The Zephyrus M16 has an amazing screen and powerful components, but the GPU performance could be better
- Manufacturer: ASUS ROG
- Model: Zephyrus M16 (2021)
- Part number: GU603HR-KR007R
- Price when reviewed: £2,599
- Supplied by: ASUS
- CineBench – CPU (Single)
- (High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 1574
- CineBench – CPU (Multi)
- (High-performance mode / Auto Fan): 14437
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 Review
Overview
If you’re at all familiar with the ROG Zephyrus G14 or G15, then you know what to expect. The Zephyrus M16 is another slimline powerhouse that shares the same chassis and clamshell design as the Zephyrus G15, but it features a gorgeous 16” display in a 16:10 ratio. It is also one of the few ASUS laptops released in 2021 to be fitted with an 11th-gen Intel CPU rather than the AMD Ryzen 5000 series. Whereas the 10th gen Intel CPUs fell way behind their AMD counterparts, the new 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPUs have achieved parity with, and in some cases surpass, the mighty Ryzen 5000s.
Our review unit came with an Intel i9-11900H and an RTX 3070, but it is also available in variants with an i7 CPU and RTX 3050Ti or RTX 3060 graphics. In its most basic spec, the M16 costs just £1,599 (MSRP £1,899), however, the fully kitted variant we received costs a whopping £2,599.
Other noteworthy additions include the speedy 2TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD, 32GB DDR4-3200 memory, integrated 720p webcam and Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port. (It’s worth noting that an updated version is coming this year, with 12th-Gen Intel CPUs and up to an RTX 3070Ti, with faster DDR5 memory.)
Intel has, somewhat unfairly, got a bit of a bad rap in recent years, with many users preferring their AMD rivals. I’m happy to say that with the 11th-Gen chips the performance gap is now negligible, often favouring the Intel CPUs, especially when it comes to single-core performance. In our tests of the M16, games that favour CPU performance produced outstanding results, surpassing similar Ryzen 9 systems we’ve tested, and even those with more powerful GPUs.
Unfortunately, the RTX 3070 MaxQ in the M16 is the weak link. Due to the slimline chassis, they’ve restricted the TDP of the GPU to just 80W (100W with dynamic boost). It’s still a great GPU but the lack of power means it shows up closer to the bottom in many of our performance benchmark comparisons. The M16 manages its internal thermals quite well considering how slim it is, and the GPU remained under 70℃ even under heavy load; In theory, ASUS could bump up the TDP without much concern. Temperatures on the surfaces of the laptop give a clue as to why they haven’t been able to do this, though, as this laptop gets uncomfortably warm in places.
Design and build
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a very stylish design. Aside from the RGB-backlit keyboard, there’s very little in the way of flourishes that indicate this is a gaming machine. There’s a subtle ROG vanity plate mounted in the lower corner of the lid, and the micro-dimples running diagonally across the top are underlaid with a prismatic film that shimmers when it catches the light just right. The rest of the M16 is kept simple and is covered by a smooth, soft-touch, matte coated finish that resists fingerprint smudges effectively, and in my opinion, it looks fantastic. The soft-touch coating, in particular, is a very nice touch, as it makes the laptop feel luxurious, and it wraps around the entire system, including the lid of the wonderful 16” display.
That ASUS has crammed a 16” display into the same size chassis as most 15” laptops is an achievement in itself. The display has a whopping 94% screen to body ratio, and when the display is opened, the ErgoLift hinge conceals much of the lower bezel. It really is gorgeous to look at. The top bezel is slightly thicker, but the M16 comes with a 720p webcam, which is rare for their 2021 models. As far as integrated cameras go, it’s serviceable, but it has a tiny aperture so low-light performance is woeful. As long as you have decent lighting it’s good enough for the occasional team meeting or video chat with family and friends, so it’s a useful if underwhelming addition.
Just like the Zephyrus G14 and G15, the M16 has the ErgoLift hinge which uses the bottom of the display to raise the underside of the laptop and improve airflow. In principle, it’s a great concept, and the increased airflow is pretty much essential, but it does come with drawbacks. Because the screen covers the rear of the base, there’s no room for any ports at the back, which is a nuisance when you need to connect external peripherals, HDMI leads, ethernet cables and the power lead, as most connect at the front left of the laptop.
