The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a compact portable monitor designed for gaming on the go. One of the best portable monitors we've tested to date, it has a high refresh rate and a remarkable response time, resulting in clear motion with very little blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has a few extra gaming features that are sure to impress even the most demanding gamers. It has a built-in battery that delivers nearly 3 hours of gameplay at the max refresh rate. As expected for a portable monitor, the stand on this version isn't very versatile, so it can be hard to find a comfortable viewing position. If this bothers you, it's also available with a compact tripod mount, or you can mount it to any standard camera mount, which is a bit unusual for a monitor, but it works. The relatively small size of this display is both good and bad; it results in amazing text clarity, but it's bad for multitasking.
Our Verdict
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a decent portable monitor overall. It's clearly designed for gaming on the go, with a fast refresh rate and remarkable response time. It's also decent for office use, watching videos, or media creation, thanks to its wide viewing angles, excellent accuracy out of the box, and near-perfect coverage of the sRGB color space. It's limited overall by its bad ergonomics and small size.
- Great gray uniformity.
- Superb low input lag.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Bad ergonomics, as expected for a portable monitor.
- Small screen size isn't ideal for some uses.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a decent portable monitor for office use, with good viewability in bright rooms thanks to its decent peak brightness and good reflection handling. It has wide viewing angles, great gray uniformity, and superb low input lag for a responsive desktop experience. The relatively small screen is both good and bad, though; the high pixel density results in amazing text clarity, but the small screen size isn't great for multitasking or office work.
- Great gray uniformity.
- Amazing text clarity.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Bad ergonomics, as expected for a portable monitor.
- Small screen size isn't ideal for some uses.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a great portable monitor for gaming. It has superb low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, and it has a remarkable response time, resulting in very clear motion at any refresh rate. It's G-SYNC Compatible, which can help reduce screen tearing from a supported source, and it also works with FreeSync sources. The small size doesn't deliver the most immersive gaming experience, but it results in an extremely sharp image that looks great.
- Remarkable response time.
- Superb low input lag.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Fast refresh rate.
- Bad ergonomics, as expected for a portable monitor.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a decent portable monitor for watching videos. Visibility is great in bright rooms, as it has decent peak brightness and good reflection handling, and it has decent viewing angles, meaning you can share content with someone else. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as good in a dark room, as it has low contrast and just alright black uniformity.
- Great gray uniformity.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Doesn't support HDR.
- Bad ergonomics, as expected for a portable monitor.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is an okay portable monitor for media creation. It has great gray uniformity and gradient handling, so you don't have to worry about the dirty screen effect or banding, and it has an excellent SDR color gamut, although it can't display colors wider than the sRGB primaries in the Adobe RGB color gamut. Sadly, the relatively small size of this screen isn't ideal for full-time creation, but it's okay for quick edits on the go.
- Great gray uniformity.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Bad ergonomics, as expected for a portable monitor.
- Small screen size isn't ideal for some uses.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE doesn't support HDR.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 14, 2023: We've added a comparison to the recently reviewed espresso Display 15 Touch, which has a touchscreen, unlike the ASUS.
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: There was a mistake in the 60Hz input lag results. We remeasured the input lag at 60Hz, and it's 0.5ms higher than our original results.
- Updated Dec 13, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Dec 09, 2021: Early access published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 15.6 inch ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE. There's a 17 inch model available, but it has a different design and a higher refresh rate. There's also a variant of this model, known as the ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHP. We expect the alternate model to perform the same, but it includes a tripod stand. It's also available in white, and we expect the white variant to perform the same as the one we bought.
| Model | Size | Native Resolution | Max Refresh rate | Stand | VRR | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XG17AHP | 17" | 1080p | 240Hz | Includes tripod stand | Adaptive Sync | Black |
| XG17AHPE | 17" | 1080p | 240Hz | Folio stand | Adaptive Sync | Black |
| XG16AHP | 15.6" | 1080p | 144Hz | Includes tripod stand | G-SYNC Compatible | Black |
| XG16AHPE | 15.6" | 1080p | 144Hz | Kickstand | G-SYNC Compatible | Black |
| XG16AHPE-W | 15.6" | 1080p | 144Hz | Kickstand | G-SYNC Compatible | White |
If you come across a different type of panel, or your ASUS XG16AHPE doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in April 2021. You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a great portable gaming monitor with performance that rivals many full-sized desktop models. It's far better than most of the other portable monitors we've tested, like the MSI Optix MAG161V, but it's also far more expensive.
For more options, check our picks for the best budget monitors, the best USB-C monitors, and the best portable monitors.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is much better than the Lenovo ThinkVision M14. The ASUS has a much faster fresh rate and significantly better motion handling, making it a much better choice for gaming. The ASUS is also more accurate out of the box, and it has slightly better reflection handling. Finally, the ASUS is more portable, as it has a built-in battery.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is much better than the ASUS ZenScreen Go MB16AHP. The XG16 is better-suited for gaming, with a faster refresh rate, much better response time, and better gaming features. The XG16 also has a much wider SDR color gamut, better accuracy out of the box, and it has slightly better reflection handling.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is much better than the MSI Optix MAG161V. The ASUS has much better motion handling, it's brighter, it has better reflection handling, and it has better gaming features. The ASUS is also far more accurate, with a much better color gamut and better viewing angles.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE and the ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE are very similar overall. The XG17 has a higher refresh rate, as well as a slightly faster response time, and it has a slightly larger screen. Other than that, they offer nearly identical performance overall.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
