The Zephyrus G15 brings 240Hz ultra-slim gaming to its widest audience yet

Articles: News
Jan 07, 2020 Written by:ROG Article

Ultra-slim gaming laptops usually come with a premium price due to how difficult it is to get good performance and cooling in a chassis under 20mm thin. But the Republic of Gamers is for everyone. We’re determined to make the category more accessible, especially to students, freelancers, and creators who need powerful laptops they can carry everywhere.

That drive initially produced the agile Zephyrus G GA502, which features a compelling cocktail of core components, comprehensive cooling, and classic looks at a price that makes premium features available to a much wider audience. At CES 2020, we’re making it even better in the powerfully versatile Zephyrus G15.

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Adding the latest 4th Gen AMD® Ryzen™ processors retains the battery-friendly power efficiency of the original but spins up to an impressive 8 cores to help you do more. Type-C charging inherited from higher-end Zephyrus laptops stretches your uptime on the go by supporting charging up from lightweight power packs and adapters.

Gaming gets a major boost with GPU options up to the NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060, which pushes pixels fast enough to saturate ultra-fast displays up to 240Hz. Adaptive Sync variable refresh rate technology modulates refresh rate for smoother and more immersive gameplay, while Pantone® validation ensures impeccable color accuracy for creative work. Combined with cutting-edge cooling that optimizes system settings based on the scenario, these upgrades make the Zephyrus G15 a formidable gaming force with the flexibility to do much more.

Looks that travel anywhere

Slender style is a point of pride for the Zephyrus family. At only 19.9mm thin and 2.1kg, the G15 is small enough to slip into most conventional backpacks. Super-narrow bezels frame the 15-inch display on three sides, squeezing it into a 14-inch footprint that leaves plenty of room on your desk for a mouse and other peripherals.

The stealthy black exterior is clean and refined. Hairline brush strokes across the lid echo in cooling vents that rake across the deck below the display. A subtle diamond cut near the touchpad lets you open the laptop effortlessly with one finger. Tasteful white backlighting under the keyboard integrates with the rest of the G15's stealthy style to deliver a polished, professional package.

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This refined styling travels effortlessly from classrooms to coffee shops, where you won’t have to fight for power thanks to Type-C charging. Support for USB Power Delivery used to be reserved for more premium Zephyrus models, but the new Zephyrus G15 brings it to everyone. With the ability to charge from USB power packs like the ASUS ZenPower Pro PD, you can stop charting a mental map of all the nearest outlets and work wherever creativity takes you. For lighter work that doesn’t engage the discrete GPU, you can also run the laptop off smaller Type-C adapters up to 65W. When it’s time to plug in and fully recharge the G15, fast-charging support reverses the direction of the flow, using up to 3A to quickly rejuvenate smartphones and other devices.

Life on the road involves lots of wireless networking, so the G15 has superfast Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) to let you connect and play at speed. When paired with a compatible router, Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) boosts peak interface bandwidth up to 2.4Gbps. It also improves efficiency for busy networks like those found in libraries and other crowded places. Lower latency leads to less lag for sensitive activities like online gaming, and expanded upstream capacity provides more bandwidth for live-streaming.

More cores to do everything

Our work with AMD to bring previous-gen Ryzen processors to the 15-inch Zephyrus G GA502 spawned a new breed of accessibly priced ultra-slim gaming laptops. For the latest G15, we collaborated more closely to create a series tuned for the needs of these compact devices.

Under the hood, the all-new AMD® Ryzen™ 7 4800HS mobile APU doubles the core count of the previous generation. With an impressive 8 cores and 16 threads, it muscles through heavy multitasking, content creation, and other demanding work. Cutting-edge 7nm fabrication technology helps condense that power into a small and efficient package. Its lower power consumption generates less heat to dissipate, which is crucial for such a compact chassis and enables a level of sustained performance that is rare in such a portable gaming laptop.

The punchy CPU pairs with up to 32GB of fast DDR4-3200 RAM divided between dual channels. You can seamlessly switch between tasks with enough headroom for bigger projects. Up to 1TB of superfast NVMe SSD storage lets you take your game library, personal portfolio, and massive media collection everywhere.

Deep gaming immersion

When it’s game time, a GeForce RTX™ 2060 augmented by ROG Boost up to 1298MHz at 65W handily delivers high frame rates for a huge range of popular games. Built on NVIDIA’s Turing architecture, this GPU combines CUDA cores for programmable shading with dedicated RT cores for ray tracing and Tensor cores for AI to produce hyper-realistic visuals with advanced lighting, shadows, and other effects.

Particularly interesting for streamers is Turing’s upgraded video encoder, which improves capture quality by up to 15% while also reducing the CPU load to enable better performance. This dedicated hardware is compatible with Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), so it’s incredibly handy for anyone looking to start streaming and sharing their gameplay with the world.

Speedy displays let you reap the full benefit of RTX horsepower. The Zephyrus G15 is available with refresh rates up to 240Hz—four times the output of standard screens—can show off every frame produced by its powerful hardware. The panel’s 3ms gray-to-gray response time makes the picture especially sharp at speed, whether you’re lining up targets in a fast-paced shooter or quickly scrolling through web pages on your desktop.

