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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the ASUS ROG Flow X16 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 depends mostly on your specific needs. If you prefer a laptop with a higher refresh rate display for fast motion and gaming, as well as touchscreen capability, the ASUS would be a great choice. However, the Aero 5 has a higher resolution OLED display which is excellent for creative work due to its superior color accuracy and contrast ratio, but it does not support touch input and has a lower refresh rate. Both laptops offer similar processing power, though ASUS has an AMD processor while Gigabyte uses an Intel one, and both have potent GPUs suitable for gaming and intensive tasks. While the ASUS is slightly more portable and has a longer battery life for typical usage, the Gigabyte may offer slightly better performance in 3D rendering and engineering applications. Both laptops are at a midrange price point and offer similar storage and RAM, so your decision should hinge on which specific features align best with your use case. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Flow X16
- Very good for general use
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 5
- Good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.5
8.6
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
502.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 5 for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 both offer screens with high resolution and brightness, ensuring crisp, clear visuals for everyday tasks and detailed work in engineering and design, with color accuracy bolstered by wide color gamuts. However, their screens are not optimized for gaming and 3D applications due to lower refresh rates, which can hinder the smoothness and responsiveness critical to these activities. Despite their shared shortfall in gaming, the superior color representation on the Gigabyte Aero 5 makes it a better fit for professionals in design who prioritize color accuracy.
Battery
5.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.0
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
502.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ROG Flow X16 to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is good.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 boasts a powerful AMD processor and high-refresh-rate touch-display in a versatile 2-in-1 form factor, making it a strong choice for general use with more portability despite its shorter battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5, on the other hand, offers an exceptional high-resolution OLED screen and a stronger GPU, along with a slightly longer battery life, but this comes at the expense of higher weight and less portability.
Gaming and AI
7.6
7.9
7.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both good for gaming and AI.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16, with its high refresh rate display, offers smoother visuals important for gaming and 3D applications, while the Gigabyte Aero 5, armed with a more powerful GPU and a screen with a higher resolution, delivers better graphic performance and finer image quality, although with a standard refresh rate. Both have suitable CPUs and high-quality screens, with ASUS favoring fluid motion and Gigabyte focusing on visual detail and stronger graphics processing.
Engineering and Design
8.3
8.7
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 boasts a powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, with a high-refresh-rate IPS touchscreen suitable for detail-oriented engineering work, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is equipped with an even more robust Intel CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, and stands out with its high-resolution OLED screen that delivers superior color accuracy and contrast, making it exceptional for design tasks requiring precise color work. However, the Aero 5 is slightly heavier and has a lower portability score, which may be a consideration for those needing to frequently transport their laptop.
Content Creation
8.0
8.2
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.7
7.9
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and ASUS ROG Flow X16 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Cost
$1,300
$1,250
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
The ASUS ROG Flow X16 has a price of $1,300 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 costs $1,250.
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How the ASUS ROG Flow X16 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS ROG Flow X16 | Gigabyte Aero 5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,300 | $1,250 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | August 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.6'' x 0.76'' | 14'' x 10'' x 1.08'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.63 lbs | 5.07 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.98" | 14" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.57" | 10" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 502 nits | 446 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 6.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS ROG Flow X16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | June 2023
"Above all else, the Asus ROG Flow X16 is one thing - versatile! It is a thin, mobile work device, it's a 2-in-1, tablet, a powerful workstation and even a gaming PC. But something even more surprising: It does all of these things really well without making any big blunders. It's anything but a lazy compromise. Because, despite its compact dimensions and 2-in-1 functionality, the hardware isn't throttled and boasts, at least in turbo mode, above-average performance."
Gigabyte Aero 5
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Dig into reviews and images
The Tech Revolutionist
Zhi Cheng | May 2022
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Flow X16 or the Gigabyte Aero 5
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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