30 Apr
Blog

Sennheiser’s Mic Kit Brings Pro-Grade Audio to Your Phone

sennheiser mke 400 mobile kit review mke400 microphone switch

Sennheiser MKE 400 Mobile Kit Review: Pro grade audio recording for your phone

"With the Sennheiser MKE 400 Mobile Kit, you can exploit the potential of your smartphone as a mobile vlogging tool by adding high-quality audio and a comprehensive set of accessories."

  • Excellent audio quality

  • Complete set of accessories included

  • Compatible with phones and cameras

  • Headphone monitoring function

  • Requires you to learn new skills to put it to good use

  • The volume can be low

Your smartphone almost certainly has a high-performance video camera. Since it's always with you, it's really the perfect tool for vlogging and video creation on the go. Except that it always disappoints with the built-in microphone that has to do too many different tasks and just can't all be great.

Solving the problem has frustrated me for a while as very few of the options available are an idea. Sennheiser has now launched it MKE 400 Mobile Kitwhich allows you to record videos recorded on your phone with first class audio recording. Could this really be what I was looking for? I found out.

Why use your cell phone?

Every iPhone since the iPhone 6S has recorded 4K video, while the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the latest Galaxy S21 series phones record 8K video. Hence, recording high quality videos with your phone has not been a problem for a while. If this is a huge priority for you, companies like Moment make impressive lens accessories for phones, and there are plenty of video editing apps out there for iOS and Android. Your phone is really a one stop shop for video creation.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Almost. Good audio quality is important when you want to publish your videos. Nobody will want to see if they can't hear you or if they can just hear wind noise or distortion. The microphone on your smartphone is a compromise as it has to perform various tasks and it isn't high on the priority list that makes you sound good on videos. It is not suitable for remote shooting or in noisy environments.

There are several ways to cure this. Lavalier microphones are popular, but they get tied down with a cord or you could invest in an expensive wireless microphone system. But there is a fine line between this step and considering taking fully to the next level with a DSLR-based setup, and the money really adds up at this point. It can feel demoralizing looking at the different options and sometimes unnecessary with your phone right there capturing perfectly good videos.

Everything you need

What does that matter MKE 400 Mobile Kit The special thing is that it was mainly developed for use with a smartphone. The packaging includes the Sennheiser MKE 400 shotgun microphone, a sturdy aluminum smartphone clamp to hold both the phone and your phone, and a Manfrotto Pixi mini tripod that doubles as a handle. A 3.5mm TRRS cable to connect the microphone to your smartphone and another 3.5mm TRS cable to use with DSLRs offer a lot of flexibility.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The MKE 400 is attached to the smartphone clamp with a standard cold shoe holder, as two AAA batteries are used for its own power supply. The mount itself has multiple 1/4 "threaded holes for attaching to a tripod, as well as a single 3/8" threaded hole and rubber lined clamp for your phone. This can be rotated from portrait to landscape and the clip can snap into place so it doesn't move – and your phone won't come loose.

The Manfrotto Pixi tripod is small but very robust. It's made of stainless steel and has a maximum height of 5.3 inches, with each of the feet ending in a rubber grip for added stability. It's fine for use with a phone, but Manfrotto doesn't recommend it to support something heavier than 2.25 pounds, so it might not work well with some DSLRs. Firmly press the button on the side and the head can be repositioned which gives it a lot of versatility.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Pixi tripod can be used on a surface or a handheld. The clamp is big enough to fit most phones – I've used it with the iPhone 12 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – and the connection system is simple. You'll be done and ready in less than five minutes. It is incredibly portable and very solidly made.

What about the microphone?

The MKE 400 is a Shotgun microphone with a supercardioid pattern, that is, it is designed to pick up audio directly from the front and slightly from the back, but not so much from the sides, to reduce unwanted ambient noise. The MKE 400 name has been used by Sennheiser for years, but the company has updated the design and added functionality to this newly introduced model.

sennheiser mke 400 mobile kit review mke400 mic pageAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

sennheiser mke 400 mobile kit review mke400 microphone switchAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

sennheiser mke 400 mobile kit review mke400 dead catAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

sennheiser mke 400 mobile kit review mke400 clampAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

The windshield and shock mount have been placed in the metal microphone housing for a more compact and visually appealing look. A furry cover for "dead cats" is also included to further reduce wind noise. On the side of the microphone there is a volume-controlled 3.5 mm headphone output for monitoring the audio, a three-stage sensitivity gain control and a low-pass filter.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

There are two AAA batteries in the box that can be used to power the microphone. Sennheiser estimates that they last 100 hours before they have to be replaced. It weighs 93 grams, about half of most modern smartphones, but still feels robust. It looks very modern and professional too, and if you only have the Sennheiser name on the side, it's very believable. It may sound strange, but that's a big deal.

