This year, the Strix Scar 16 features an updated design and the latest hardware.

Asus has refreshed its ROG Strix Scar lineup for 2025, equipping the new models with the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series laptop GPUs and Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors. The laptops also sport a revamped design that's flashier than before, but also more functional as they offer easier access for upgrading RAM and storage. Asus says it has improved the cooling system as well, which is now quieter than the previous generation.

One standout addition is the AniMe Vision display on the lid, a feature that first gained popularity with the Zephyrus lineup.

With all these upgrades, the base variant featuring the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU is priced at Rs. 3,79,990. If you're aiming for the top-tier model with the RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, be prepared to spend Rs. 4,24,990. Both variants feature the Intel Core Ultra 275HX CPU.

Now that's a steep price for a gaming laptop. So is it worth the price tag? Read on to find out.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 2025 Design: Improved and flashier

👨‍💻Dimensions - 354 x 268 x 22.8mm

👨‍💻Weight - 2.80kg

👨‍💻Colours - Off Black

The 2025 ROG Strix Scar 16 looks very different to its predecessor thanks to a new lid, bottom panel, and improved RGB lighting. The lid gets 8,353 precision-milled holes for the Anime Vision display, which uses 810 LEDs to play animations in dot-matrix style. You'll also find an RGB ROG logo and the text ‘For Those Who Dare' printed on the lid.

Asus has also made the sides more chamfered and smoother for a premium look. Unlike last year's model, which featured sharp edges, the 2025 variant gets rounded edges, making the laptop appear slimmer. There's also a full 360 RGB strip at the bottom that passes all kinds of gamer checks.

The left side houses a proprietary AC input port, a 2.5G Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1, dual Thunderbolt 5 inputs, a hybrid 3.5mm jack, and a USB 3.2 Type-A port. On the right side, the laptop offers two USB 3.2 Type A connectors.

You'll find the exhaust ports at the back, and the intake vents at the bottom and the sides. Turning over the laptop reveals the new rear cover, which now offers tool-less removal thanks to a latch system. There's also a new Q-latch system, which makes storage upgrades easy and fast.

Asus has used magnesium alloy and plastic on the ROG Strix Scar 16. The build quality is top-notch, with both the lid and keyboard area showing no signs of flex. It's also quite heavy at 2.8kgs, making this more of a desk machine than a portable laptop.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 2025 Display: Mini LED Excellence

👨‍💻Size and type - 16-inch Mini LED HDR              panel, 3ms Response time

👨‍💻Resolution - 2.5K (2560x1600) WQXGA,          16:10 aspect ratio

👨‍💻Refresh rate - 240Hz,

Although most of the hardware here is top-notch, my only gripe is with the type of storage used. Asus could've offered a PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD, which the laptop supports, but instead comes with the now older 4.0 SSD. While end users won't notice any major difference, the synthetic benchmarks show that the laptop is slower than the competition, such as the HP Omen Max 16 (Review), which gets a 5.0 drive. Take a look at the benchmark scores below.

Needless to say, you can play all kinds of AAA games at high frame rates without any worry. Asus moving all the exhaust vents to the back also means that the keyboard and the surrounding area remain cool during long gaming sessions. I ran CyberPunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, and The Last of Us Part 1 on the laptop to test out its performance. Since the laptop uses the new RTX 50 series GPU, you also get DLSS 4.0 AI frame generation.

In CyberPunk 2077, without DLSS 4.0 enabled, texture quality set to high, and resolution at 2K, the game delivered about 45-50fps. With DLSS enabled, I got about 75-80fps. Meanwhile, Hogwarts Legacy ran at around 120fps with DLSS turned on at Ultra settings. With DLSS disabled, the game delivered a frame rate of 80-90fps. Running The Last of Us Part 1 with all settings at max, I got about 85-100fps. For AAA gaming, 4K video editing, and all sorts of creative work, the ROG Strix Scar 16 won't let you down. It also appears that Asus has indeed improved the cooling system on the new laptop.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the laptop offers fast triple-band Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Wireless performance was excellent, and I did not face any random disconnections.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 2025 Battery: Ordinary

Capacity - 90Whr

Charging - 380W AC adapter

The laptop packs a 90Whr battery, which is the same capacity as the predecessor, but I don't think anyone thinks about battery life when purchasing such a powerful gaming laptop. During gaming sessions, with the profile set to Turbo, I got about 1-2 hours of battery life with brightness set to around 50 percent. In normal usage, I got about 4 hours of battery life with the iGPU enabled.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 2025 Verdict

If you've got the money, I'd recommend buying the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 for its excellent performance and cooling, flashy gamer-approved design, and the bright Mini LED display. The laptop also has a nice keyboard and a large touchpad. The tool-less rear panel is also quite useful and something other laptop manufacturers should adopt. The only downside, albeit minor, is the use of PCIe Gen 4 storage, particularly when the laptop supports Gen 5 SSDs.

The ROG Strix Scar 16 can easily replace your gaming desktop and add some portability to the mix. Of course, a gaming desktop offers better upgradeability, but does it have AniMe Vision? The laptop is definitely worth the price tag.

Source;Gadgets360 

@iQOO Connect

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