VERDICT
Theoretically excellent hardware that is hobbled by poor execution and poor software/firmware support. If you do not value your time, or if troubleshooting arcane BIOS issues is your hobby, or if you like adding friction to your workflows, then this is the computer for you.
THE GOOD
* Amazing screen quality (2880 x 1800 pixel, 90 Hz, OLED)
* Great aspect ratio (1920 * 1200 equivalent)
* Onboard discrete GPU in a small 14” form factor
* HUGE leap in performance coming from Intel 1165G7, especially running Fusion 360.
* Provides a USB-A port, which is rare these days.
* Provides a headphone jack, which is rare these days.
* 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SDD check the boxes for operability in 2023.
THE BAD
* Short battery life. Maybe 5 hours before Battery Saver kicks on (default settings) under web surfing and about 1 hour of YouTube viewing on Maximum Power Efficiency settings. Whatever the duration is, I always have “battery life anxiety” and am typically low-key stressed about arranging my workday around plugging the laptop in.
** This is largely a function of the Intel 1260P processor being really power hungry under any condition. My old 14” HP Specter x360 (Intel 1165G7) had such long battery life that I would be surprised whenever I saw the low battery indicator come on.
** In my opinion, 1260P should not have been positioned as the successor to the 1165G7. Although there is the U-series of CPUs, it is less mainstream than the P-series in laptops. The P-series seems to be way closer to H-series.
* Keyboard is squishier than 14” HP Specter x360
* Awkwardly-shaped trackpad causes lots of palm clicks on the bottom right-hand corner. Moving hand to the right to get palm off of trackpad means that your thumb is nearly in right-click zone. Ultimately, this means only a small sliver of usable trackpad zone.
* Finicky, inconsistent performance connecting to eGPU.
After firmware 309, discrete RTX 2050 bugs out with eGPU. It shows up in Device Manager with a yellow warning triangle.
* Relatively noisy fan (or perhaps just an annoying pitch?), compared to 14” HP Specter x360
* Fan cycles on frequently, even when not running under substantial load (i.e., just sitting there with a static webpage and Trello open. MyAsus Whisper Mode technically fixes that, but the laptop underclocks too much to be useful. It is super annoying to have to turn Whisper Mode off when you need to actually use the computer (it is a 30 second disruption to whatever I am doing).
* Even in BIOS, there is no way to adjust keyboard backlight timer. On battery, it turns off too quickly for me (I have not timed it). You always need to shake the cursor to turn the backlight on. Again, this is one more extra step in your workflow.
THE UGLY
* Fully shuts down (unsafe shutdown) after being asleep for an extended duration. This is different from Windows Hibernation, because it does not restore the operating state or open applications upon reawakening. Also, there is no Hibernate mode to turn on or off in any settings.
* Firmware 309 broke the fan profile that I had to troubleshoot and fix with a motherboard memory reset. This costs valuable time. Also, why didn’t this show up when Asus engineers tested firmware 309?
* Fingerprint reader successfully logs in only 10% of the time, which means logging in is always a multistep process (multiple clicks, multiple taps). This happens even when my hands are clean. I also registered multiple fingerprint readings in Windows.
* Firmware 309 no longer allows me to run Autodesk Fusion 360 while running on battery. My machine freezes, and the fan comes on full blast and stays on, even when the machine recovers from freezing. How many hours do I want to spend with customer support to fix this?
* Asus firmware updater exe files do not work to restore my firmware to a previous, stable version, so now I am at the mercy of the whims of Asus on when/if they decide to fix firmware 309.
PARTING THOUGHTS
* I bought a laptop to use to do work and casually play older games…it should be an invisible conduit to performing tasks. It should not be a project in itself. If you depend on this laptop to make money, then buy something else
* As a company, Asus makes great hardware, but software/firmware appears to be an afterthought. If they fixed this Achilles Heel, then they would be an unstoppable force in the premium, high-performance laptop space.
* Competition is fierce in the $1500 - $2000 price range, so I expected better.
* I will likely think twice before buying an Asus laptop again.