back panel, which is held in place by a couple of Philips screws. Careful that they’re of different sizes, and the three of them in the middle of the laptop are hidden under rubber caps.

Upgradeable components:

• 90 WHr battery.
• Two M.2 2280 PCIe4 x4 SSDs.
• One DDR5-4800 SODIMM slot.
• M.2 2230 wireless card.

Cooling System

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The Zephyrus M16 is equipped with two high-capacity fans and a multitude of heatpipes. The cooling module does a solid job at taming the components with demanding loads and games. The fans run loud, though, at 51+ dB on Turbo and 46+ dB on Performance.

Heat

The hottest areas are around the exhaust and the bottom chin of the screen, where the hot air is expelled. This design causes the panel to reach high temperatures in the 50s Celsius.

Benchmarks:

• Maximum upper side: ~52 °C
• Maximum bottom: ~51 °C

Noise

The fans run loud, at 51+ dB on Turbo and 46+ dB on Performance. Sub-35 dB gaming is possible on the Silent profile, but with a significant loss in performance.

Benchmarks:

• Idle: 23 dB
• Load: 47.91 dB

Energy Management

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Power Consumption

The Zephyrus M16 ships with a 240 W ACadapter and supports USB-C charging up to 100W. The battery fills up in 2+ hours, with fast charging for the first half an hour. The system automatically switches the screen’s refresh rate to 60 Hz when using the laptop on battery to increase efficiency.

Benchmarks:

• Idle: 10.8 W
• Load: 116 W

Battery Life

All Zephyrus M16 SKUs come with a 90 WHr Li-Polymer battery. The battery life is better than what was observed on the previous 12th gen Core i9 platforms tested so far, especially with light use and streaming. The laptop can last longer if you’re using the laptop with the MUX set in the Hybrid mode and not on discrete GPU.

Benchmarks:

• WiFi Websurfing: 7h 25min
• WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness: 5h 00min
• Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p: 7h 16min
• Load (maximum brightness): 1h 26min

Biometrics

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The Zephyrus M16 supports Windows Hello face recognition via the IR camera. There is no fingerprint reader in this model.

Software

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All SKUs ship with Windows 11 Home, but the laptop can be upgraded to Windows 11 Pro, either manually or when buying directly from ASUS.

Preinstalled Software

Armoury Crate

The Armoury Crate program acts as the primary control center in the Zephyrus M16. It allows users to adjust performance modes, monitor system parameters, and customize RGB lighting.

Other Preinstalled Software

The Zephyrus M16 also comes with various ASUS utilities for performance management and a 30-day trial of McAfee security software.

Linux Support

Linux support is not specified in the reviews.

Accessories & Warranty

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The Zephyrus M16 comes with a 240 W AC adapter and paperwork.

There is a one-year limited manufacturer warranty if purchased in the US.

Reviews Summary

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Overall Sentiment

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 (2022) is considered a well-rounded gaming laptop with high CPU and GPU performance relative to competitors. It is praised for its bright and color-accurate display, solid build quality, and good overall performance. However, the laptop's fan noise and thermal design are noted as areas for improvement. The laptop is suitable for gamers and content creators who need a powerful yet portable device.

Problems Summary

• Fan noise can be loud, especially in Turbo mode.
• Thermal design causes high temperatures around the exhaust and bottom chin of the screen.
• The RTX 3070 Ti's performance is slightly below average compared to competitors.
• The black materials are prone to showing smudges and fingerprints.
• Limited upgradeability due to partially soldered RAM.
• No fingerprint reader.

Links

i9-12900H, RTX 3070 Ti, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: UltrabookReview

i9-12900H, RTX 3070 Ti, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: NoteBookCheck