The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 are both midrange laptops suitable for gaming, with similar price points and storage capacities. The ASUS offers a slightly larger screen with a higher refresh rate, making it better for fast motion and 3D rendering. Its battery life is shorter than the Gigabyte's, but it compensates with higher performance in general use and engineering tasks. The ASUS is lighter and has a better portability score, despite its larger screen size. It also has a better keyboard and speaker quality. For intensive tasks and gaming, ASUS might be the better choice, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 offers longer battery life and slightly greater portability. 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 Zephyrus M16
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 15
Good battery life
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.5/10
8.0/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Gigabyte Aorus 15 are both very good for gaming and AI, though the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is somewhat better.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 excels in gaming and 3D applications primarily due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, which makes for very fluid visuals. Comparatively, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 also delivers a strong gaming and 3D performance with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a solid refresh rate of 165Hz, though it's slightly less potent than the ASUS in these aspects.
Screen Quality
9.0/10
8.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
627.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
316.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When choosing between the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15, it's important to consider screen quality in relation to your needs. For general use and engineering designs, both laptops offer high-resolution displays with excellent brightness and wide color gamuts, ensuring sharp, vibrant images and accurate colors necessary for detailed work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates mean you won't experience as smooth motion as you would with a screen optimized for fast-paced action, which could lessen the enjoyment and precision in gaming or 3D rendering scenarios.
Battery
4.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 15 has 6 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
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.4/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,059
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a price of $2,059 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 costs $1,500.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Gigabyte Aorus 15 are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 excels in general use due to its more powerful CPU and GPU, higher brightness, and better contrast screen offering stunning visuals and capable of high-level performance tasks. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 15, while still providing good performance with a capable CPU and high-quality IPS display, leans more toward a balanced package that includes greater battery capacity and a built-in number pad, which might be preferred for long hours of work and data entry.
Engineering and Design
8.8/10
8.4/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Gigabyte Aorus 15 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is equipped with a more powerful CPU and GPU, making it excellent for demanding engineering and design tasks, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15's slightly less advanced components still offer very good performance for similar tasks.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.0/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Gigabyte Aorus 15 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
7.7/10
7.6/10
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Gigabyte Aorus 15 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15 compare to other laptops
"The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is not yet as optimised as its predecessor. Compared to the previous gen, performance and efficiency have improved significantly. What's more, the wonderful, Mini-LED Nebula display is a contender for the main highlight and almost manages to put the CPU and GPU in the shade. We already found its predecessor to be a well-rounded and well-optimised gaming machine. Generally, but not unequivocally, that also applies to the new Asus M16. Similar to most of the current, new laptops, we are dealing with a double generational leap in terms of the CPU and GPU. However, this change doesn't always run smoothly."
"The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a power-hungry gaming beast. The Aorus 15 is designed to run games at QHD and high to max settings. But it also cuts a good figure in other demanding applications such as video editing and rendering. This is made possible by the Core i7 12700H and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop inside the machine. A lightning-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD (1 TB) allows for short loading times."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 or the Gigabyte Aorus 15
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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
100,995
Recommendations made
21,883
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.