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The display is also factory calibrated and Pantone Validated to ensure creators get the color accuracy they crave. The IPS-type panels have wide viewing angles and cover 100% of the sRGB range. They’re framed by exceptionally thin bezels, creating an 81% screen-to-body ratio that makes these screens feel larger and more engrossing no matter what you’re creating, watching, or playing.

Adaptive Sync technology makes the experience even more mesmerizing. Frame rates vary depending on the game and what’s happening in the scene. But most displays refresh at a fixed rate, which creates problems when new frames aren’t ready at the right time. Adaptive Sync synchronizes the refresh rate of the display with the frame rate of the GPU to eliminate visual tearing that can ruin immersion. Coordinating frame delivery also minimizes perceptible stuttering and input lag that can hinder your game.

Stay cool on the run

Capable cooling enables processors to perform at their peak, and the compact dimensions of ultra-slim notebooks demand even greater efficiency to elevate performance. ROG’s Intelligent Cooling philosophy allows the Zephyrus G15 to get more from its silicon with a strategic blend of hardware and software that optimizes performance and acoustics—and can maintain it over time.

The self-cleaning thermal module ejects dust and particles that could otherwise build up and compromise heat dissipation over the life of the system. Anti-dust tunnels prevent accumulation on the heatsinks and fans by catching particles sucked into the fan and propelling them out the back.

Carefully placed heat pipes wick heat away from the CPU and GPU, as well as the circuitry supplying their power. The processors have multiple pipes connected to shared heatsinks, ensuring optimal cooling for any workload, including gaming that puts more stress on the GPU.

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ROG n-Blade fans maximize airflow through the heatsinks. They’re made of a special liquid crystal polymer that allows the blades to be incredibly thin but still strong enough to withstand high RPMs. Because each blade is 33% thinner than conventional designs, each fan can fit 83 blades. This is the highest-density fan in our arsenal, and it improves airflow by up to 17% over previous fan designs.

Different tasks require varying levels of performance and cooling, so the G15 uses operating modes to adapt to those needs. Turbo mode sets clocks and fan speeds to the maximum for heavy lifting and time-sensitive projects. Performance mode makes adjustments to lower noise levels for gaming while maintaining high FPS. And Silent mode lowers acoustics for basic tasks like browsing the web, watching videos, and taking notes in class. You can switch between modes on demand with a convenient keyboard shortcut, or let ROG Armoury Crate software change among them automatically with Scenario Profiles that let you associate individual games and applications with specific modes and other system settings.

Flexibility for more

The Zephyrus G15 pumps sound through two front-firing speakers powered by Smart Amp technology that keeps them within thermal and excursion limits, so you can turn it up without distorting the output or damaging the cones. Hi-Res Audio certification ensures a richer acoustic experience for audiences that appreciate higher fidelity. To make the experience even more immersive, plug in headphones and put yourself at the center of the action with 7.1-channel virtual surround sound powered by our Sonic Studio III software.

Our laptop keyboards are tuned for gaming, with keys shaped and spaced to improve input accuracy. ROG Overstroke technology raises the actuation point for the key switches, enabling faster input with a comfortable feel. N-key rollover ensures that every press registers, even when you’re hitting multiple keys at the same time. You can fire off function commands quickly and intuitively thanks to spacing that mimics desktop layouts, and access essential commands like volume and mic mute instantly with dedicated hotkeys.

Plenty of inputs and outputs let you make the most of your battlestation. Three Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports offer enough capacity for a gaming mouse, gamepad, and external storage. The reversible Type-C USB port does more than charge devices and transfer data; its DisplayPort™ 1.4 compatibility lets you hook up an external monitor for more screen real estate, so you can play games on one display and keep up with chat and emails on the other. There’s also an HDMI 2.0b output that can drive a 60Hz signal for 4K monitors and TVs, or offer a convenient connection for projectors in class.

  ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502I
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS
Display 15.6" non-glare 240Hz 3ms FHD IPS-level panel with Adaptive Sync technology
15.6" non-glare 144Hz FHD IPS-level panel with Adaptive Sync technology
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB GDDR6
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB GDDR6
Memory Up to 32 GB DDR4 3200MHz
Storage 1 TB / 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
Wireless Intel WiFi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth® 5.0
Connectivity 1x RJ-45 jack
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery)
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type‑A
1 x HDMI 2.0b
1 x 3.5 mm audio combo jack
Keyboard White-backlit chiclet keyboard w/ N-key rollover and Overstroke
Audio 2 speakers with smart amp technology
Battery 76 Wh 4-cell Lithium-ion
AC Adapter 180 W AC Adapter
OS Windows 10 Pro
Size 360 x 252 x 19.9 mm
Weight 2.1 kg

Streamlined essentials in an ultra-slim package

The ROG Zephyrus G15 is a compelling gaming machine that makes high-end features available to a wider audience. The ultra-slim design has big shoes to fill, but its super-fast display with Pantone Validation and Adaptive Sync technology, plus an 8-core Ryzen processor and Type-C charging, help the machine stand out from its wildly popular predecessor.

The ROG Zephyrus G15 will be available starting in the first quarter of 2020. Check with your local ROG representative for details on configurations, availability, and pricing in your region.