How does it sound

I recorded audio with the Sennheiser MKE 400 outside when I was walking around and inside when I was sitting, in the car and in other relatively noisy environments. I connected it to an iPhone 12 Pro using the included 3.5mm cable and a Lightning dongle. It performed very well at all times, but most of all, it's a huge improvement over the audio recordings you would get if you just used the built-in mic or other cheaper mics.

The most obvious difference is the drastic reduction in background and ambient noise. The MKE 400 records your voice clearly and still picks up just the right amount of ambient noise. For example, if you are recording while taking an early morning walk, the microphone will still record the sounds of the surrounding forest for a natural, pleasant tone that accurately captures your surroundings without overwhelming your voice.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Plus, my voice sounds less artificial and removes the echo and harshness you get from the iPhone 12 Pro's microphone. I also compared it to a Rode SmartLav + lavalier microphone and again there was much less background noise and echo. Outside, it works well at about a meter to two meters away, provided you are facing the general direction of the microphone. It also records well when you are behind the microphone, as long as you are not too far away. In a moving car there is a little more echo behind the microphone, but since the ambient noise is minimized, the recording is not ruined.

The downsides are learning how to get the most out of the MKE 400. While it's not particularly complicated, there are a ton of trial and error that can't really be found with a simple plug-in lavalier microphone. For example, the volume is pretty low at the normal setting. In order to hear them well during playback on the iPhone, the volume must be around 75%. There is three-stage gain control, but setting this to the high level increases the overall noise, so there is a tradeoff between recording from further away and introducing more ambient noise.

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The headphone jack on the microphone body lets you hear what is being recorded, which helps to a certain extent. This is difficult when you are alone and want to check the distance record, for example. I don't think the MKE 400 requires any experience or knowledge at a professional level, but I think you need patience and a willingness to learn about sound recording in order to get the most out of it.

The use of the Sennheiser MKE 400 has been approved. I'm used to recording with a wired lavalier mic and it's great not to have to worry about the cord. I also hate that I forgot to turn the microphone back on when I have to move away from the camera, which you won't worry about with the MKE 400. The sound quality is great too. It also works with the camera or voice recorder app and, if necessary, with a DSLR. Hence, it is hard to imagine that you would wish for much else.

Price and availability

The Sennheiser MKE 400 Mobile Kit costs $ 230 or £ 200. It is now available from Sennheiser's own online shop or from other Sennheiser dealers.

Our opinion

The Sennheiser MKE 400 Mobile Kit is a comprehensive, high quality and easy to use sound recording system for your phone. While it's made for a smartphone, don't think that it is fundamental as all of the features here will help you capture the best possible audio with your smartphone.

Sennheiser's decision to make it a full kit is inspired because you don't have to buy anything else. Hence, it's ideal for anyone just starting out or looking to upgrade from a more basic setup. Even so, performance is not straightforward, and the audio quality is a huge improvement over your phone's built-in microphone and even over competent lavalier microphones.

The versatility means it is suitable for handheld shooting facing the camera, desktop use, outdoor shooting, and even in noisy environments like the inside of a moving car – all without wires or a wireless bluetooth connection. It's not cheap, but the price reflects the capability, quality, and welcome simplicity of the overall package.

Is there a better alternative?

There are several different shotgun microphones that will work with your smartphone, but very few come with the accessories that the MKE 400 Mobile Kit offers. The prices also vary widely. This comica kit with a wireless microphone system is $ 170 while Rode's VideoMic camera mount kit is $ 147. A good lavalier microphone like the Rode SmartLav + costs around $ 90, and the Audio Technica ATR3350xiS microphone costs around $ 35.

All of them can pick up audio better than the built-in microphone in your phone. However, before you decide on a microphone, consider how and where you want to record. Sennheiser is never the cheapest brand, but quality is almost always guaranteed.

How long it will take?

The components contained in the mobile kit are robust and robust. They are mainly made of different metals, with only the base of the microphone being made of plastic. The universal 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting the microphone to your phone requires a dongle if it does not have the appropriate port. So make sure you have one on hand. No apps need to be installed and no firmware needs to be updated. The MKE 400 will last for years if handled well.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It is all you need to greatly enhance the audio recorded by your smartphone.

