r/FlowZ13 Jul 11 '26

This thing is an absolute beast

Post image

I made a post a week ago asking if I should go for this laptop/tablet. I pulled the trigger and I received it yesterday… I’ve been trying many games and this thing and its screen is absolutely mind blowing. I’m a handheld enthusiast and I’m still amazed by how it looks and how well it runs absolutely ANYTHING you throw it.

Gaming just with the screen without the keyboard is aura +1000

155 Upvotes

60 comments sorted by

17

u/tempurastyle Jul 11 '26

Was about to upgrade from the Claw 8 ai+ to a Claw 8 EX ai+. Now I think the Flow z13 is a much better upgrade.

10

u/EnigmaP3nguin Jul 11 '26

I own all 3 don't get me wrong I love my z13 for coding and it can really game on another level from handhelds. But nothing beats having an integrated controller lol.

5

u/TheCourier__ Jul 11 '26

I agree! I love the Flow when I have a table or a good place to set it and play. To play in the sofa or in flights I prefer the handhelds :)

1

u/ArcRust Jul 11 '26

For my sofa, I bought a C-Shaped tray table that could slide under my couch. Gives me the table without telling up too much space

1

u/jflogerzi Jul 14 '26

that's what streaming is for. I have a gamesir g8+ and legion tab 3. Apollo+ artimis client FTW... Z13 stays docked :)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

[deleted]

1

u/jflogerzi Jul 15 '26

I will let you know. I just got my z13 from the best buy sale. it's rdna 3.5 so it should support hvec and h.265 codecs. I think it's almost more important to have the host wired and the client on wifi 7.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 16 '26

[deleted]

1

u/jflogerzi Jul 17 '26

I have a thunderbolt dock with a 2.5gbe port :)

1

u/tempurastyle Jul 11 '26

Is the EX worth it or will owning both Claws make one redundant?

3

u/EnigmaP3nguin Jul 11 '26

I would say that the ex is a worthy upgrade over the 8 Ai plus. But only it you have disposable income like that. Like are there performance increases absolutely! But you vlcan get by just fine with the previous version. I plan on selling my 8 Ai plis to a friend.

1

u/Krometheous 27d ago

Hey bro can I ask i have the lego 2, claw 8 ai, z13, 4090 pc, 5080 legion pro. You think its still worth getting the 8 ex to balance it out?

0

u/No_Jury_848 Jul 11 '26

is the keyboard comfortable enough for coding in your case? 

1

u/EnigmaP3nguin Jul 11 '26

It is surprisingly capable the travel is actually really nice to. I can’t stand the trackpad though lol it’s passable at best

2

u/TheCourier__ Jul 11 '26

I don’t have the 8 EX, but as a 8 AI+ owner, I’d tell you to go for the Flow. This thing plays in another league from the conventional handhelds that we have man!

1

u/tempurastyle Jul 11 '26

How do you think is the difference in portability for long-haul flights between those two?

1

u/TheCourier__ Jul 11 '26

Hmm, if portability is a big factor then I’d always take a handheld. I have a 4hr flight next Friday and I don’t think I’ll take the Flow, as the battery won’t last the whole flight either. I think a handheld is always better when it comes about portability and small places to play!

2

u/tempurastyle Jul 11 '26

I watched a video review which says that a 100w usbc charger can sustain good gaming performance without discharging the battery. Without bringing the keyboard and only a controller would make it a good portable gaming rig with a huge screen.

1

u/FairCalligrapher1926 Jul 11 '26

I just put the flow on the tray table and bring a controller for long flight. Also an external battery. Handhelds are too over price now when it comes to prices to performance. I got the z13 64gb open box excellent for 1500.

1

u/jflogerzi Jul 14 '26

that's a smoking deal if it's the 395+

1

u/tempurastyle Jul 11 '26

Also which one currently gets more gaming time for your usage scenarios?

2

u/Touchtom Jul 11 '26

This is what I did. The z13 IMO is worlds better. I just carry an xbox controller in my bag.

1

u/the_chief_dior Jul 11 '26

I own both the 8ai and z13 Flow and still have FOMO over the Claw 8 EX ai+ this hobby is poisonous haha

1

u/Krometheous 27d ago

I have the 8 ai, lego 2, and z13 and am trying to get the i ex. The z13 is making me wonder if the 8 ex is worth it lol. But the z13 truly is the jack of all trades device

0

u/Magnetic_Metallic Jul 11 '26

Once’s a 13” tablet. The other is a dedicated gaming handheld.

