The Gaming Laptop That Turns Heads

Ever since the release of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 design story on YouTube, the G14 has become one of PC Gaming’s most wanted laptops.

The G14 is a budget-friendly performance and portability beast that gives the Razer Blade Stealth, Blade 15, and it’s Intel chips some friendly competition (the comparison being made as these are the only true aesthetically pleasing gaming laptops boasting similar specs and portability.)

The Zephyrus G14 is unlike any laptop that has ever entered the market, boasting a unique personalizing option, dubbed the AniMe Matrix, which allows owners to customize the mini-LED lights embedded in the cover of the laptop with an 8-bit schematic.

Everything about this laptop screams perfect for anyone looking for a balance between style, portability, and performance. The one caveat? This laptop was supposed to be released earlier this Spring, but people in the United States (among other non-Asian countries) are still waiting to get their hands on this gem at the beginning of summer.

While BestBuy has released some configurations of the G14, notably the GA401IV-BR9N6, GA401IH-BR7N2BL, and GA401IUBS76 models. The Anime Matrix versions of the laptop are still pending release.

What's Taking So Long For This Release?

Originally slated for a release of all of its versions in May, the Zephyrus G14 has not seen the light of day in most countries. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the world and the extended quarantine in the United States, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is seeing delays in both the versions being released and the areas that the laptop is being released to.

The United States in particular is seeing extended release times, with no estimated dates of arrival being proposed by Asus or Best Buy for versions other than the Moonlight White model equipped with the GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics card, and the Space Grey GTX 1650 and 1660 Ti versions.

While not everyone who pre-ordered their Zephyrus G14’s from Best Buy has received them yet, Best Buy has indeed been fulfilling orders as the laptops become available.

It’s only a matter of time until the remaining versions of the laptop are released, but it does seem like these releases are happening one by one, with the Space Grey G14 equipped with Nvidia’s GTX 1650 graphics card being released for a short window of time on May 28th, and the 1660 Ti model released shortly after (but has since been taken off of Best Buy and placed exclusively on the Asus store, much like the AniMe Matrix models.)

So, Where Can I Purchase the G14 with Anime Matrix?

The G14 with the AniMe Matrix LED lights seems as though it can only be purchased in the U.S. directly through the Asus store website, rather than Best Buy where other models of the new 14" Zephyrus have been released (albeit without the AniMe Matrix perk.)

Both the Moonlight White and Space Grey versions of the Zephyrus G14 are listed as "Coming Soon" on the official Asus store website, which is a lot better than not seeing this configuration listed at all on any distributor, as it has been all Spring season.

What Specs Does The G14 Have?

There are essentially four different iterations of this laptop in 2 different color variants--Moonlight White and Space Grey (not all iterations have both color variants.) These color variants were chosen to give the G14 a futuristic cyberpunk vibe. Depending on the country and retailer, the laptop may come with different customization options like the specific processor used and the amount of RAM installed, so hardcore gamers may want to wait until the laptop is released with their preferred design, but who knows how long that could take?

Across the board, however, are some shared specs that every ROG G14 has. In the next sections, we will go over these as well as the other different options that the laptop might be built with, and any information that we have on expected or rumored release dates.

Differences in Specs Across Laptops

Here is where things start to change a bit. The biggest difference being in the video graphics card used to support the system, followed by the laptop's processor (the most expensive configurations of this laptop make use of AMD's newest Ryzen 9 4900HS chip), and last but not least the laptop's display. Each different configuration of these laptops may or may not come to every country, but at least some form of the laptop will be released.

ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IV (Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q)
So far in the United States, the first configuration of the ROG G14 that has been released was the GA401IV-BR9N6. This is the config is the regular Moonlight White version of the GA401IV, which uses the AMD Ryzen 9 processor and a 1080p 120hz FHD display screen with a default 16gb of RAM installed (again, all G14's can be upgraded to 32GB of RAM.)