Editor's recommendations




02 Sep
Blog

Sennheiser MKE 200 Review: An Almost Idiot-Proof Rookie Mic

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"The Sennheiser MKE 200 does little to record a video or to the weight of the camera, but it can significantly improve the audio quality."

  • Easy to use

  • Compact

  • Inside shock mount

  • Reduces background noise

  • No batteries required

  • Only good for short or medium distances

  • No indicator light

Nothing ruins video faster than bad audio, but sound is often neglected or completely forgotten by new videographers. With the Sennheiser MKE 200, newcomers to videography can simply plug it in and then keep forgetting the audio, but with less disastrous consequences than if they didn't use it.

Weighing less than 3 ounces, the microphone itself adds little to the weight of the camera. With no controls or batteries, the microphone also keeps the actual recording process simple and is as good as dummy-safe for newbies. The microphone developed for videos contains the right cables for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras as well as for smartphones with a headphone jack or a jack adapter.

As a photographer with minimal video experience – the MKE 200 is just the second video microphone I've tried – I'm exactly who the microphone is made for. While the MKE 200 doesn't have some of the higher quality features, it makes recording better audio almost as easy as plugging in headphones. I took the Sennheiser MKE 200 out for a quick jaunt to see if a $ 100 mic could really deliver better sound through an audio novice.

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

What is a directional microphone?

The basic microphone integrated in many cameras is omnidirectional in nature. That means it picks up sound from all directions. A directional microphone like the MKE 200 picks up the sound coming from a certain direction. With a directional microphone pointed forward away from you, sounds behind the camera will be much quieter, if they are detected at all. Directional microphones deliver audio that focuses more on the content of the video than any direction. This particular microphone uses a supercardoid pickup pattern. This is a technical way of saying that it picks up sounds immediately surrounding the microphone best, with a larger area coming from the front and sides.

The MKE 200 is Sennheiser's most basic microphone from the MKE series. The other, more expensive options are not directional microphones, but so-called shotgun microphones. A shotgun microphone is an even more powerful directional microphone and reduces the noise behind the camera and on the sides. This captures even more focused audio than the MKE 200, but at a higher price.

The MKE 200 is not as ideal as a shotgun microphone, but by reducing background noise it delivers significantly better audio than the microphone integrated in cameras. Additional microphones are also usually more sensitive to noise and easier to equip, since you cannot put a windscreen on a built-in microphone.

Compact, palm-sized design

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The barrel-shaped housing of the Sennheiser MKE 200 is shorter than that of many additional microphones – the entire microphone could fit in the palm of my hand. Less than 3 inches long, the microphone does not increase the width of the camera, even with a mirrorless camera like the Nikon Z 5, and it stays within the distance between the viewfinder and the handle. It fits easily in a camera bag and takes up much less space than most lenses.

The microphone barely tips the scales to less than 2.5 ounces and obviously doesn't weigh the camera down. The biggest strain is simply the cable, but its spiral design and placement at the front of the microphone largely keep it out of the way on most cameras.

The MKE 200 is a real plug-and-play accessory – there are no controls or even batteries, which creates a minimalist look. The cable, which is exchanged between a cable designed for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras and a cable intended for smartphones, is held securely on the front of the microphone with a twist lock. A simple plastic dial locks the microphone's cold shoe into the camera mount. A tripod socket is also built into the bracket. If you're shooting with a smartphone, you'll need a case, gimbal, or some other type of shooting setup that offers a cold shoe or tripod mount.

Nothing protrudes from the microphone other than the cable and bracket, which creates a slimmer design and possibly adds to its durability. The shock absorber mount of the microphone, which muffles the noises when touching the camera itself, is located on the inside of the capsule. According to Sennheiser, this design not only helps increase durability, but also prevents balancing when working with gimbals.

The plastic construction isn't surprising for a budget accessory, but it doesn't seem like it breaks easily with typical use. A puffy windshield (or a dead cat for the audio) is also included and feels great too.

A novice friendly experience

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

As an audio novice, the MKE 200 was easy to set up for me. The three-step instructions are right on the box: slide the microphone into the hot shoe, plug the cable into the microphone and lock it. Then plug the other end into the camera.

The only possible mishap I can think of is installing the microphone backwards and accidentally amplifying everything behind the camera. Because of the shorter design, it's not that obvious which direction the microphone is going. The cable comes out from the front and the name is on the back, which may feel a little contrary to what was expected. Even most audio novices will install it correctly. When it's backwards, the longer part of the barrel points backwards and the cable covers the viewfinder and raises red flags that something is not quite right.

