Asus ROG Flow Z13

Asus figured out how to turn a Microsoft Surface Pro into a powerful gaming rig, so yeah, the ROG Flow Z13 earns our top stop. Most impressive is that this 13.4-inch tablet can be outfitted with the latest 12th-gen Intel Core i9-12900H processor and an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU—a rather remarkable feat for a 2.2-pound, 0.47-inch tablet. These high-end components make the 13-inch slate not only capable of running demanding workloads but also of playing modern games at respectable graphics settings.

Even then, Asus gives you the option to wield more power. When connected via a proprietary PCIe 3.0 x8 port to Asus’s XG Mobile eGPU, the portable tablet shape-shifts into a beastly gaming rig with the power of an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU or AMD’s newly revealed Radeon RX 6850M XT GPU—two of the most capable mobile chips around. It means you can crank things up to Ultra for the best image quality or get enough frame rates to actually take advantage of your new 360Hz monitor.

You’ll need a keyboard to play, so it’s nice of Asus to include a magnetic one with per-key RGB lighting and 1.7mm of key travel. Of course, you could also connect to a different Bluetooth keyboard or use one of the tablet’s USB-A ports to go wired. Display options are also generous and include a 1080p display at 120Hz or a 4K IPS panel at 60Hz, each with a 16:10 aspect ratio.

This is a dream device for mobile gamers, and it will sadly stay that way for most folks. We don’t know how much the ROG Flow Z13 will cost, but the XG Mobile eGPU alone goes for $1,500, so yay, another toy for the 1%.