Asus announced the ROG Strix Scar 18 gaming laptop ahead of Computex 2026. The 18-inch device features a 4K, 240Hz Mini LED display with an anti-glare matte finish and Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) technology.
The Mini LED panel includes over 2,000 dimming zones and delivers up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness in HDR mode. When HDR is turned off, ELMB operates by splitting the screen into smaller horizontal bands of pixels that refresh row by row quickly, mimicking the scanline approach of traditional CRT displays. This method reduces motion blur without relying on black frame insertion, which can introduce flicker and dim the screen.
The reviewed configuration of the ROG Strix Scar 18 is equipped with a 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX CPU, an RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 128GB of RAM, and 4TB of storage. Asus has not disclosed pricing for this model or for a potential base version featuring an RTX 5080 GPU.
In gaming performance tests, the laptop ran Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K Ultra settings with ray tracing and DLSS Balanced at a steady 45fps. Switching DLSS to Ultra Performance raised frame rates to approximately 70fps. In Counter-Strike 2 at high settings, the system delivered frame rates between 180 and 200fps.
ELMB can be enabled or disabled through Asus’ Armoury Crate software, though no keyboard shortcut is available for toggling the feature during gameplay. Visual clarity improvements from ELMB were demonstrated in motion tests. During Blur Busters’ Video Game Motion test, character names such as 'Lion,' 'Vengeful Spirit,' and 'Dragon Knight' remained legible during fast scrolling with ELMB on, while the same text appeared noticeably blurred when the feature was off.
In the Blur Busters UFO test, the ROG Strix Scar 18’s display rendered fine details—including the alien’s three eyes and three vertical lines on each red panel of the UFO—with sharp clarity. By comparison, an Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with a 120Hz OLED panel showed those same details as blurred.