Other iterations of this laptop variation (G14 GA401IV) may include builds with the AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS processor, a 1440p 60hz WQHD display, and a 1080p 60hz FHD display.

One thing to note is that the Space Gray version of this laptop will use the 1440p 60hz WQHD display and not any of the others. This can be a problem for some people who prefer a higher refresh rate to resolution (mainly e-sports level competitive gamers), but for content creators and the average gamer, the higher display resolution should be welcomed.

The 2060 Max-Q used in all iterations of the GA401IV boasts a whopping 6GB GDDR6 VRAM (Boost Clock: 1285MHz, 65W.) This, paired with AMD's Ryzen 9 processor chip makes this laptop one of the most powerful gaming behemoths on the market.

According to Best Buy, this variation of the Zephyrus G14 is completely compatible with Virtual Reality systems like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality Ultra.

It should be noted, however, that the model currently on sale at American Best Buys (GA401IV-BR9N6), does not include the novel Anime Matrix LED light technology.

ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IU (Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti)
The GTX 1660TI graphics card isn't too far of a step down from the RTX 2060 Max-Q, which gives the G14 less than 30% of a performance boost, making the 1660 ti a great budget option for purchasers who are playing less demanding games, like Fortnite and League of Legends as opposed to titles like Far Cry and Grand Theft Auto V. The 1660TI still impresses laptop gamers with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM (Boost Clock: 1435MHz, 60W)

Other builds of this G14 variation may include either the AMD Ryzen 9 4900 HS or Ryzen 7 4800 HS processor and the different display options of either a 1440p WQHD 60hz display, a 1080p FHD 120hz display, or a 1080p FHD 60hz display. Like the

The Space Grey Zephyrus G14 with Nvidia's 1660ti and an FHD 120hz Display has been released in the UK, demonstrating that we will see this arrangement in other countries like the US as well. Countries around the world, however, are still waiting for a release of this laptop that comes with the new patented AniMe Matrix lighting display.

ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IH (Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650)
While no Anime Matrix version of this laptop has been released in the United States yet, we know that it is coming. The GA401IH iteration of the ROG Zephyrus G14 is the only version that does not have an Anime Matrix build option. This is likely due to the less efficient and less powerful video card being used, the GTX 1650, which is a slight downgrade from the 1650 Ti, having only 4GB GDDR6 VRAM (Boost Clock: 1615MHz, 50W.)

Like the GA401II series of the G14, this also cannot come with the 1440P WQHD display option. This is also the only version that does not come or support a 180W power adapter. The G14 GA401IH comes with a 150W power adapter, but like the others, it also supports Type-C PD 3.0 up to 65 watts.

When Will More Configurations Become Available?

I wouldn't hold my breath on a bet that the above iterations of the Zephyrus G14 will be available soon to U.S. customers. Not even Asus can say for sure, as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to overload the importation of PC parts and gaming laptops. Rumors have it that by July, we will see the release of the Anime Matrix models of the Zephyrus G14.

What we can infer from the Asus store listing the AniMe Matrix models of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 on their website as "coming soon", and taking into account the staggered but steady releases of other versions of the laptop, is that the laptop will be released sometime in July, but with a likely second wave of COVID-19, we may have to wait a little longer to receive our orders.

At the very least, I would at least wait to purchase the laptop that has your preferred graphics card, if you are too impatient to wait for any other preferred configuration such as having an Anime Matrix model (which we are surely waiting for), or a certain color variant. The upgrade-ability from model to model is extremely cost-efficient, and potential purchasers should make the best decision for their wallets and gaming needs.

The best available model of the Zephyrus G14 comes doesn't come with AniMe Matrix, but is an amazing budget deal for anyone who doesn't need the thrill of LED lights on the back of their laptop (we're waiting for that ill tech though.)

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https://illesttech.com/the-zephyrus-g14-with-the-new-anime-matrix-is-finally-coming-to-the-united-states/