The plug and play design makes using the MKE 200 a pleasure. You can plug it in and forget about it, so you can focus on the content of the video instead. I forgot to turn on the other battery powered microphone that I tried before, and the MKE 200 doesn't even allow for that beginner mistake.

While the lack of any controls is a good thing overall, there is no indication that the microphone is working properly either. A simple green indicator light would have been a helpful addition.

Amplified audio

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Although I was designed to boost audio in front of the camera and soften audio behind the camera, I was still impressed with the audio quality and reduced background noise of the MKE 200. The volume quickly decreased behind the camera, while the noise in front of the camera were kept intact.

While the background noise was reduced, the MKE 200 picked up more subtle nuances than the camera's built-in microphone. I was able to catch my cat's purr, which was barely noticeable without a microphone, and the hum of the bees.

The windshield eliminates the crackle normally associated with large gusts of wind. I was able to blow directly on the microphone and only heard the sound of the air moving without the typical wind distortion.

The main disadvantage of the MKE 200 is that as a directional microphone and not as a shotgun microphone, noises that are further away from the camera can also quickly become quiet at the front. It's not a microphone that I'd use to record video with a zoom lens, but it's perfect for pairing with a 24-50mm lens and subjects that are relatively close to the camera.

The MKE 200 is easy to use and offers good audio quality to the non-professional ear. But to be clear, as a photographer, I may have lower standards than an audiophile. I found the MKE 200 less susceptible to echoes than the last budget microphone I used, as background noise was better eliminated. However, vloggers and beginners should be satisfied with the audio from this simple microphone.

Our opinion

Hillary K. Grigonis / Digital Trends

The easy-to-use MKE 200 is a great microphone for vloggers and avid videographers who find learning audio daunting. The plug-and-shoot design means that no settings need to be made or batteries charged. The compact microphone still manages to reduce background noise and pick up more subtleties than a camera's built-in microphone. It's not ideal for working with longer zoom lenses, but that's not unexpected for the price.

Is there a better alternative?

The MKE 200's biggest competition likely comes from the $ 100 Rode VideoMic Go, but there are a few key differences. The Rode's shock mount is external and may not be as durable in the long run as the MKE 200's. Cell phone users will also need to purchase an accessory for smartphone compatibility. On the flip side, the Rode also has a slightly different polar pattern that picks up less sound directly behind the microphone. This could be a more ideal solution for videographers who also want to cut down the sound recording from the sides.

How long it will take?

The MKE 200 comes with a two-year guarantee. The internal shock mount is mostly plastic, making the microphone more durable than other budget options.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you're new to audio or just looking for a cheap microphone, the Sennheiser MKE 200 should be at the top of your list. It's small, incredibly easy to use, includes a smartphone option, and has an internal shock mount for added durability.

Editor's recommendations




30 Mar
Blog

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review: AMD Drops the Mic

Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 Rating 07

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review: AMD drops the microphone

"With an eight-core processor and a shockingly small chassis, the Zephyrus G14 is in a class of its own."

  • Excellent slot machine

  • Thin, small and light

  • Game-changing CPU performance

  • Responsive touchpad

  • Unique lid design

  • Noisy at idle

  • Mushy keyboard

  • No webcam

The ROG Zephyrus G14 is unlike any gaming notebook you have ever owned. Although it contains an Nvidia RTX 2060, it only weighs 3.5 pounds. It's not much bigger than a 14-inch laptop that you would see at work.

How is that possible? A very special component is the heart of the G14: the AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS. The magic lies in this chip with eight cores and sixteen threads.

The Zephyrus G14 has developed a new class of gaming laptops and is already priced at $ 1,050. But is this new generation of gaming laptops what people want?

Size and portability

Asus and AMD want the G14 to be a laptop that's as portable as any other laptop – a laptop that you can take to school, take to work, and play anywhere in between.

Laptops like the Razer Blade and the MSI GS65 have tried to reduce the thickness of their machines, but they have kept a large screen size – 15 and 17 inches, respectively. Here the G14 deviates.

With a 14.0-inch display and thin bezels on the top and on the sides, a considerable amount is cut directly out of the laptop's housing. That means the G14 is smaller than most gaming laptops in almost every way, including weight. At 3.5 pounds, it's 19% lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro and 24% lighter than the Razer Blade 15. The small size helps with weight, as does the magnesium alloy case, which is much lighter than full aluminum.

