The Zephyrus G curse strikes again with the new 2021 G15
Until these issues are addressed by ASUS themselves, caution should be applied when purchasing the new Zephyrus G15, especially at its price point. Reason being that a number of issues have begun cropping up on both launch models and the new model released at the beginning of this year.
A compiled list of this laptop's issues, which have been reported, can be found below.
The new Zephyrus G15 has had several failures/inconsistencies documented so far:
- Greater than normal DOA rates (dead on arrival)
- Burning out (presumably due to liquid metal leakage or dying VRMs)
- Inconsistent thermals (due to inconsistent LM application)
- Soldered RAM - alot of other options have this so eh
- Out of the box screen warping
- Display failure and QC issues in the form of dead pixels
- Long-term bending of the top chassis holding the display in place
- Excessive screen bleeding
- Bent SD cards among other bent parts
- Suicidal speakers
AMD Alternative:
Alternative Ryzen laptops we'd suggest are the HP Omen 15z, Omen 16, or Lenovo Legion 5 (Pro), assuming the prices within your region are favourable. The refined 2021 Zephyrus G14, which fixes most of the 2020 models issues, or the Razer Blade 14 are good too, if you need a small, thin device. Do remember to note, though, that the Blade 14 will likely require a replacement battery sometime after ownership due to the cheap batteries Razer uses. Moreover, razer's customer support is hilariously awful - to the point of being a meme with laptop enthusiasts, so that's another thing to watch out for.
Intel Alternative:
If you would prefer or don't mind purchasing an Intel laptop instead, an alternative suggestion is the gs66, as long as it has a Tiger Lake-H (11th gen Intel mobile) processor. The GS66 has a few issues of its own (mostly thermals, which can be fixed with a CPU/GPU undervolt), but they pale in comparison to the Zephyrus G15. another option is the omen 15 11800h, or even omen 16. The new Predator Triton 500 SE is a great alternative too, with its top notch build quality, good thermals, slim package and powerful parts. it even has an objectively superior screen technology (MiniLED) and similar performance to the zephyrus g15.
-Sources:-
Inconsistent liquid metal application
Display chassis bending from use