Additionally, this points the rear exhaust directly at the bottom of the screen. Although there were early concerns that the ErgoLift hinge would cause the exhausted heat to affect the display, it has proven to be perfectly fine even during prolonged usage. The main issue is that rather than the fan noise being pushed behind the display, it is deflected back towards you, amplifying the already loud fan noise straight towards your ears.
On the subject of temperature, considering this is such a thin laptop the internal temperature management is superb. Under the most intensive prolonged stress testing the CPU peaked at 92℃ and the GPU never exceeded 70℃. I wish I could say the same about the surface temperatures, though, as parts of this laptop get very hot. Not enough to burn you, of course, but hot enough to make your palms sweat and transfer a lot of heat into your desk or work surface, even while idling in silent mode. The areas around the palm rest and left and rightmost keys are fine, but the upper centre of the keyboard and rear edge is where you’ll find the most significant heat buildup.
Higher than desirable temperatures aside, ASUS’s build quality is exceptional. Panel fitment is tight, and there is no unwanted flex or creaking across the chassis. Even the centre of the keyboard tray, which can be prone to flexing on some laptops, is solid, and there is also only a minimal amount of flex in the lid, which is admirable, considering how thin it is.
Internals and upgrades
Gaining access to the internals is very straightforward. Simply undo the 13 Philips head screws securing the case (ensuring you spot the 3 concealed by rubber caps in the centre) – The bottom-right screw is a pop screw that loosens the case, and you can use a pry tool or even just your fingers to remove the bottom.
As is typical for laptops, upgrades are limited to adding an additional SSD or replacing one of the RAM modules. Of the 32GB installed RAM, 16GB is soldered to the board. The removable 16GB SO-DIMM can be swapped for a larger 32GB module, giving a maximum of 48GB of RAM. For most gamers, 32GB is more than sufficient, so you’re unlikely to need to upgrade this component, but the extra M.2 slot is a welcome addition.
Keyboard and trackpad
The ROG Zephyrus M16 has a tenkeyless layout, with a small bank of hotkeys across the top-left above the F keys. These include quick-access Armoury Crate, volume and mic mute keys.
The translucent keys are clearly lit by the single-zone RGB backlight, yet they are still easy to read in low-light conditions with the backlight off. They use the fantastic ROG font, which is crisp and sharp, allowing you to clearly see the key designations and quickly identify the numerous FN key shortcuts. These intuitive shortcuts are very useful, allowing quick access to frequently used adjustments such as display and keyboard backlight adjustment, performance mode switching, snipping tools and much more.
Typing and gaming on the keyboard is a pleasurable experience. The actuation is perfectly weighted, allowing for confident typing and gaming, and although it’s subjectively not quite as good as ASUS’s hybrid-mechanical switches, it’s still up there as one of my favourite laptop keyboards. Compared to some higher-pitched clicky keys, the M16 has a deep and resonant sound that shouldn’t disturb others around you or be picked up by your microphone in-game.
Situated centrally under the keyboard, the huge trackpad makes the most of the space on offer, offering an expansive and responsive surface. It’s well out of the way of the WASD zone, so unwanted palm-presses are unlikely, although I had no problems even when using the M16 for productivity, and I have a tendency to rest the base of my thumb right where the trackpad sits. The under-surface LMB and RMB (mouse) buttons are also well implemented, allowing for consistent and reliable double-clicks and drag-and-drop operations.
The power button has an integrated fingerprint reader for biometric security, and I found it to be 99% reliable. There was just one time it didn’t instantly detect my fingerprint, and this was down to me pressing it at a weird angle. I’ve tried some fingerprint sensors that are pretty hit-and-miss, but here it’s a fantastic addition, unlocking the laptop in a split second.
Connectivity and I/O ports
There’s a good selection of ports on the Zephyrus M16, even if their location at the front left of the laptop is less than desirable. There are four high-speed USB ports: 2x USB-A (1x 3.2 Gen2, 1x 3.2 Gen1) and 2 USB-C that can connect to external displays (1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x DP alt mode and charging), an HDMI 2.0b port, RJ45 Ethernet port, 3.5mm combi-jack for headsets and a micro SD card slot.