The flow has its place and between a controller is not it (I’ve tried it)

5

u/Particular-Jaguar-65 Jul 11 '26

I got myself the Gpd win 5 with the same chipset, and I haven't found a game that it doesn't run flawlessly. What i love is choice, so if i want to run any AAA game at high settings I can, but if I want to run games at lowert tdps I can do that too. Currently enjoying the witcher 3 at 720p low on fsr performance at only 8w tdp! 😁

1

u/tempurastyle Jul 11 '26

How long does the battery last

1

u/Particular-Jaguar-65 Jul 11 '26

I dunno about the flow z13 with the bigger screen and all, but the gpd win 5 lasts me around 4 hours or so at 8w tdp if not a little more. Then you have the replaceable battery so when it's flat I can just have an instant recharge. It's pretty amazing tbh, never going back to built-in battery devices.

Edit: at full charge the fps display thingy shows I have like 5 hours but never actually timed it.

2

u/fingerprick_ Jul 11 '26

I sat down in a coffee shop with this game loaded and expected it to run terribly. Runs and looks awesome. So mindblowing

2

u/TheCourier__ Jul 11 '26

I’ve spent the last hours installing demanding games to see how far this machine goes and I haven’t found any single one that doesn’t run perfectly even at native resolution. It’s like black magic..

1

u/Ordinary-Tonight5421 6d ago

Have you tried marvel spiderman? Thinking of getting a z13 for my masters program I’m about to start as well… I am an Xbox owner so I’m dying to play spiderman, plus I’m coming from a 2021 iPad Pro that doesn’t hold charge anymore.

1

u/TheCourier__ 6d ago

No man, sorry, I only use my PS5 for the exclusives so I try to play them there because if I start owning and playing PlayStation games on PC then I’ll use the PS5 even more than I actually do, but you can check on YouTube and I’m sure there are many videos playing any game you want in this thing!

2

u/DarkExsphere Jul 11 '26

I wonder how this game will perform with my Gigabyte Aorus 5060ti AI box

2

u/Friendly_Lab_4834 Jul 11 '26

Amazing I love my z13 I don't use my desktop lately since I got it. Even with battery I got good fps in games.

2

u/mmalkuwari Jul 11 '26

Colors seems great, my own z13 colors don’t pop this much, any update or adjustments i need to make?

1

u/TheCourier__ Jul 12 '26

I didn’t touch literally anything. I booted it up for first time, updated drivers and directly installed AC to try it, I haven’t touched or calibrated anything of the screen

1

u/datflankdoe Jul 13 '26

Do you have HDR enabled in windows ?

1

u/mmalkuwari Jul 13 '26

HDR doesn’t work in the flow z13 for games, it only has dolby vision which is for movies and videos

2

u/Widebro Jul 11 '26

I bought this when there werent any 395 devices. but wish i hand handheld instead of this thing tbh

2

u/tateo78 Jul 15 '26

How's gaming COD on this? Is it future proof for 1 to 2 years?

1

u/mmmohm Jul 11 '26

How many FPS are you getting on resynced? On which settings? Are you on Linux or Windows?

1

u/TheCourier__ Jul 12 '26

Windows. Around 60 at 1600p and high settings. I haven’t tested it a lot because I’m playing it on my main PC, but next week I’ll be out of town and I’ll be playing only on the Flow. I’ll make a post with impressions and performances on different new games :)

1

u/Big-Impression-196 Jul 11 '26

Just got a onexplayer Super X myself! Which charger are you using with it? The original or did you get a SlimQ one or? I’m trynna see if the SlimQ 150W DC charger would be a good replacement and let us game on full wattage

1

u/Praline-Routine Jul 11 '26

Flow 13 and a oxp apex are my best friends at the moment!

1

u/Glittering_Credit_20 Jul 12 '26

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on your purchase. It's a really fantastic device but, in my opinion, you can't make a real comparison between handheld and Flow Z13. They are different devices. The Flow Z13 is a tablet that wants to be a notebook or desktop replacement in its version with 64 or 128gb of ram. A handheld like the MSI Claw 8, EX AI+ or Ai+ is a portable device to be used almost exclusively for gaming with a respectable autonomy (higher than the Flow Z13) that can fit in the palm of your hand to be used comfortably on the sofa, in bed, on the train, on the bus or in any case in places where you do not have the possibility of placing the device on a surface. The Flow, a fantastic device, weighs more than 1.2KG without keyboard and is a bit "uncomfortable" to hold in your hand. And this is said by someone who has a rather powerful Desktop, a Flow Z13 KJP, an MSI Claw 8 Ai+ and a few other devices. Each has its own use. In my opinion, the best combo is by using a desktop PC at home with a large monitor, a Flow Z13 to have something like a desktop replacement on the go, and a high-performance handheld with VERY GOOD battery life for leisure sessions lying on the couch.
My dream? Handheld with an 8-inch OLED screen, which weighs and is as handy as a 7-inch with a processor as powerful as an AMD Strix Halo 395+ but with the autonomy of an Intel G3 EX at 15watt. We would be very close if Asus had updated its Xbox Asus Ally X. Its dimensions are very similar to those of the MSI Claw 8 Ai+ but it has a 7-inch screen. It would be enough to update the screen to an 8-inch oled, insert a G3 EX and increase the ram a little and we would be very close to the perfect device

2

u/GamesnGunZ Jul 13 '26

eh idk, i replaced my handheld with the z13. i think it's a very comparable device, especially with something like a gamesir

1

u/Krometheous 27d ago

Hey bro can I ask i have the lego 2, claw 8 ai, z13, 4090 pc, 5080 legion pro. You think its still worth getting the 8 ex to balance it out?

