ASUS showcased the ROG Zephyrus G31 laptop powered by Arc B390 iGPU, and no discrete graphics but then removed it from the CES 2026 demo rooms for an unknown reason
Les Numériques uncovered an unusual story at CES 2026 involving a laptop that was never supposed to be seen, sort of. ASUS had reportedly prepared a new version of its ROG Zephyrus G14 (model GU405AA) powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 3 “Panther Lake” chip and integrated Arc B390 graphics with no discrete GPU . We covered this laptop in October after the Geekbench leak. It did indeed not feature any discrete GPU, which was unusual for a ROG G-Series laptop.
That’s not even the most interesting part of this story. The device apparently appeared briefly in Intel’s CES 2026 demo area, only to vanish soon after. The laptop was not a prototype. According to the French outlet, ASUS showed the G14 to media during a private pre-CES event in early December, with every sign of an upcoming release. But when CES opened, the model was missing from ASUS’s booth.
This machine wasn’t just a lab prototype. We were able to see and handle this model during a pre-briefing organized by the brand in early December, ahead of CES. Everything pointed to an imminent commercial release in 2026. Yet, once the doors of the show opened to the public in Las Vegas, this very special Zephyrus G14 was nowhere to be found at the Asus booth.
— Les Numériques
Reporters later discovered the same G14 unit displayed by Intel in its closed-door demo room, where it was used to showcase the new Xe3-based Arc B390 iGPU. Before journalists began asking questions, the system was reportedly removed from the exhibit.
Source: Les Numériques/andro4all.com
ASUS later confirmed a “change in strategy,” effectively cancelling the product. Intel representatives were caught off guard, unable to explain why the system was still part of their showcase.
The cancellation likely came down to performance and pricing. The Zephyrus G14 is a premium line usually equipped with at least an RTX 4050 90 W GPU. Intel’s Arc B390 graphics, while improved, reportedly reach only the level of a 60 W RTX 4050 not enough for a laptop marketed to gamers.
Les Numériques suggests the concept might return under the more affordable TUF Gaming A14 series, where integrated graphics performance could make more sense. But for now, the Arc-powered Zephyrus G14 remains the “phantom laptop” of CES 2026.
Source: Les Numériques
