Finally, a Windows laptop that I wouldn’t mind putting away my MacBook for

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Asus’ ProArt P16 is on sale for $2,500 at Greatest Purchase.
• This yr’s mannequin retains a lot of what made the earlier technology so good, with key {hardware} enhancements.
• It additionally means it has the identical issues as earlier than, comparable to working scorching.

When you’re acquainted with Asus’ creator-focused laptops, you will really feel proper at residence utilizing the 2025 ProArt P16. It’s almost equivalent to its predecessor by way of design and objective, because the laptop computer is supposed for artistic professionals in search of a high-performance machine. It sticks with what labored final time, making a number of key changes. 

Additionally: The very best laptops for graphic designers: Professional examined

First off, the ProArt P16 has a light-weight bodily design, making it straightforward to hold round. I discovered the keyboard to be too mushy for my liking. It does not have an ideal typing really feel, however the keycaps are quiet, in order that’s a plus. The touchpad takes up a big portion of the wrist relaxation, enabling higher consolation and ease of use. On both facet of the keyboard is a pair of Harman/Kardon audio system delivering sturdy audio output. 

To this point, issues are wanting good for the ProArt P16, and issues get even higher when you look inside.

A artistic powerhouse

My evaluate unit got here loaded with some stable {hardware}, certainly. It homes an AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, and 32GB of RAM. Sure, you possibly can recreation this; no, I do not advocate doing so. It overheats quick, and the show solely has a refresh charge of 60Hz. Giant warmth vents are positioned on the backside, expelling scorching air. I don’t advocate putting the pc in your lap except you need your legs to be cooked.

Additionally: Lastly, an ultraportable Home windows laptop computer I might use on the workplace (regardless that it is for avid gamers)

Asus’ ProCreator Hub tremendously contributed to my enjoyment, and it jogged my memory of MSI’s Heart app, which has the same perform. The app has numerous laptop computer options in a single central location, one being the flexibility to immediately change how the machine performs with out having to enter BIOS. By making the best changes to the {hardware}, the ProArt P16 can exceed expectations for efficiency and battery life.

Beneath is a benchmark take a look at outcomes desk evaluating the 2025 ProArt P16 to its predecessor, in addition to the M4 MacBook Professional and the MSI Stealth 16 AI, one other laptop computer with the same objective. You will discover that Asus’ new machine outperforms most of its rivals throughout the assorted benchmark rendering assessments. There are cases the place it falls behind, but it surely is not a big hole.

When you’re in search of a strong different to your outdated MacBook, this ProArt laptop computer is your finest guess in 2025.

The Creator Hub provides utility past tweaking efficiency. The WorkSmart device helps you to group a number of apps collectively. So while you click on one in all these teams, all these apps open concurrently, saving you time. Colour Management permits customers to actively modify the display screen output on the fly. For instance, you would tweak the blue mild output so it is simpler in your eyes or change which shade gamut is being proven.  

You would possibly change the gamut to DCI-P3 to indicate off “movie-grade colours”. Show P3 is finest “fitted to displaying vivid colours on cellular units and laptops.” You do not have to mess with the output, for the reason that display screen is spectacular by itself. Asus’ ProArt P16 has a high-quality 16-inch 4K OLED show. Photographs are gorgeous as colours virtually leap out. The display screen had two downsides: the 60Hz refresh charge, as talked about earlier, and the show’s glossiness. A lot mild is mirrored that it may be arduous to see the display screen underneath vivid situations.

Modifying on the ProArt P16

Up within the higher left-hand nook of the touchpad is the DialPad, which lets you customise your personal controls in every app. The bodily design provides extra exact management than the touchpad, which makes biking by way of completely different instruments simpler than you’d assume. 

I attempted incorporating the DialPad into my workflow to edit a video on CapCut, {a photograph} on Pixlr, and render 3D fashions in Blender utilizing the DialPad, and came upon that it is best used along side the touchpad. It really works finest as an supplemental device for fast entry to alter brush sizes or biking by way of video clips, but it surely is not designed to interchange the touchpad or mouse altogether.

Alone, it is nice at executing delicate procedures, like cleansing up particular areas in a photograph. The issue is that it lacks haptic suggestions: urgent down does not consequence within the “click on” you’d anticipate. So to click on and drag an impact on a video’s timeline or seize the nook of a mannequin in Blender, you will have to make use of the touchpad.

Fortuitously, utilizing each concurrently is not tough. Your left hand will be the DialPad whereas your proper is on the touchpad, and all of it feels pure. Utilizing simply the touchpad is an possibility, but it surely’s tough to take care of the identical degree of accuracy.

Additionally: This ultraportable Asus laptop computer is my favourite MacBook Air different (and it is higher in some methods)

I even have to provide credit score to the {hardware}. Rendering 3D environments in Blender took little or no time to finish. I used to be in a position to hop between my 4K enhancing and 20 completely different Chrome tabs with none hiccups. The one time I skilled any slowdown was once I was taking part in 10 completely different livestreams in 4K on YouTube — however other than area of interest circumstances, it is stable.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

Over at Greatest Purchase, the Asus ProArt P16 is on sale for $2,500, which is greater than what I used to be anticipating. Final yr’s ProArt is retailing for simply $2,000. I like to recommend grabbing the 2025 laptop computer if you need one of the best of one of the best and do not thoughts paying a bit extra. As proven within the efficiency assessments, there’s a sizable hole between the 2 units. 

That mentioned, the 2024 model is certainly nonetheless aggressive, so in case you’re in search of a strong graphics-minded laptop computer and need to avoid wasting cash, I might extremely advocate it, particularly if it sees some extra value drops.