:On the left of the M16, you will find the HDMI port, both USB-C ports, USB-A 3.2 Gen2, the 3.5mm combi-jack port, ethernet port, and the power connector.
:On the right side is a USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A port, the micro SD card reader, and a Kensington lock connector.
Display
The ROG Zephrus M16 has a stunning 2560×1600 display, with a 165Hz refresh rate, adaptive sync and fantastic colour. The display is both Pantone Validated and Dolby Vision certified, and although it isn’t technically an HDR display, it does have a remarkably wide colour gamut that’s impressive from the moment you boot it up.
The 16:10 aspect ratio lends itself well to productivity but is also fully supported by pretty much every game. On games without a FOV slider, you may lose a little in peripheral view, but mostly you just gain a little verticality to your viewpoint. AAA titles won’t be hitting the full refresh rate very often without dropping the settings down a lot, but competitive or CPU dependent titles like CS:GO, Forza Horizon 4, Fortnite and Halo Infinite can all be run at the full 165Hz with minimal tinkering, so it’s a good choice of screen for this configuration.
When manufacturers announce their display specifications, they often use the gamut volume in place of gamut coverage, as the figure is often higher. ASUS claim a DCI-P3 coverage of 100%, which I expected to be far lower. Incredibly, the Zephyrus M16 recorded 99% DCI-P3 coverage, which is very impressive indeed.
sRGB coverage was 100% with a gamut volume of a staggering 150%, DCI-P3 coverage was 99% with a volume of 107%, and AdobeRGB coverage was 88% with a volume of 104%, all of which are outstanding.
Peak brightness was recorded at 454.2 cd/m², with a black level of 0.47 cd/m². The brightness is excellent, but this is let down by a quite high black level of 0.47 cd/m². Backlight bleed is far less noticeable at lower brightness settings, but at full brightness, predominantly dark scenes have a visible lightness to them that washes out blacks. Contrast, as a result, is a pretty average 970:1.
With no way to adjust it, having accurate native gamma is important. The Zephyrus M16 sits just below the 2.2 gamma curve, but it’s close enough to be of no concern for general use. In the image below you’ll see that the grey ramp appears to fluctuate quite a lot, but if you check the scale you’ll see that it’s only moving slightly above or below the target 6500K, and any deviations are imperceptible to the naked eye.
Viewing angles are excellent, as you’d expect from an IPS display, and panel uniformity is very good across the display. Any deviations are minor, and again, imperceptible without measuring equipment.
Whilst watching the Blur Busters UFO test, panel response was superb, with no noticeable artefacts, haloing or colour phasing evident. During gaming, I was very impressed at how responsive the display felt, and images looked crisp and sharp at 165 fps, as well as when running games closer to 60 fps, with no smearing or unwanted blur.
(In its cheaper specs, the Zephyrus M16 has 1920×1200 resolution and a quoted 100% sRGB coverage. Although it won’t be as vividly coloured, the lower resolution is better suited to the RTX 3050Ti and 3060 they ship with.)
Performance
The Intel Core i9-11900H in the Zephyrus M16 is fantastic. Single-core performance surpasses most laptops we’ve tested, and multi-threaded performance is on par with the best that AMD has to offer at present. This is truly a powerhouse CPU, and whether you want to do some streaming, content creation or just blast out some AAA gaming, this is a very impressive CPU.
ASUS is a master at extracting the peak performance from components, made apparent when comparing with the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE we recently reviewed; in CPU reliant tasks, the identical CPU performed around 10% better in the M16. It’s not just productivity where the M16 shines, though, as CPU reliant games run phenomenally well, too.
Where the M16 stumbles is with its GPU. It’s not that the RTX 3070 is bad, as it performs far better in other systems, but the M16 only runs at 80W/100W (Dynamic boost), so performance is way down in GPU intensive titles compared to the 115W/130W (Dynamic boost) GPU in ASUS’s own Strix G15. As long as you have the spare power-overhead, the M16’s RTX 3070 runs at or close to 100W, but considering the mostly very reasonable thermal performance, I wish they’d squeezed a bit more grunt from it.
