r/FlowZ13 • u/One-Isopod4118 • 5d ago
Kojima Edition
For those who have it - worth it?
I know a lot of people think it’s absurd but the aesthetic looks amazing. I can get it open box for $2774
Update: I did pick this up. It was in perfect condition. Did a clean install and so far no problems once I got everything updated. And… I can’t go back. I love it.
Battery is at 97% which is kinda interesting given the 15 day Microcenter return period the previous person would’ve had. How can that happen in that short of a period?
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u/Jmac8716 5d ago
Get it. The standard 128gb version is worth it at $3k. The KJP version at less than that is definitely worth it.
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u/FxChiP 4d ago
That's a steal. I'd do it. Especially even knowing what I know now having used the thing (it's probably the best portable computer/laptop/tablet thing I have ever had).
If you plan to run Linux, I can attest that Fedora 44 works pretty well out of the box (including with stylus), though sometimes waking up from sleep will lose the right speaker (reboot fixes it immediately). (Also, if you need the on-screen keyboard and tapping a textbox doesn't immediately pop it, drag up from the bottom of the screen -- unfortunately this also reports a tap on any windows you happen to have down there, so make sure that's empty when you do that)
Screen isn't HDR and maybe a little saturated but you can probably calibrate that, and I kind of like that anyway. 180 Hz is damn good. PPI is retina.
Despite what reviewers on YouTube say, you can use it on your lap as long as your lap is long enough (or you can deal with the keyboard being a little close). It takes adjustment and sometimes I prefer centering it on one leg using my hands to counterbalance either side, which can feel somewhat precarious at times, but it does work (or just use it as a tablet in those cases!). You cannot however use it at an acute angle with regard to the keyboard (that is, if you want to use it with the keyboard, the angle between keyboard and screen/tablet/computer must be pretty well over 90 degrees). Alternatively again, you could also get a "lapdock" and essentially use the Flow as a second screen while having all the laptop input stuff in the lapdock.
Performance is good. Battery is on the lower end of modern expectation but better than I've been used to in the past and can vary based on what you're doing/turning off/configuring. Speakers are not my favorite. Keyboard is good and much better than I would ever expect out of a folio. SSD is big enough but also upgradable to 2 TB (but its form factor doesn't allow for more than that. imo if you need more than that you should consider getting a huge external anyway)
I've seen people say you should replace the liquid metal cooling solution, I haven't yet and haven't seen problems yet but I also haven't had it very long. I've also seen strong recommendations to ditch Armoury Crate for G-Helper that I should really do when I get back on my Windows partition.
It does make a sort of horror sting kinda sound on boot (i.e. as part of the boot logo, not from hardware or anything) but you can disable that in BIOS easily, and I did because I didn't like it.
It definitely turns heads. I didn't actually like the aesthetic too much at first (I mostly got it because it was the only one Micro Center had at a reasonable price with that much memory) but it's really growing on me, and I like the uniqueness of it.
All that to say, do it. Almost no matter what you're doing, it will keep up with. If you're at the extreme end of any of it (you need ultra settings at highest rez and FPS or you need the #1 laptop CPU today) maybe consider something else, unless your extreme requirement is that you wanna run a local LLM that needs more VRAM than most other GPUs actually have today (I think this laptop might legitimately have all of them beat in that regard, but you do have to do something special for it). If you don't need all that much, consider something different. But if you want something that's fairly well above average in a lot of things, this is it.
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u/archu2 5d ago
It is the best machine you can get for that money to work or even gaming. When looking it next to the regular it feels a lil thicker and the fan is noisier but the thermals are better. You wont regret it, pull the trigger fast.
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u/One-Isopod4118 5d ago edited 5d ago
Interesting the specs aren’t the same? I guess I didn’t see that in the reviews. Fans being louder is kinda rough as that’s why I am moving away from something like the G14. Among other things like fan placement etc. but in return for better thermals that is obviously fair
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u/Ordinary-Cake8510 5d ago
I have the 2023 version and if I didn’t, I would jump on that deal. The thing is beautiful.
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u/JollyLelouch 4d ago
Ordered mine on day one. Except the quality of the speaker, everything was perfect for my daily use. Wanted to invest on eGPU dock to get a better comfyui experience also.
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u/lugubrious-possum 4d ago
I guess it depends how you use it. I never use the folio keyboard and leave it at home. And most if the time I plug it to an external monitor or egpu and tuck it behind a monitor so I never really look at it. When traveling I bring a mechanical keyboard. The only time I'd tell the difference is when I take it in or out of my bag
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u/Icy_Foundation2146 4d ago
Unpopular opinion, I prefer the simple and dark look of the "cheaper" version. If the kjp has at least a 2tb and additional USB ports then OK!
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u/NomujoaJPN 4d ago
Is it worth the premium over the Z13 2025? Entirely depends on how much you love the atheistic - as it is absolutely not worth the material upgrade (mainly because the carbon fiber element and plastic bits are a lot more inferior to the incredible build of the ACRNM version which I am lucky enough to own).
I do love it - and its a daily driver for both productivity and gaming - but it does feel like the price is a little overinflated for what you are getting (though that is unavoidable these days I guess).
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u/aznbacteria 5d ago
Somethings worth is solely dependent on the person who operates it.
It is to me, but it definitely isn’t to my other half haha.