The market offers many powerful, convenient, and thin laptops. However, finding a practical device with aesthetic appeal narrows the choices considerably. The ASUS ProArt P16 is precisely such a device.
Design and Build
The laptop resembles a larger version of the 2024 Zephyrus G14 and, admittedly, a black MacBook. However, the OLED display and Windows operating system instantly distinguish it. The metal chassis is elegant, and the keyboard features the 2024 ASUS corporate design: large keys with flat keycaps and minimal corner rounding. Ports are conveniently located on the sides.
The cooling system draws air from the bottom and expels it downwards, under the screen. To prevent hot air recirculation, a large rubber foot isolates the air intake and exhaust.
The port selection is excellent: a proprietary charging port, a USB-C 3.2 port with DisplayPort, and a standard USB-A port on the left; a headphone jack, a USB-C 4.0 port, a full-size SD card reader, and another USB-A port on the right. External displays can be connected via USB-C or HDMI 2.1. An external Ethernet adapter is included.
Hardware and Performance
AMD processors now dominate the thin and powerful laptop market. The ProArt P16 uses the Ryzen 9 AI 375HX: four high-performance Zen 4 cores (up to 5.2 GHz) and eight energy-efficient Zen 4c cores (up to 3 GHz). The "AI" designation refers to the integrated neural processing unit (NPU), offering 50 TOPS. In contrast, previous generations offered only 10-20 TOPS.
The integrated NPU is currently underutilized, as most neural networks rely on the GPU (RTX 4070) which offers approximately 320 TOPS.
The mobile RTX 4070 is based on the desktop RTX 4060 and uses the same architecture but with faster memory on a narrower 128-bit bus. Its performance varies significantly depending on the TDP. At 120-130W TDP, performance is good, but reducing it to 80W leads to a 15-25% fps drop in games.
The rest of the hardware is well-balanced. The system features 32GB or 64GB of LPDDR5X RAM (7500MHz), a fast PCIe Gen 5 SSD, Wi-Fi 6E (dual-band), and a balanced system architecture without any notable bottlenecks.
OLED Display
High-end laptops now typically feature OLED displays. ASUS uses OLED panels in many models, and the ProArt P16 is no exception. The advantages of OLED are clear: deep blacks, high brightness, HDR support without backlight issues, and excellent color reproduction with proper calibration. The ProArt P16 benefits from factory calibration.
The display is 16 inches with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a resolution of 3840x2400 pixels. The peak brightness exceeds 500 nits, static is around 350 nits. It supports sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color spaces. The factory profiles are accurate and ensure accurate color temperature, gamma curve, and DeltaE (below 1.5).
Sound Quality
The ProArt P16 boasts exceptional sound quality, comparable to that of high-end MacBooks. The sound is well-balanced at medium volume, with good bass reproduction and clear highs. However, maximum volume can be overwhelming.
DialPad: Virtual Control Wheel
The ProArt P16 features a virtual control wheel, DialPad, similar to the physical dial in previous generations. Activated via a swipe, it allows for intuitive control of volume, brightness, and other functions in compatible software. It lacks haptic feedback, however.
Benchmark Results
| Benchmark | 180W Power | Whisper Mode |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Speed Way | 2918 | - |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad | 2645 | 2239 |
| 3DMark Port Royal | 7310 | 5245 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 11620 | 9001 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | 25990 | 21660 |
| 3DMark CPU (Single-Core) | 1130 | 1023 |
| 3DMark CPU (Multi-Core) | 10420 | 8119 |
| PCMark 10 Extended (Overall) | 7910 | 7122 |
| PCMark 10 Essentials | 9965 | 8424 |
| PCMark 10 Productivity | 10570 | 9102 |
| PCMark 10 Content Creation | 12701 | 9950 |
| CineBench R20 (Single-Core) | 801 | 780 |
| CineBench R20 (Multi-Core) | 9203 | 8210 |
Battery Life and Charging
The 90Wh battery provides decent battery life. At 50% brightness (approximately 120-130 nits), the laptop lasts 6-7 hours for light tasks. Heavy workloads like video editing reduce this significantly. The 180W power adapter provides full charge in about 120 minutes.
Specifications
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 AI 375HX
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (up to 85W)
- RAM: 32GB or 64GB LPDDR5X (7467MHz)
- Storage: 2TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
- Display: 16-inch, 3840x2400, OLED, 60Hz, 500+ nits, HDR, 100% Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, and sRGB
- Ports: Thunderbolt 4, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, headphone/mic combo, SD card reader
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Battery: 90Wh
- Power Adapter: 180W
- Dimensions: 36 x 27 x 2.9 cm
- Weight: 1.95 kg
IN The END
The ASUS ProArt P16 is a refined version of the Zephyrus G16. More focused on work than gaming, it offers excellent image quality, impressive sound, and a useful virtual control wheel. However, its 60Hz display limits its appeal for fast-paced gaming.
