Asus Gaming V16 is part of a new lineup from the Taiwanese manufacturer made for those who want a decent gaming laptop on a budget. The Gaming V16 features a slim and understated design. The laptop weighs under 2kg, making it portable enough to take around in your backpack. It is equipped with the latest Intel Core CPU and a discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU that is powerful enough to run most games.
The laptop has the base variant, which gets the Intel Core 5 210H CPU, and the Intel Core 7 240H processor variant . Both variants get 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 laptop GPU with 6GB video RAM. Is the Asus Gaming V16 a good option for budget gamers? Read on to find out.
Design
Asus has kept the design of the Gaming V16 very simple. There aren’t any RGB lights or fancy logos suggesting that it’s a gaming laptop. The lid has a matte finish, is prone to fingerprints, and features an Asus logo.
Owing to the plastic build, you’ll find that the lid and the bottom cover flex a bit, but everything is assured to be durable. According to Asus, the laptop even meets the MIL-STD 810H military standards and has passed several tests. The hinge also feels like it won’t give up on you and lets you open the lid with one hand.
You’ll find a textured finish on the sides and bottom of the laptop, which keeps the fingerprints away. The bottom also houses the dual speakers, large rubber feet, and cutouts for the fan.
As for connectivity, the Gaming V16 offers an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB Type-A 3.2 port, a USB Type-C 3.2, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left side, along with a proprietary power connector. The right side of the laptop features another USB Type-A 3.2 port.
The laptop features large exhaust ports at the back and it doesn’t get a LAN port, which is something gamers may find discouraging.
Display
The 16-inch IPS display on the laptop offers a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 1920 x 1200p resolution. The display has an anti-glare coating and a screen-to-body ratio of 89 percent. It also offers a 144Hz refresh rate, which is excellent when gaming. The 16:10 aspect ratio is also good when working or browsing the web.
Brightness is alright indoors, but I’d recommend not using the laptop outdoors as the 300 nits is barely enough. The display also features muted colors, and while that’s okay for watching content and playing games, it’s not great for video or photo editing. You can improve color reproduction slightly by choosing a different profile, which is available in the My Asus software.
Keyboard
Asus equips the Gaming V16 with a full-sized keyboard, complete with a numeric keypad and a full-function row. The keyboard features what Asus calls a “Turbo Blue” backlight, which is both adjustable and sufficiently bright for nighttime use. While I personally liked the blue backlighting, it may not appeal to everyone. Asus should’ve at least offered the ability to change colors since most competitors do.
Additionally, the arrow keys and W, A, S, and D keys have translucent caps, allowing more of the blue light to shine through. The keyboard is nice to type on, has good spacing, and offers 1.7mm of travel.
Touchpad
It’s uncommon to see a large touchpad on a gaming laptop, but I’m glad that Asus offers one with the Gaming V16. The large ErgoSense touchpad supports multi-touch gestures but also offers Smart gestures that let you adjust brightness, volume, and more. While it doesn’t have a glass coating, the surface is smooth and also features a hydrophobic coating. The clicks are fine, and so is the feedback.
Speakers
You get dual downward-firing speakers on the laptop, and they’re decent. The speakers don’t get very loud, and there’s very little to almost no bass. However, the sound is clear and doesn’t crack even at full volume. When gaming or watching movies, it’s better to use headphones.
Webcam
The webcam on the laptop is also nothing to brag about. It’s the usual 1080p camera found in most Windows laptops and does the job. The image is grainy in most lighting conditions. Asus offers a physical privacy shutter, which is nice.
Software
The laptop runs Windows 11 Home and has some Asus tools, such as MyAsus and ScreenXpert 3.0. A Copilot key is available on the keyboard, which you can use to access the AI chatbot. You get access to Microsoft’s Copilot chatbot on the laptop
The MyAsus app lets you customise the laptop to your liking. You can check for hardware problems, troubleshoot, check battery health, change performance/fan profiles, and adjust the display color. Unfortunately, there are no AI tools such as Microsoft Studio Effects.
Performance
Coming to the performance, the Gaming V16 unit we got for review was equipped with the Intel Core 5 210H processor. There’s also a variant with the Intel Core 7 240H chipset. However, the RAM and storage are capped at 16GB of DDR5 and 512GB PCIe 4.0. They’re both expandable, though and while 16GB RAM is good enough to run most tasks, it’s best to upgrade the storage as 512GB will run out in no time if you like to install and play a lot of games. The laptop performs well without much lag when used regularly.
The GeForce RTX 4050 GPU on the laptop is topped at 70W TDP, which is not the most amount of power, which shows in demanding games. I played the new Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the laptop, and even with DLSS enabled and graphics set to low/medium, the game only delivered about 30 to 40 fps. However, less demanding titles such as Forza Horizon 4 did perform better on the laptop, delivering over 70 fps.
In terms of heat management, the laptop did a decent job. The dual fans helped to keep most of the heat away from me, but the top part of the keyboard did get hot when playing games.
Battery
While the performance didn’t impress, the battery life did. The Intel Core 5 210H chipset is an efficient one, and coupled with the 63Wh battery, you can expect the laptop to last anywhere between 6 to 7 hours and even longer if you just use it for web browsing. That’s not something you’d expect from a gaming laptop.
Asus bundles a chunky 150W charger with the laptop that can fully charge the laptop in under 2 hours. You can also charge the laptop using the USB Type-C port, but it’s not as fast.
Conclusion
The Asus Gaming V16 is a good buy for those venturing into the world of gaming, but not if you’re a seasoned gamer. If you’re on a budget and don’t do a lot of gaming, this might be a good option. It’s got a portable design with a decent build, a 16-inch high refresh rate display, a good keyboard, and excellent battery life. And, for those short gaming sessions between study or work, you’ve got the GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. At a starting price of Rs. 82,990, the Gaming V16 should certainly be on your list of budget gaming laptops.
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