ASUS ROG Chimera G703 Gaming Laptop Review
Up Close
The packaging is minimalist in the extreme. There is a giant ROG logo and that’s it. Nothing on the back. Nothing on the sides. It is ASUS saying “we think the ROG logo is enough to convince you to buy whatever is inside”. And they’re probably correct.
As our review sample is a very early model we haven’t received any of the expected ROG goodies, but equally once you’ve given yourself a hernia lifting the laptop from the box – we jest, but it’s hefty – there is probably little else on your mind save firing it up. Certainly you can spend a long time just admiring it. It’s gorgeous. It feels hewn from a single piece of aluminium and even the hinges, so often the weak point on a laptop, are robust and smooth.
There are plenty of connectivity options built into the chassis too. There are USB 3.1 ports on both sides, with a Type-C on the left and the rest Type-A. There is also a memory card reader, audio out, LAN port and display outputs around the back should you wish to use a multi-monitor setup or broadcast your Powerpoint presentation to the world. The power input eschews the standard jack plug style affair for a very solid locking mechanism. Whilst this ensures nobody will trip over your power cable and pull it out, it does mean they’ll take the laptop with them. The copper does give us a great opportunity to show off the brushed finish that adorns the whole topside of the chassis though. Lovely.
Once those beautiful hinges have swivelled open you get your first look at the keyboard and track pad. We’ve seen a lot of trackpads that have blended the LMB/RMB buttons into the pad itself, but we like the reassurance of the satisfying click the old school style buttons brings to the table. The keyboard itself is full nKey rollover and RGB, with plenty of additional buttons to cover your streaming and gaming needs.
The coating on the screen is worthy of particular praise. We pointed one of our photography lamps at it, uncovered, from about three foot away and as you can see the light has been diffused tremendously well. To have this level of anti-glare without compromising the image clarity is a difficult task and one the G703 accomplishes with aplomb.