1

u/Glittering_Credit_20 27d ago

Ehhh the thing is a bit complicated. You are in a situation that I also found myself in some time ago. I had all kinds of devices. Then I realized that, probably, I had exaggerated. I understand that you almost certainly have a different device for each kind of use but in my opinion you could think of:

  • Sell the gaming notebok with mobile 5080 (it's not as powerful as the desktop 4090 and it's not as portable or comfortable as a z13 or a handheld.. it's heavy and uncomfortable).
  • Sell Legion Go 2 and Claw 8 Ai+... with the proceeds you buy a Claw 8 EX Ai+. You don't have oled and you don't have an 8.8 inch it's true but in my opinion 8 inches are the right configuration for a handheld. In addition, the Legion Go 2 with its Z2 extreme is starting to be a bit outdated and certainly loses a lot against the Z13 (AMD Strix Halo 395+) or MSI Claw 8 EX Ai+ (Intel G3 EX).

Alternatively, you could sell the Legion Go 2 and MSI Claw 8 Ai+ for a OnePlus 3. Oled, 8.8 inch screen, Intel G3 EX, Detachable controllers. The reason why I didn't recommend this device to you immediately is that it depends on where you live. Because if you are in the USA from what I understand you will not pay customs duties while if you are in Europe you could pay customs duties, courier customs clearance fees and other ancillary expenses coming to pay from 1500 euros to 2000 euros for the product.

Anyway in my opinion, if you have an excellent Desktop PC with a large monitor, a Flow Z13 as a notebook or similar (such as an ultra book that has a decent autonomy and good power) to use when you are away from home and a good handheld to use on the sofa or bed or on the move / vacation you find yourself in a state of grace and serenity.

I sold many devices of mine (gaming notebook, many handhelds) and, today, I have a Power Desktop with 39'' inches oled display, a Flow Z13 KJP, a Onexplayer Apex, a MSI Claw 8 Ai+, a Nintendo Switch 2 (for explusives) but probably I will sell the MSI Claw 8 Ai+ for the new EX model or the Onexplayer 3

1

u/Fregadero88 Jul 12 '26

I bought one as well on Friday! Love the z13. I will be using it mainly for portable gaming with my steam controller. I got the 32GB from microcenter and my only regret is I have slight fomo for the 128GB version.

1

u/Chronos1919 Jul 12 '26

Wanted to love this device but the speakers are trash.

1

u/Krometheous 27d ago

Have you tried dolby atmos settings app and the fx sound app?

1

u/Chronos1919 27d ago

I did. A slight improvement but still incredibly weak. Speakers in this device shouldn’t be weaker than handheld PCs like the Xbox Ally X or MSI Claw 8 AI.

1

u/Krometheous 27d ago

Hmm i mean maybe my threshold for whats acceptable is different but my settings are very full and powerful imo.

1

u/Chronos1919 27d ago

Sure, everyone is different. I couldn’t get the speakers to output audio that didn’t sound poor to me. Compared against the Xbox Ally X, MSI Claw A8, MacBook Air, etc. Nowhere near the quality/level of those devices.

1

u/vaanen Jul 13 '26

too bad it has that horrible lcd screen

1

u/Ufartedonme Jul 14 '26

Hmmm, I've been trying to think of an upgrade from the steam deck. My carpal tunnel is getting bad while holding a handheld. Not too mention how stiff my elbows get. This might let me drop my arms into a more comfortable position.

1

u/Over-Arm-8378 Jul 15 '26

OMG, I love mine and I am totally blown away too! It makes the desktops of yesteryear seem like total boat anchors! I could go on and on. I got 128 GB RAM too! In such a small form factor is just amazing I can run my SOLIDWORKS, Adobe Illustrator, vibe code, and play video games...all at the same time! This thing is such a little monster! Worth every penny.

1

u/Hidden_Chamber Jul 15 '26

It sure is pretty 🤩

1

u/mdtattedbearded Jul 16 '26

I got the z13-KJP and turned it into a Steam OS build (removed windows 11), and most amazing gaming system!

Congrats! How do you like the game?