As someone who mainly uses a 13-inch laptop every day, I was shocked by the space requirements of the G14 when I opened the box. At just 12.8 x 8.7 inches, its footprint is about 5% smaller than that of a 13-inch MacBook Pro.

It's also thin, though it matches the current Razer Blade at 0.70 inches. When open, the G14 feels thicker than it should due to the raised hinge, which adds an additional 0.6 inches and improved airflow.

The only gaming laptop that can keep up with the size of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is Razers Blade Stealth, a 13-inch laptop with up to a GTX 1650 GPU. It's significantly smaller, but the graphics and CPU options are also much more limited. The Zephyrus G14 is in a class of its own.

Processor power

The device I've tested costs $ 1,450 and is right in the middle of the configuration stack. The Zephyrus G14 is the launch vehicle for AMD's Ryzen 4000 chips. In particular, the eight-core chips of the Ryzen 9 H series are intended for powerful laptops and gaming machines.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 does not use the standard 45 watt CPU, but a special 35 watt variant called Ryzen 9 4900HS with 16 GB RAM (configurable up to 32 GB). The "S" stands for slim and can therefore be cooled in the small chassis of the Zephyrus G14.

Do not worry. This does not mean that performance is affected. This Ryzen processor is incredibly fast, especially if you give it a task that can use its eight cores and 16 threads. This includes the creation of content, regardless of whether it is 3D modeling or video editing.

For this type of workload, it's hardly worth comparing it to other gaming laptops, most of which use an Intel Core i7-9750H with six cores. You just can't keep up. The 8-core i9-9880HK is a better competitor, although it's mainly reserved for laptops designed to create high-end content like Dell XPS 15, MacBook Pro 16-inch or ThinkPad X1 Extreme.

For such a small and light laptop, the G14 offers record performance.

But here's the crazy thing. Whether in benchmarking or in real tests – the Asus G14 still convinces laptops with an Intel Core i9-9880HK processor. It surpasses the 16-inch MacBook Pro in Cinebench R20 Multi-Core by a whopping 25%. It even encrypted a 4K file in Handbrake 11% faster, which is equivalent to the performance of the Dell XPS 15.

With the Core i9, you will find more power in thicker workstation machines, but the G14 is a record-breaker for such a small and light laptop.

However, there is a reason why companies don't put expensive, sultry Core i9s in any old laptop. First, all eight cores cannot be used efficiently by most games, so you are not doing much good. Then there is an obvious thermal problem that Asus and AMD have not properly addressed. The Zephyrus G14 is a loud little notebook. Playing games or running heavy applications will distract you. But this is forgivable.

My problem is that fans of the Zephyrus G14 keep whirring even when idling (and in silent mode). The result is an irritating coil whine that never goes away. This reduces my desire to use the G14 as a laptop that I want to use every day.

Gaming performance

My Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review device has an Nvidia RTX 2060 for graphics with options for the GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1650 in cheaper configurations. The G14 is the smallest laptop with an RTX 2060, a graphics card that is roughly as powerful as a GTX 1070 desktop graphics card. The result is smooth, responsive gaming in almost every title I've tried.

Battlefield V, Fortnite and Civilization VI were all played at well over 60 frames per second (FPS) in 1080p at maximum setting. This is comparable to laptops like the Dell G7 15, which is 2 pounds heavier. It beat the same RTX 2060 in the ROG Zephyrus M in every game, although it was lighter and smaller in almost every way.

If you decrease the settings a bit, the performance really lights up. Fortnite landed at 118 FPS while Civilization VI reached 132. There is a constant 10 FPS behind the Razer Blade, which we tested with a more powerful GPU, the RTX 2070 Max-Q.

Fast shooters like Battlefield V go well with the Zephyrus G14, which has a fast 120 Hz refresh rate. And 98 FPS on medium and 70 at Ultra in Battlefield V don't look bad. The G14 even makes a tough game like Assassins Creed: Odyssey playable and manages 64 FPS at high settings.

The importance of this for AMD cannot be overstated. The company isn't often represented in such powerful or ambitious laptops.

Design and display

Asus ROG Zephyrus laptops of recent years share one look. They are black and chunky and loaded with a hint of RGB throughout.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 stands out. At CES 2020, the laptop made headlines with its AniMe Matrix display design on the cover, where LEDs illuminate the display lid of the laptop with patterns and designs. You can even customize it to display text, animations, or logos of your choice.

