ROG GL502VS Review - Best In Looks, Best In Performance : Techtictok

Asus’ first Strix-branded laptop is a Full HD gaming rock star complete with an amazing screen and booming speakers to bring the noise.

PROS:

Solid performance
Rocks Full HD gaming
Deliciously vibrant screen
Surprisingly powerful speakers

CONS:

Battery life can be better

ROG Strix is the newest recruit into the Republic of Gamers. It’s also isn’t the world’s thinnest gaming laptop measuring in at 15.35 x 10.47 x 1.2 inches

A series of specialized gaming gear designed for the rebel in all of us, Strix embodies ROG’s premier performance, innovative technology, and leading quality, but with its own confident and dynamic attitude. The ROG Strix GL502 is an incredibly powerful 15.6” gaming notebook with a compact, lightweight design. At around 2.5cm thick (23.5mm for VM, 30mm for VS) and weighing only 2.2kg (2.3kg for VS), the ROG Strix GL502 easily fits into most backpacks or bags for high-end gaming on the go. Powered by the latest-generation NVidia Pascal GPU, a 6th gen quad-core Intel® Core™ i7 processor, and up to 32GB of high-performance 2133MHz DDR4 RAM, ROG Strix GL502 delivers amazing performance with the latest games.

Asus has slowly been edging its way away from the done-to-death black and red color scheme found on most gaming laptops. Instead of crimson highlights, the GL502 has orange trim accenting its black paint job. It’s not a grand departure like the titanium and copper design found on the Asus ROG GX700 and ROG G752 , but it’s a start.

Though, we almost wish Asus would have stuck to the purely black and red motif, as the keyboard backlighting is still red. Aside from the new paintjob, Asus has seriously upped the profile of this machine with a new look that’s in line with the rest of its ROG series. Whereas the Asus ROG G501 closely copied the MacBook Pro look, the GL502 stands on its own with an attractive and aggressive design. Asus has given the keyboard deck a similar brushed finish to its top lid, while the underside carries a mechanical design etched into the panel. Beyond looks, the Strix’s largely plastic exterior also helps keep weight down to a mere 4.9-pounds (2.22kg). The Asus ROG Strix GL502 is a rock star when it comes to Full HD gaming, For the last few weeks, we’ve been using the 15-inch notebook as our primary Hitman playing system, and it’s been an absolute joy with the settings turned all the way up for a near constant 60 frames per second (fps) frame rate. With regular usage, expect to get between three to four hours of battery life, if you’re not doing much and being extremely conservative about the screen brightness. While battery life is a mild disappointment, the quality of the screen and speakers on the GL502 are impeccable. We’ve pretty much adored the screen on every Asus device from the ZenBook series to the company’s most affordable Chromebook , but the vibrancy of colors seen on the Strix is on a whole other level. The Asus ROG GL502 also sounds excellent, thanks to a pair of surprisingly powerful speakers. The Asus ROG Strix GL502 is stylish without out being overtly obnoxious about it. Beyond its sharp looks, there aren’t many other gaming laptops this thin and light that can be equipped with an 8GB NVidia GTX 1070. Even with a 6GB NVidia GTX 1060, this machine more than kills it with Full HD gaming now and for years to come. Plus, there’s the super vibrant screen and potent speakers help round out the entertainment experience with this amazing machine.

Verdict:

Aside from the knock against battery life, there’s not much wrong with the Asus ROG Strix GL502. In fact, almost everything else about the machine is stellar, from its crisp keyboard and loud speakers to its stunning screen for a solid Full HD gaming experience. This is one of the best all-around gaming laptops we’ve ever reviewed, hands down, and we recommend it if you’re in the market for a solid mobile PC gaming system.