I Tested the Asus ProArt P16 Laptop and It Delivers the Goods for Creators

9.0/ 10
SCORE

Asus ProArt P16

Professionals

Beautiful 16-inch, 4K OLED touchscreen
Sturdy element lineup, together with RTX 5070 GPU
Slim and light-weight given the dimensions and what’s beneath the hood
DialPad controller on touchpad is helpful

Cons

Runs scorching and loud
3D body charges are good however not nice
Show bezels are a bit thick
Stylus not included for the touchscreen

Asus ProArt laptops fluctuate in worth, measurement and capabilities, from the mighty Studiobook Professional cell workstations to the smaller and extra inexpensive PZ13 removable two-in-ones. Within the center sits the P16, which makes an attempt to be all the pieces to everybody and, remarkably, succeeds greater than it would not.

As with all nice laptops, the important thing to the ProArt P16’s success is steadiness. A gorgeous show loses a variety of its worth if it is not paired with highly effective sufficient elements to make good use of it. And whereas packing a laptop computer with high-end elements and an attention grabbing display screen sounds nice on paper, the shine comes off shortly if the associated fee is greater than the sum of its components.

The ProArt P16 handles this juggling act with aplomb. It boasts an enormous, stunning 16-inch 4K OLED alongside sufficient graphics horsepower to ship the efficiency in Adobe and CapCut that creators crave inside a fairly slender, light-weight chassis. And whereas it is not low cost, the ProArt P16 is priced appropriately for what’s on provide. The tip outcome: A laptop computer for creators we do not have to assume twice about recommending, and incomes an Editors’ Selection award.

Asus ProArt P16

Worth as reviewed $2,500Display measurement/decision 16-inch 3,840×2,400 OLEDCPU AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370Memory 32GB LPDDR5XGraphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070Storage 2TB SSDPorts USB-C 4.0 Gen 3, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, SD card reader, combo audio Networking Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4Operating system Home windows 11 HomeWeight 4.08 lbs (1.85 kg)

A powerful center little one

The P16 slots in between Asus’ dear Studiobook and Studiobook Professional fashions and the entry-level PX13 and PZ13 models. There are a couple of completely different ProArt P16 fashions listed at Asus ranging in worth from $2,200 to $2,900. My evaluate configuration is offered at Greatest Purchase for $2,500.

The ProArt P16 collection is constructed round an AMD Strix Level processor, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. Whereas the Strix Level line was developed to speed up AI processes, with an included NPU that may handle 50 TOPS by itself, the HX 370 is a strong processor effectively geared up to deal with heavier CPU hundreds. Alongside my check system’s RTX 5070, the HX 370 brings a Radeon 890M to the desk to deal with light-weight graphics processing with out spinning up the discrete GPU and its accompanying warmth and noise, and certain serving to with battery life.

Our P16 check system additionally options an ample 32GB of RAM and a roomy 2TB SSD, a welcome inclusion for video editors and avid gamers who each are inclined to require capacious storage. The 16-inch OLED show incorporates a 4K (3,840×2,400-pixel) decision and contact help. The port choice is pretty commonplace, however contains an SD card slot — one thing creators will recognize.

The Asus ProArt P16 begins at £2,500 within the UK and AU$4,599 in Australia.

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Asus ProArt P16 efficiency

AMD’s Strix Level processors (the Ryzen AI 300 collection) are designed to steadiness efficiency, when required, towards effectivity, when potential, to scale back energy necessities and maximize battery life. As our benchmark suite and battery check (the P16 ran for 10 hours and 52 minutes) present, the HX 370 masterfully executes. Nevertheless, whereas it was no shock that the P16 was aggressive in CPU testing towards equally positioned laptops, the graphics/GPU checks yielded barely extra blended outcomes.

The P16 largely delivered the form of 1080p gaming expertise you’d count on from a laptop computer packing an RTX 5070, however some aberrations stood out. As an illustration, within the Guardians of the Galaxy benchmark (at 1920×1080, Excessive settings), the P16 delivered the bottom FPS within the group, troubling provided that its GPU was essentially the most succesful, and that the check included two laptops with a previous-gen RTX 4070 and one with an RTX 5050. It additionally persistently delivered the bottom body charges in our Murderer’s Creed Shadows testing, no matter settings, towards machines with an RTX 5050 or 5060.

The graphics chip is not the one consider a gaming benchmark, and most of the rivals packed Intel CPUs relatively than AMD equivalents. That stated, the specs are fairly related throughout the laptops you will see within the efficiency charts under, or advantageous for the P16, in different classes, so its underwhelming gaming efficiency is a bit troubling. My disappointment was mitigated, nevertheless, as a result of it nonetheless delivered roughly the form of gaming efficiency I might count on from a machine meant for content material creation. That’s, strong however not blazing body charges.

Talking of blazing, the P16 can run scorching. Regardless of a decrease plate that is greater than 60% vent, the P16 will get fairly sweltering, fairly quick. If you happen to plan to truly use the P16 in your lap even for barely intensive duties, you could have to restrict your session size, particularly in the event you’re prone to aural distraction. When the followers kick on, they’re unimaginable to disregard, they usually are inclined to run continuously beneath any form of average to heavy load.

Matt Elliott/CNET

Welcomed simplicity

In one other life, I spent a few years reviewing gaming {hardware} and peripherals, and that have might have left me with a bias towards flashing RGB LED rainbow lighting and over-the-top, flashy designs. That stated, I discovered the P16’s easy, understated design very refreshing.

