Asus ROG Flow X13 (13.4-inch, 2021)

Superb, versatile design of laptop and dock ; RTX 3080 delivers great gaming speed ; GTX 1650 is a solid eSports chip ; High-quality display

Laptop and dock design won’t suit everyone ; Laptop is sometimes too hot ; Middling battery life ; Minimal laptop connectivity

Slick, compact chassis ; Vivid 13.4-inch display ; Solid all-around specs

Slim chassis limits performance ; 165Hz display doesn't help battery life

If you want pure performance, there are better gaming laptops. But for sheer versatility, not to mention excellent build quality, the 2-in-1 convertible Asus ROG Flow X13 nails it. The only catch is disappointing battery life.

Strong gaming performance ; The laptop is light and portable ; Well priced for a gaming laptop

Laptop RTX 3080 doesn’t run as fast as the desktop version ; Disconnecting the Docking Station is complex ; External GPU can’t be upgraded like a desktop card

The Asus RoG Flow X13 offers a lot of gaming punch for the price, but it has some compromises.

Excellent battery life for a compact machine ; Fantastically portable ; Good for productivity and gaming ; Decent frames per second - even without the XG Mobile external GPU

Lacks USB ports without the XG Mobile external GPU ; Fan design makes it hot on the lap

This 13-inch ultraportable with a 2-in-1 design style is tiny, lightweight and we think pretty fascinating. Assuming you purchase it with the XG Mobile external GPU as a complete package then you've got a real winner here.

Small and light for a gaming laptop ; Powerful processor ; Great screen ; Great keyboard ; Has removable RTX 3080 GPU

eGPU is a cut down version of NVIDIA’s RTX 3080 ; Overall package with eGPU will likely be very expensive

Subtle laptop design ; Strong multi-core CPU performance ; Comfortable keyboard ; 16:10 display ; Fast file transfer speeds

Very expensive ; XG Mobile GPU not always as good as having one in the system ; Runs hot ; Clunky, finicky XG Mobile GPU connector ; eGPU dock is proprietary and only works with one system

The Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile is an ambitious attempt at a laptop that can do it all with a light, portable eGPU with a mobile RTX 3080. While the laptop is fast, XG Mobile is finicky and doesn't always match the experience of having the GPU in...

“The ROG Flow X13 is an ultracompact and surprisingly powerful gaming laptop.”

Compact, well-built chassis ; Excellent performance from fifth-generation AMD Ryzen 9 ; Accompanying eGPU can boost graphics performance ; Comfortable keyboard ; Crisp 4K display ; 360-degree hinge

Short battery life for an ultraportable ; Pricey

A quirky 2-in-1 convertible, the Asus ROG Flow X13 offers decent gaming performance, extraordinary speed on CPU-centric tasks (thanks to a fifth-generation AMD Ryzen 9 CPU), and as compact a chassis as you’ll find on any premium gaming laptop. Plus, a...

Compact convertible chassis ; Powerhouse processor ; 16:10 screen with stylus support ; Comfortable keyboard

Battery life isn’t great ; Comes in a $3,000 bundle ; Some screen wobble ; XG Mobile doesn’t always deliver 3080-level performance

Asus’ ROG Flow X13 is a 2-in-1 convertible gaming laptop, with the most powerful processor you can find in a 13-inch chassis. It comes with the XG Mobile, an external GPU that delivers high-end frame rates when it’s plugged in.