It's a cool feature that costs you an additional $ 500 and my test unit didn't include it. But the white standard version without the AniMe Matrix Display is also beautiful. The dot matrix adds a touch of interest, and the white color is still unique in itself.

However, the design of the G14 doesn't feel coherent. The lid is white, the keyboard cover and the housing are gray and the frames around the display are black. It feels like parts of a couple of different laptops put together into one device. The completely gray option is a little better.

The speakers could have used a little more enthusiasm.

The display is an IPS panel with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. It's nothing special in terms of contrast brightness, but it doesn't have any major weaknesses either. Following the trend we've seen recently, it offers accurate colors and a decent range of colors that show 77% of the AdobeRGB color space.

However, the speakers could use a little more enthusiasm. I had high hopes because the G14 includes a pair of upward tweeters and two woofers on the hinge. They are loud enough, but a modern iPhone sounds better. Between the speakers and the whine of the coil, you should pair the G14 with decent headphones.

Keyboard and touchpad

The inputs are a mixed bag. Let's start with the good things. The touchpad is excellent, which surprised me. Such a good touchpad in a gaming laptop is difficult to find, as many manufacturers assume that you are using an external mouse. Not here. This is a good call because the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is small enough to be used as an everyday laptop.

Typing on the Zephyrus is not a problem, but there is room for improvement.

The keyboard is also spacious and offers the typical ROG layout. Keys such as the volume control are located above the function line. Larger ROG laptops have additional keys on the right side, but have been omitted here. This is wise because I prefer a comfortable layout rather than a button to scroll up and down.

While typing is not a slog, there is definitely room for improvement. Key presses have a lot of leeway, but the bottom-out action is mushy. This creates an inaccurate typing experience that gets tired over time. The keyboard backlight is also limited. It's a single zone that's not customizable, which is rare in a gaming laptop these days. The backlight is uneven and illuminates some keys better than others.

The power switch is located above the standard layout and has an integrated fingerprint reader. This is important because, strangely, the Zephyrus G14 does not have a built-in webcam. That means no Windows Hello face detection and no zoom calls. I have the idea – this is not a laptop for video calls. Still, given the potential crossover appeal as content creation and business laptop, it's a strange thing to omit this.

Battery life

Gaming laptops are not known for their battery life, even when you are not playing. The Zephyrus G14 doesn't change this, even though it lasts longer than other gaming laptops. The G14 managed almost 6 hours under a light load from surfing the Internet. This is not a good comparison with a modern ultrabook like the XPS 13 or HP Specter x360, which can take up to 10 hours with the same test.

However, it is one of the best in its class for a gaming laptop. It's half an hour longer than the Dell G7 gaming laptop and Razer Blade, and hours before laptops with G-Sync like Zephyrus M and Alienware M15.

The Zephyrus G14 performs even better in CPU-intensive tests. The Basemark battery test lasted 4 hours. It provides an overview of battery life in heavier applications. Adding 10 hours of local video playback on one charge gives you the best battery life you can get with a gaming laptop.

Our opinion

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 challenges other thin gaming laptops like the Razer Blade. The G14 offers more than enough performance for most PC gamers. In addition, thanks to its 8-core processor, it is one of the best content creation and editing laptops you can buy at this price.

Does it also work as a standalone laptop? The constant hum of the fans and the lack of a webcam are not ideal for everyday laptop use. However, the sufficient battery life and the display of the G14 make it a good choice for work and travel.

Are there alternatives?

No gaming laptop is as small and powerful as the Zephyrus G14. As you become less powerful and even smaller, you can opt for something like the Razer Blade Stealth.

When you step into the world of 15-inch laptops, your options expand quickly. The Razer Blade 15 and MSI GS65 are as thin as the G14, although it's heavier and bigger. They are also significantly more powerful and offer graphics options up to the RTX 2080 Max-Q. The closest price alternative is that Predator Helios 300, which offers a similar configuration, but with fewer processor cores and a much larger housing.

If you need a 15-inch content creation laptop that can be played on the side, I recommend the Dell XPS 15. It's not as powerful a slot machine as the G14, but it's a more balanced content creation option.

How long it will take?

The G14 should have at least three or four years of gaming performance before showing its age. It is well built, current and powerful. Unfortunately, Asus only offers a one-year warranty to cover defects, including the battery. After that you are alone.

Should you buy it

Yes. It is an extremely powerful laptop in a surprisingly small design.

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