Asus refreshed its ROG line of gaming laptops with Nvidia’s newest GeForce RTX 50 collection GPUs in India this month forward of Computex 2025. Whereas the main focus stays on gaming, the corporate’s high-end ROG Strix, Zephyrus and Circulation vary of laptops are additionally pushing AI efficiency on the again of Intel Core Extremely 9 and AMD Ryzen processors. Identical to its earlier launches, the Taiwanese producer has put emphasis on being first to market with the most recent {hardware} improvements.
At Computex Taipei 2024, Asus was among the many first to debut its line of AI-powered Copilot+ laptops operating on Snapdragon X Elite chipsets. A 12 months later, as AI PCs grow to be extra ubiquitous throughout segments and worth factors come down, the corporate has seen the demand for AI-ready laptops go up in India. The response has been encouraging for the corporate’s new ROG lineup of laptops, as nicely, with over 100 pre-orders registered within the first two weeks of Might — the best the corporate has seen prior to now two to 3 years.
New GeForce RTX 50 Sequence ROG Laptops
“I believe it is a optimistic sign to Asus and to the gaming trade that finish customers are actually eagerly ready for the brand new graphics card and new chassis coming to the market,” Arnold Su, vp of the corporate’s client and gaming PC enterprise in India, advised Devices 360 after the corporate refreshed its ROG lineup within the nation earlier this month. Su spoke concerning the firm’s newest launches, its technique with gaming and AI in India, the response to ROG Ally handheld out there and extra in a wide-ranging chat.
The graphics card market has seen a steady development in India, the Asus govt mentioned, regardless of a slight dip within the general client pocket book shipments in 2023 and 2024. Su attributes this optimistic trajectory of “so-called gaming machines” to their versatility. It is not simply avid gamers who’re shopping for gaming laptops. “Possibly 20-30 p.c of individuals are utilizing it for content material creation or graphics card designing,” he mentioned.
With the brand new GeForce RTX 50 collection ROG laptops, Asus first launched the higher-end fashions with GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080 and RTX 5070Ti on Might 2 and noticed over 100 pre-bookings with the typical worth per unit round Rs. 2.5 lakh. Final week, the corporate launched ROG Strix, ROG Zephyrus and TUF gaming laptops with the entry degree GeForce RTX 5060 laptop computer GPUs, which shall be priced below Rs. 2 lakh. “We do not wish to watch for your complete 50 collection to come back after which we launch,” Su mentioned. “We expect because the premium mannequin is already prepared in India, so we do not need our premium prospects to attend.”
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) is priced at Rs. 2,79,999
AI PCs
With its ROG vary, Asus is the market chief within the gaming PC section in India, however the firm has set formidable targets within the AI PC section, as nicely. With rising demand for AI-ready PCs, Asus has tried to distinguish its choices throughout three segments of “on a regular basis AI”, “next-level AI”, and “superior AI” PCs. “For on a regular basis AI, the usual, the benchmark is 10 TOPs (trillions of operations per second — a metric to measure AI efficiency),” Su mentioned. “After which for 45 tops, we name it the following degree AI, which is equal to Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs.”
Lastly, Asus’ high-end superior AI PCs include devoted Nvidia graphics — the ProArt, ROG, and TUF collection of laptops — that may ship as much as 321 TOPs. Whereas the demand for AI PCs is regularly rising and the value level is coming down — Asus launched the Vivobook 16 Copilot+ PC with Snapdragon X collection shipset in February at Rs. 65,990 in India — the section is not drawing on a regular basis customers.
In line with Su, individuals will start to make use of AI purposes on their PCs with Microsoft including AI capabilities to its suite of apps, however they don’t seem to be utilising the total power of AI NPUs at this second.
“For those who discuss a working career or content material creator — possibly for instance, if I’m a graphic designer utilizing Adobe, which already makes use of AI to boost their software program. So possibly if I purchase a subsequent era AI PC it is perhaps significant to me,” Su mentioned. “However immediately, in the event you ask me, will I like to recommend a pupil to spend extra money to purchase a Copilot+ PC? To be sincere, I could not counsel. I could say, you simply purchase an on a regular basis AI PC. That’s enough for you.”
Asus has a 40 p.c market share within the AI PC section in India. In line with Su, AI PCs shaped lower than 5 p.c of the corporate’s client pocket book shipments in 2024. Asus goals to extend the share of AI PC shipments within the nation to 10 to fifteen p.c by the tip of 2025.
The ROG Ally X handheld launched in India final 12 months
What’s Subsequent for Asus Rog Ally
Past gaming PCs, Asus has additionally discovered some success with its ROG Ally handheld in India, regardless of it being a distinct segment piece of {hardware}. The unique Ally launched within the nation in 2023 and Asus adopted it up with the ROG Ally X final 12 months. In line with Su, the hand-held has maintained constant gross sales in India over the previous 12 months.
“I may give you some information factors. Now, on common each month, we’re promoting round 400 to 500 items of ROG Ally in India. It is fairly constant prior to now nearly one 12 months,” he mentioned. The quantity consists of each the ROG Ally and the upgraded ROG Ally X, however the latter’s share is small — round 5 to 10 p.c of the full, owing to its larger worth level.
“For those who see within the section, we’re promoting simply 400, 500 items in a month, so possibly 6,000, 7,000 items in a 12 months. Though I can not say it is unhealthy, it isn’t already grow to be a giant trade,” Su mentioned.
Su didn’t converse concerning the firm’s India plans for the following era of the ROG Ally however mentioned that Asus would follow the system out there.
“However we will certainly proceed this section (in India), as a result of we see that there are prospects for 400, 500 items each month, not less than we must always proceed to see how we are able to establish a brand new space the place individuals wish to purchase it,” he mentioned.
Asus is reportedly engaged on the next-generation Ally alongside a second handheld mentioned to be a collaboration with Xbox — “Undertaking Kennan”. Earlier this month, the puported Ally 2 and the Xbox-branded handheld surfaced on-line through a leaked FCC itemizing. Su, nevertheless, stopped wanting sharing any particulars on what individuals can count on from the corporate’s subsequent era of handhelds. When Asus has information on the units, he mentioned, individuals will know. “Similar as all the purchasers, I am additionally ready.”
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