Nearly all of the machine is the matte black of a smooth alien obelisk, and I like it. The one reduction is the small ProArt brand and title tucked right into a nook of the lid, and even the lettering there may be black on black. The keyboard is backlit by default, although not obnoxiously so, and the lighting may be personalized or disabled. One small ding is the width of the bezel round that in any other case near-perfect OLED; the underside bezel, particularly, is aggressively thick.

Matt Elliott/CNET

The considerate design can be showcased by the P16’s dimensions. It suits simply in a backpack or messenger bag, coming in at a mere 14 inches huge by 9.7 inches deep and effectively lower than an inch thick, tapering from 0.7 inches to 0.6 inches in thickness. And it weighs solely slightly greater than 4 kilos. It is impressively slim and light-weight for a high-performance 16-inch laptop computer. I do surprise, nevertheless, if the will to maintain the P16 so compact contributed to its warmth output and subsequent fan noise.

The keyboard and touchpad are additionally winners. Although I want a deck with a quantity pad on such a big laptop computer and one which’s positioned slightly decrease on the keyboard deck, I did love the big particular person keys and their responsiveness. Palm rejection helps with the keyboard being tucked thus far up, and it is laborious to begrudge the touchpad its further actual property, given how effectively it is designed.

Matt Elliott/CNET

Although it is mechanical and never the slick haptic glass of some high-end creator laptops, the touchpad nonetheless delivers a premium really feel. It additionally contains an Asus DialPad, a function that may very well be dismissed as a gimmick, however as an alternative proved itself a real worth add.

The DialPad sits within the higher left nook of the trackpad (a significant purpose why the beneficiant measurement of the pad is so key). Its round design means that you can name up a radial menu of choices for any variety of apps, and it is an incredible, easy-to-access alternative for hotkeys. Many apps, together with creator favorites like Adobe Premiere, include useful preset capabilities, however you can even map customized instructions. Past fast calling instructions, the DialPad will also be used to regulate system quantity, scrub via video footage or numerous different dial/wheel/scrollbar-based actions.

Matt Elliott/CNET

A stunning, inventive portal

A part of why I like the straightforward, all-black design is that it helps spotlight essentially the most arresting piece of the P16: the show. It is a 4K, 16:10 HDR OLED touchscreen that’s genuinely placing, significantly for visible showcases like panorama stills or high-resolution screenshots from fantasy/sci-fi movies and video games. As I’ve come to count on from the newest technology of OLED know-how, the deep blacks and vivid colours are astonishing.

It is rated for 500 nits of HDR peak brightness, nevertheless it got here up wanting that determine. In our checks with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter, it managed to hit a most of 397 nits in HDR mode (and 368 nits in SDR). With its deep blacks and unbelievable distinction, the OLED panel nonetheless seemed beautiful even when it could not match its brightness ranking. Its coloration efficiency was excellent, with 100% protection of the sRGB and P3 gamuts and 95% of AdobeRGB.

One other knock towards the show is its refresh price, which is simply the usual 60Hz. For a panel backed up by such spectacular {hardware}, I might wish to see no less than double that. It is probably not as very important for creators, however avid gamers can be upset to be locked to a 60 frames per second max. This limitation is probably going one of many methods Asus combats the value bloat we see in different high-end OLED laptops. One other cost-cutting methodology is the P16’s baffling lack of a stylus.

The webcam tucked into the highest bezel delivers high quality visuals. It is a 1080p digital camera that gives vibrant colours and is a good match each for fast selfies and video calls.

Whereas a variety of creator laptops come loaded with cumbersome bloatware that you’re going to uninstall as quickly as you hit the desktop, the P16 contains some genuinely helpful instruments. The guts of the software program package deal is the ProArt Creator Hub. It does double responsibility as a system monitor, with creator-focused options like a coloration administration panel, in addition to a launchpad for different apps. Within the Inventive Land tab, you’ll be able to shortly launch Adobe’s Inventive Cloud suite and Asus’ personal MuseTree (an AI picture generator), StoryCube (media storage administration) and extra.

Is the Asus ProArt P16 price shopping for?

For creators with the requisite bankroll, the ProArt P16 is a straightforward advice. It is purpose-built to assist creators rework their imaginative and prescient into actuality, from the macro (the large, stunning OLED) to the micro (the touchpad’s useful DialPad). Backed by Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics, it is a particularly succesful workday companion that may double as an appropriate gaming machine for something wanting 4K. Whereas I would not suggest it for somebody explicitly purchasing for a gaming laptop computer, in the event you’re a creator with a day job who likes to gun down aliens after a protracted work session, the P16 covers each ends of that equation.

Cover our professional take

The evaluate course of for laptops, desktops, tablets and different computerlike gadgets consists of two components: efficiency testing beneath managed circumstances within the CNET Labs and intensive hands-on use by our professional reviewers. This contains evaluating a tool’s aesthetics, ergonomics and options. A ultimate evaluate verdict is a mixture of each goal and subjective judgments.

The checklist of benchmarking software program we use adjustments over time because the gadgets we check evolve. Crucial core checks we’re at present working on each appropriate laptop embrace Primate Labs Geekbench 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fireplace Strike Extremely.

A extra detailed description of every benchmark and the way we use it may be discovered on our How We Take a look at Computer systems web page.

Cover our professional take

Geekbench 6 CPU (multi-core)

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