Asus ROG Zephyrus S17
Kooky Keyboard
The elevated keyboard marks the S17 out from the crowd.
THE NEW ZEPHYRUS S17 is a beast of a gaming laptop with an interesting USP; a keyboard that tilts up toward the user. At first glance, it’s a minor alteration to make typing more comfortable. But while this isn’t an inaccurate assessment—the gentle angling of the keys and space to rest your wrists beneath the keyboard make for a pleasant experience—there’s more to it than that.
That keyboard lifts away from the chassis to uncover additional vents, allowing the S17 to draw in cool air from the top and bottom of its casing, before expelling it through the rear and sides. A liquid metal cooling compound inside the laptop, combined with two impressively quiet fans, results in a laptop with stellar thermal performance, even with the most demanding games. We wonder about the potential for a build-up of dust and dirt below the keyboard mount, though, which could hinder long-term performance.