The last thing I expected from a 13-inch gaming tablet is for it to outpace the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro, but Asus and AMD love to prove me wrong.
I just recently reviewed the Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025), a gaming tablet that sports AMD’s latest Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor and Radeon 8060S integrated graphics chip. Now, the best gaming laptops can outpace the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) because of their power-hungry discrete GPU.
The Flow Z13 doesn’t have that advantage, yet the numbers are quite wild. And despite the Flow Z13’s high price, it’s still cheaper than the M4 Pro MacBook Pro. Let’s take a tour, shall we?
Asus putting Apple on notice
Click to view full benchmark test results
The Asus ROG Flow Z13’s AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 powered through the Geekbench 6 overall performance test scoring 19,457, which isn’t far off from the M4 Pro’s 22,822. There’s a similar gap on the HandBrake benchmark, which requires the devices to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. The Flow Z13 did it in 2 minutes and 51 seconds while the MacBook Pro finished in 2 minutes and 38 seconds.
That incredible performance was shocking to say the least. Is it faster than the M4 Pro? No, but you cannot deny that the performance gap is so tight for a machine that costs $1,200 less. (We reviewed the Flow Z13 at $2,299 versus the MacBook Pro’s $3,499 model.)
The one thing you’ll lose out on is SSD speeds. The Flow Z13 is still blisteringly fast, coming in at 3822.9 MBps (write) and 4291.1 MBps (read) speeds on the BlackMagic Speed Test. However, the M4 Pro rocked at 6640.5 MBps (write) and 5353.7 MBps (read) speeds.
For an iGPU, the Radeon 8060S crushed the M4 Pro in overall gaming performance. Unfortunately, we don’t have too many points of comparison. On the Borderlands 3 benchmark (Badass, 1080p), the Flow Z13 averaged 79 frames per second, beating the MacBook Pro (43 fps). Conversely, the MacBook pulled ahead on the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark (Ultra, 1080p), scoring 79 fps versus the Flow Z13’s 68 fps.
That may come down to optimization, however, because the Flow Z13 came right back around on the Sid Meier's Civ VI: Gathering Storm benchmark (Medium, 1080p) with an average of 122 fps, crushing the MacBook’s 98 fps. The Flow Z13 actually did better at its native resolution (2560 x 1600) with a score of 127 fps.
I will say that the Flow Z13 running Monster Hunter Wilds at 60 frames per second on Ultra, with 1200p settings and max Ray Tracing and AMD upscaling, is quite a feat, especially since the performance in that game is terrible.
But no matter what kind of performance differences they may have, macOS’ close-sourced nature stunted its growth in the gaming industry. What’s the point of a MacBook if I can’t even play Avowed? I mean, even Windows is becoming frustrating to use, as more folks are ditching Windows 11 for Linux. At least if you wipe the Flow Z13 and replace it with another operating system you won’t have to suffer with the ARM architecture of a MacBook. (I’ve had an awful experience trying to game with an ARM Windows laptop.)
However, unless you’re vying for a higher refresh rate (180Hz vs. 120Hz), the MacBook Pro technically offers the better display. It’s bigger (16.2- vs. 13.2-inch), sharper (3.4K vs. 2.5K), and brighter (565 vs. 455 nits). But, the Flow Z13 wins some points back on vibrancy, it's just as colorful (81.4% DCI-P3) and offers touchscreen capabilities.
Gaming is an easy win for the Asus ROG Flow Z13. The biggest win that the MacBook Pro comes away with is its battery life (20:46 vs. 10:16). However, as long as you don’t need any macOS apps, the Flow Z13 may also be a better creative machine, especially for artists.