In the majority of the tests, the Zephyrus M16 is bringing up the rear in our comparison groups. That being said, the performance difference against similarly priced systems with RTX 3080s is surprisingly small. As you can see from the comparisons below, there’s not a huge advantage to the RTX 3080 in many cases. Considering the price is so similar you may find the Zephyrus M16 more appealing, especially if you can make full use of the excellent Intel CPU. It’s certainly worth weighing up the whole package as opposed to going for the slightly higher frame rates.
If you like to connect external peripherals and a display when you are at home, you can use HDMI 2.0b, but this means a maximum resolution of 2160p at 60fps, as well as having performance limited by Nvidia Optimus – if you have a compatible display that supports DP over USB-C, you can expect roughly 10% higher frame rates, as well as 2160p/144Hz support. All of our comparison devices below have been tested using an external display, utilising a port that connects directly to the discrete GPU where possible, bypassing Nvidia Optimus.
image: Borderlands 3 – Gearbox
Benchmarks
All benchmark tests were carried out with the performance mode set to Turbo in the Armoury Crate software, which overclocks the GPU and runs the CPU at its maximum, dynamically adjusting fan speed to keep everything cool. (Using the Turbo setting is excruciatingly loud, though. Switching to performance mode means losing a couple of frames per second, but it is far kinder on the ears.)
Benchmarks were recorded at the native resolution using the inbuilt display, and for comparisons, at 1080p, 1440p and 2160p using an external display. If DLSS was available, it was set to performance mode unless stated otherwise.
Gaming Benchmark Results
Gaming performance comparisons
We’ve listed a range of similarly priced computers with varied GPUs for comparison, including the 16” Acer Predator Triton 500SE which is a very similar laptop albeit with an RTX3080. This should give you an idea of how it compares against a range of processors and system configurations. We find these comparisons useful for consumers looking for not only the best overall performance but the best value, too.
| Laptop/PC | ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 | Acer Predator Triton 500 SE | ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 | ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 | ASUS ROG Strix G15 |
| Model | G533QS-HQ132T | PT516-51s | GA503QS-HQ003T | GU603HR-KR007R | G516QR-HF010T |
| Processor | R9 5900HX | i9-11900H | R9 5900HS | i9-11900H | R7 5800H |
| GPU | RTX 3080 16GB | RTX 3080 8Gb | RTX 3080 8GB | RTX 3070 8GB | RTX 3070 8GB |
| GPU TGP/TDP | 115W/130W Dynamic Boost | 110W | 80W/100W Dynamic Boost | 80W/100W Dynamic Boost | 115W/130W Dynamic Boost |
| Ram | 32GB DDR4-3200 | 32GB DDR4-3200 | 32GB DDR4-3200 | 32GB DDR4-3200 | 16GB DDR4-3200 |
| SSD | 2 x 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD | 2 x 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0) | 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD | 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0) | 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD |
| Display | 1440p 165Hz | 2560*1600 165Hz | 1440p 165Hz | 2560*1600 165Hz | 1080p 300Hz |
| Price | £2,699 | £2,699 | £2,599 | £2,599 | £1,699 |
System Benchmark Results
Cinebench R23
3DMark – Time Spy (DX12)
| ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 | ASUS ROG Strix G15 | Acer Predator Triton 500 SE | ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 | ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 | |
| Time Spy Score | 11125 | 10379 | 10309 | 10232 | 9717 |
| Graphics | 11440 | 10703 | 10428 | 10383 | 9732 |
| CPU | 9626 | 8860 | 9683 | 9454 | 9635 |
3DMark – Fire Strike (DX11)
| ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 | ASUS ROG Strix G15 | Acer Predator Triton 500 SE | ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 | ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 | |
| Fire Strike Score | 23835 | 23101 | 22687 | 21547 | 21363 |
| Graphics Score | 26593 | 26147 | 26800 | 23701 | 24835 |
| Physics Score | 25494 | 24053 | 23877 | 23521 | 24690 |
| Combined Score | 12709 | 11953 | 10194 | 11921 | 9492 |
PCMark 10
| ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 | ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 | Acer Predator Triton 500 SE | ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 | ASUS ROG Strix G15 | |
| PCMark 10 | 7175 | 7062 | 6956 | 6951 | 6875 |
| Essentials | 10383 | 10382 | 9499 | 9999 | 10108 |
| App start-up | 15198 | 15095 | 12005 | 13589 | 14665 |
| Video Conferencing | 7891 | 7921 | 7921 | 7847 | 7732 |
| Web Browsing | 9336 | 9360 | 9015 | 9376 | 9108 |
| Productivity | 9744 | 9646 | 9743 | 9004 | 9257 |
| Spreadsheets | 11205 | 10997 | 12908 | 11050 | 10641 |
| Writing | 8474 | 8461 | 7335 | 7337 | 8054 |
| Content Creation | 9909 | 9543 | 9869 | 10123 | 9423 |
| Photo Editing | 16185 | 15295 | 14191 | 14140 | 15397 |
| Rendering & Visualisation | 11699 | 11151 | 11734 | 12460 | 11414 |
| Video Editing | 5139 | 5096 | 5774 | 5889 | 4762 |
Storage
The 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD is blisteringly fast, resulting in superb system responsiveness and very fast loading of games and apps. The extensive 2TB capacity should be plenty for most users but can be expanded with the addition of an extra M.2 drive, for which there is a spare slot inside the easily accessible case.
