The ASUS TUF Gaming F16 has been refreshed, and it’s ASUS’ take on one of its most affordable gaming laptops yet. The new ASUS TUF Gaming F16 has been launched at a price of Rs 80,990. However, this time around, although ASUS is using the chassis of the latest model, the specs it is using are relatively older, at least in some sense. For example, the ASUS TUF Gaming G16 is equipped with an Intel Core 5 210H series processor, which is not the latest Arrow Lake chip that I recently tested in the ASUS Vivobook 16 but is instead a part of the Raptor Lake-H refresh series. It features 4 efficiency cores and 4 performance cores, along with a 4.8GHz maximum boost clock speed.
Moreover, the motherboard is still using DDR4 memory instead of DDR5, which has become commonplace in many budget gaming laptops in 2025. Likewise, the GPU on offer is also the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ampere edition, which is usually around 2-4% faster than the normal RTX 3050. It also features 6GB GDDR6 VRAM, which is nice. Here are the rest of the specifications of the laptop in detail:
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The laptop features an all-new chassis. However, the design of the TUF series remains similar to what we had in the previous generation. Some notable features include a 90% screen-to-body ratio, which makes the 16-inch FHD+ display look very immersive. The laptop’s deck is made of high-quality premium plastic.
It is durable, almost flex-free, and fingerprint-resistant as well. The chassis accommodates a full-size keyboard along with a full-size numpad. The touchpad is very good, it is smooth, easy to use, and also has an ASUS TUF logo embedded in its top-right corner.
The Intel Core Ultra 5 210H, along with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050A edition, performs well. The CPU continues to have enough headroom and can utilise the Nvidia RTX 3050A up to 100%. It can achieve 1080p 60FPS gaming at medium graphics settings in titles like Dirt 5, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, GTA V, Gears 5, and AC: Valhalla.
However, the 4GB VRAM limitation is a problem, mainly because games like AC: Valhalla, Doom Eternal, and modern titles like Space Marine 2 and Black Myth: Wukong struggle to run smoothly with such limited VRAM.
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Credit where credit is due, the FHD+ display on the ASUS TUF Gaming F16 is truly amazing. The matte coating works very well to reduce unnecessary reflections, and the 90% screen-to-body ratio is genuinely immersive. It’s hard to go back to a chunky bezel display after using the one on the ASUS TUF Gaming F16. The 300 nits of brightness on offer is also decent enough for indoor usage.
The ASUS TUF Gaming F16 comes with USB Type-A ports on both sides, which is much appreciated and allows you to connect a USB mouse in any way you prefer. It also comes with an HDMI 2.1 FRL. For the uninitiated, FRL replaces the older TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling) used in HDMI 2.0 and earlier, allowing for higher bandwidth and better signal transmission. This enables support for higher resolutions, refresh rates, and features like 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 120Hz.
Moreover, the laptop also gets a Type-C port with support for DisplayPort, power delivery, and G-Sync. It also supports data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. Additionally, it includes an RJ-45 LAN port and one additional port for DC charging.
The laptop comes with 512GB of SSD storage, which is mostly standard in laptops at this price range. It also gets Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) (Dual-band) 2×2, meaning the laptop supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, offering faster speeds, lower latency, and better efficiency, especially in crowded networks. The dual-band (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) and 2×2 MIMO configuration improve signal strength, stability, and data transfer rates for smoother gaming, streaming, and browsing, along with Bluetooth Version 5.3.
The ASUS TUF Gaming F16 shows the potential to be not just a great budget laptop but also the first multipurpose laptop in a household. Its immersive display, not-too-flashy design, great build quality, and decently capable components all tell the same story. One possible issue could be the Rs 80,990 launch price, but as history has taught us, the price of such gaming laptops tends to drop a month or two after launch. When that happens, the ASUS TUF Gaming F16 will instantly be a steal.
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