The Asus TUF Gaming A15 is a powerful laptop for individuals who don’t want to flaunt their hardware. It has the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 processors and an Nvidia RTX 4000 graphics card, providing more than enough power for Full HD gaming. The TUF Gaming A15 laptop’s powerful internals are more than capable of running the latest games, but it does have a few drawbacks. My model had a conventional Full HD (19201080) screen, but it can be adjusted to a Quad HD (25601440) resolution, so truly high-end gaming was out of the question.
However, with a large port variety and a surprisingly long battery life, the TUF Gaming A15 is an excellent choice for anyone willing to compromise.
Design and Keyboard
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 boasts a more modest appearance than some other gaming laptops, foregoing RGB lights in favour of a clean metallic aesthetic. It’s chunky and heavy, weighing in at 2.2kg and standing out in my rucksack. The weight provides a solid and capable presentation, and it should be able to withstand the odd knock and keep ticking.
Two USB-A ports, two USB-C inputs, HDMI 2.1, a LAN port, and a 3.5mm combination audio jack are included. While Thunderbolt 4 support would have been fantastic, the AMD processor means that won’t be possible. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 ensured easy connectivity, while Wi-Fi 6E would have been preferred.
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 keyboard is beautiful, featuring brilliant Mini-LED one-zone illumination and bright lighting behind the WASD keys, making them easier to find while gaming. Because this is a one-zone arrangement, you can’t alter specific portions of the keyboard illumination, but the emphasis on the WASD keys looks cool. It has a full keyboard, which expands its potential as a productivity tablet, though I would prefer a more spacious layout. Fortunately, the keyboard was really quick and had a pleasant click, making it a delight to text on.
The trackpad is also on the larger side, and the experience was exceptionally smooth. Although I would still advocate using a mouse for gaming, it was usable in slower-paced titles such as Stardew Valley and Slime Rancher.
Display and Sound
The TUF Gaming A15 has two screen sizes: Full HD (19201080) and WQHD (25601440). My model came with the former, which restricted gaming and video capabilities, so look to the latter for further information. An OLED or mini-LED variant would be ideal, but the price would skyrocket.
The refresh rate for the Full HD variant is 144Hz, while the WQHD model is 165Hz. Even in more demanding games, the 144Hz refresh rate gave a seamless gaming experience with no stuttering or screen tearing.
The audio presentation was excellent. The music was bold and colourful, and it was loud enough to fill my bedroom. The gaming audio was excellent, with an immersive sound and an energetic Cuphead soundtrack. It never generated distorted audio when put on soft furnishings, unlike some other laptops I’ve used, such as the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus or the Acer Chromebook 515.
Performance
My TUF Gaming A15 review model arrived with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. This comes with 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM for a cool INR 1,23,499. This laptop provides more than enough power for some of my favourite games for the price, but it isn’t a strong juggernaut that competes with the top end of the market.
In terms of single-core, multi-core, and CPU performance, the TUF Gaming A15 trails comparable devices such as the Razer Blade 16 (2023) and Medion Erazer Beast X40. These machines, however, cost £4399.99 and £3499, respectively, making them far less affordable in contrast.
The TUF Gaming A15 provides a streamlined and steady performance as long as you’re comfortable playing in Full HD quality. My Stardew Valley playthrough went over without a hitch, and the on-screen movement was smooth. The fan noise was likewise unobtrusive, and the device rarely got too hot. This makes the TUF Gaming A15 an excellent gaming laptop for individuals who aren’t looking for top-tier performance but still want a responsive experience without breaking the bank.
The SSD scores were hit-or-miss, with read and write speeds of 4,031.46MB/s and 1,831.39MB/s, respectively. I thought loading times in real-world applications were adequate, but individuals wishing to transmit large files would have to wait longer.
Battery Life
It has a 90 watt-hour battery. The TUF Gaming A15’s battery life was unexpected, with our PCMark 10 benchmark scores coming in at 9 hours and 55 minutes. It’s also worth noting that playing on a gaming laptop when it’s not plugged in will result in significantly lower performance. That amount of endurance, however, was more than plenty for productivity duties, and I was able to operate on this gadget for several hours without needing to charge it.
Verdict
The Asus TUF Gaming A15 isn’t the most powerful gaming laptop on the market, but it has a special place in my heart. A greater display resolution might be more appealing, but reaching above 60 frames per second in every triple-A game provides a consistent and crisp experience at an affordable price. You can, however, upgrade to Quad HD for an additional fee.
For under INR 1,23,499, this is the ideal gaming laptop for newbies or those looking for a solid device without 4K images. It has an incredibly clicky keyboard, LED one-zone RGB backlighting, and a number of connections. If you’re prepared to spend a little more for a little more refinement and higher specs, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) is an excellent alternative because it has a lot more power and a 25601600 (WQXGA) display. For faster CPU speeds, consider the Acer Nitro 5 (2022).
Overall, I would recommend the TUF Gaming A15 (2023) to anyone who is content to gaming on a Full HD tablet, since this model provides excellent value. It’s stylish, robust, and delivers an excellent performance.
