The Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a gaming-centric portable display that supports a 144Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility thanks to its IPS panel. This is a good departure from the standard 60Hz panels typical of this class. The XG16AHPE is also great for mobile warriors thanks to its built-in battery, which can give you several hours of battery life in the field. It supports a variety of inputs, making it as adept at connecting to a laptop via USB-C (DisplayPort Alt-Mode) as it is pairing with a Raspberry pie via HDMI.
One of the best portable monitors, the Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a welcome entry into the gaming-centric portable space that’s only surpassed by its big brother: the 17.3-inch. XG17AHPE with its 240Hz refresh rate, which we tested previously. It brings many features to the table, including the ability to orient itself in landscape or portrait mode. All of these features come with a price tag of $399, which puts the XG16AHPE in a higher tier for portable monitors.
Specifications of the Asus ROG XG16AHPE
| Panel/Backlight Type | IPS/WLED |
| Screen Size/Aspect Ratio | 15.6 inch / 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution and refresh rate | 1920 x 1080 @ 144Hz |
| The depth of color | 8 bit |
| Maximum brightness | 300nits |
| Response time | 3ms |
| Contrast | 800:01:00 |
| Ports | Mini-HDMI, USB-C (Display-Port Alt Mode), headphone jack |
| Touch | Nothing |
| Dimensions | 14.19 x 8.88 x 0.46 inches |
| Mass | 1.98 pounds |
Design of the Asus ROG XG16AHPE
The Asus ROG XG16AHPE measures 14.19 x 8.88 x 0.46 inches and is relatively compact. It is also lightweight, weighing 1.98 pounds. It is about half a pound more than the Lenovo ThinkVision M14t, but consider its larger screen size and built-in battery. That said, the monitor is quite portable, which is made easier by the carrying case that Asus includes in the box.
While it’s great to see that the Asus ROG XG16AHPE has a kickstand, it cuts oddly diagonally across the back of the monitor. As such, it doesn’t provide a very wide range of tilt angles to find optimal viewing that matches your personal preference. However, this unorthodox design also allows the XG16AHPE to easily convert to portrait mode.
At the top right of the screen, you will find four buttons. The rightmost button is the power, with a built-in LED that turns blue when the screen is active and red when in sleep mode. The other three buttons are responsible for navigating the on-screen display (OSD).
On the left side of the screen, towards the bottom, you will find all the necessary entries. Two USB-C ports are included: one provides power, while the other supports DisplayPort Alt-Mode. There’s also a Mini-HDMI port and headphone jack provided. Rounding out the features of the XG16AHPE, a pair of 1-watt speakers provide respectable sound.
Like most portable monitors, the XG16AHPE is constructed primarily of plastic. However, the monitor doesn’t feel cheap at all. It features an attractive black design accented by a perforated silver strip below the display which houses the speakers.
There’s an Asus ROG logo on the back that lights up when the screen is on, and you’ll see Republic of Gamers text hiding behind the kickstand.
Asus includes a carrying case in the box to transport the XG16AHPE. The large zipped section houses the monitor, while a smaller zipped section on the outside can hold all your cables and power adapter. Asus also includes two additional pockets on the case secured with Velcro.
Image quality of the Asus ROG XG16AHPE
The Asus ROG XG16AHPE measures 15.6 inches diagonally and comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, which is the most common among portable monitors. Fortunately, the IPS panel offers excellent viewing angles and its matte coating keeps unsightly reflections away. My office has pendant track lighting, and the XG16AHPE had no problem minimizing reflections from all eight LEDs in our tests. Even with sunlight coming from a window directly onto the screen, glare was minimal.
I used the monitor to watch a few episodes of The Big Thing with Magnus Walker on YouTube and watched an episode of The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+. Daytime driving footage with Koenigsegg’s Agera RS looked excellent on screen, with the car’s rich, colorful custom painted graphics “jumping” across the IPS screen.
The desert Tatooine decor from The Book of Boba Fett was equally expressive on the XG16AHPE, with fine detail showing clearly on the panel. The planet’s sandy expanse was depicted well enough to give a young Anakin Skywalker nightmares.
In our tests, the average brightness is slightly above the manufacturer’s specs at 318 nits. This figure doubled what the Lepow C2 could muster and was well above the ThinkVision M14t’s 250 nits. The XG16AHPE also adhered to 103.6% of the sRGB color space and 73.4% of the DCI-P3, matching the larger XG17AHPE.
Battery life on the Asus ROG XG16AHPE
The built-in battery has a capacity of 7800mAh and is rated for 3 hours of battery life when operating at 144Hz. However, you can lower the refresh rate to 120Hz, 100Hz, 75Hz, or 60Hz if you prefer, which also reduces power consumption. In our 144Hz tests, runtimes hovered around Asus’ factory estimate at 100% brightness without using the speakers. Dropping down to 60Hz at maximum brightness, I saw battery life extend to around 3.5 hours.
If you’re running the battery down to 0%, Asus says using the included USB-C to USB-C cable paired with the fast-charging adapter will get you 2 hours of battery life from a one-hour charge. hour. Or, if you prefer, you can just keep it plugged in all the time and not worry about the battery draining. If your monitor has a USB-C or USB-A port compatible with Power Delivery 3.0, you can skip the wall adapter.
On-screen display on the Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE
The on-screen display (OSD) is controlled using the four buttons at the top right of the monitor (including the power button). Buttons can perform actions such as scroll up/down, enter, back or close a menu. On-screen actions are represented by a corresponding icon presented below each physical button.
The XG16AHPE’s OSD is packed with features and even includes its own dedicated gaming menu where you can adjust settings such as Overdrive, ShadowBoost and Adaptive-Sync. Other main menu settings include Image, Color, Power, AutoRotation (which configure how the monitor reacts when set in a portrait orientation, though it requires the Asus DisplayWidget).
The Color menu controls color temperature, gamma, and saturation, while the Picture menu controls brightness, contrast, sharpness, aspect ratio, and blue light filter (among other settings). The system setup menu gives you access to volume controls, turns the power light on/off, and enables/disables Eco mode.
While we would have preferred a traditional joystick for navigating the OSD, Asus’ four-button setup was sufficient for fiddling with display settings.
Conclusion
In our testing, the Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE proved to be a great companion for gamers looking to expand laptop space or add a second monitor for a desktop system where space is at a premium. We had a great experience with the XG16AHPE on PC and Mac, but it was also just as capable when connected to a Xbox series X console and a nintendo switch OLED.
You get what you pay for for $399, including connecting via USB-C or HDMI, a fast 144Hz refresh rate with Nvidia G-Sync support, and solid build quality despite being built entirely in plastic. The monitor weighs just under 2 pounds, and it’s thin enough to slip into most mid-to-large laptop bags with a 15.6-inch (or larger) laptop. If you don’t have extra room for the monitor, Asus wisely includes a carrying case to accommodate the XG16AHPE and all your cables/adapters.
One feature that really stands out with the XG16AHPE is its built-in battery, which we’ve already tested with the larger XG17AHPE. We saw up to 3.5 hours of battery life at 60Hz and around 3 hours at 144Hz at maximum brightness.
If you’re looking for an even better portable monitor (and a larger panel), the 17.3-inch Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE will add $100 to the cost, or $499. Alternatively, portable monitor offerings like the Lenovo ThinkVision M14 and MSIMAG161V are priced at $250 or less. Admittedly, neither the Lenovo nor the MSI are aimed at gamers and better suited for general productivity tasks.
The Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE offers a winning combination of performance, solid build quality, and versatility that would make it a fitting addition to any gamer’s hardware arsenal.