Sequential read and write speeds of 7071 MB/s and 5115 MB/s respectively are amongst the best results we’ve seen and have only been surpassed by laptops utilising a RAID0 configuration.
CrystalDiskMark
The following are the results recorded in CrystalDiskMark, with figures measured in MB/s
Battery life
The Zephyrus M16 has power-hungry components, fed by a large 90Wh battery. On battery power, the system can be set to an aggressive power-saving mode, which helps extend the battery life.
Watching 1080p video played back from an external hard drive, we got around 7 hours of battery life. For standard productivity and browsing, we used PCMark 10 running on a loop and averaged around 5.5 hours on a full charge. Gaming puts greater demand on the battery, resulting in roughly 1 hour of play at 50% brightness, with the framerate capped at 60fps. This is typical of gaming laptops, of course. You should always game connected to the mains, as besides the battery not lasting long, you only get the full performance with a dedicated power supply connected.
Charging from empty to full with the 240W charger is comparatively fast. It quick-charges from empty to 50% in around 30 minutes, with a full charge taking 1 hour and 20 minutes. The Zephyrus M16 also supports USB-C charging at up to 100W and can be topped up with power banks, via monitors that support power delivery, or even a mobile phone charger, however, these extend the charging time even further, without any fast-charging at lower battery levels.
Pricing and alternatives
At £2,599, the Zephyrus M16 is priced firmly in the enthusiast-level price range, but it fairs well in comparison to its rivals. The main competition comes from the likes of Acer’s Triton 500 SE, which shares almost identical specifications. The Triton 500 SE costs £100 more, but it comes with an RTX 3080 with a TDP of 110W, which means it performs notably better in GPU dependent games.
In ASUS’s own range, there is the Zephyrus G15 which has marginally better performance at the same price, and for just £100 more, the Strix Scar 15, which is a more gamer-focused laptop with stunning RGB bias lighting, per-key backlighting and an excellent hybrid mechanical keyboard.
In outright gaming terms and if we’re going for maximum price/performance ratio, though, the ROG Strix G15 with a Ryzen 7 and RTX 3070 is hard to beat, especially as it costs roughly £1000-£1100 less than the other enthusiast-grade systems in our comparisons.
Summary
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is a very well made laptop, with a restrained yet stylish aesthetic, phenomenal display, rapid SSD and an outstanding CPU. I can’t help feeling that it underperforms, though, with the 80W RTX 3070 failing to hit the same highs that the rest of the components are capable of. A lot of this comes down to the thinness and portability – as desirable as a thin laptop may be, it comes at a price – in this case, excessive heat build-up across the surfaces of the laptop and underachieving GPU performance.
It’s a fantastically good laptop to use, and it’s slick and fast no matter what tasks you throw at it. Yes, you lose a few FPS compared to similarly priced (and even cheaper) laptops, but if you mainly play CPU dependent games this balance swings in favour of the M16. In reality, the difference in frame rates is minuscule, even against RTX 3080 equipped beasts, and if you don’t mind tinkering with the settings you’ll clear the 60fps limit at native resolution for many years to come.
