Asus ProArt P16 Review: A Creator’s Dream Workstation in Every Detail

As the name suggests, Asus ProArt products are aimed at those who want to engage in artistic expression with professional ambitions. Professionally color-calibrated monitors, computer mice with controls for media creation programs, reference-quality projectors, and of course, entire computers. One of the newest is the 2025 edition of the ProArt P16 laptop.

It’s a 16-inch laptop with thin screen edges and a slim black aluminum chassis. It’s built more for practical handling and a lot of cooling than as a design statement – more angular and less eye-catching than the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 or Macbook Pro, but definitely not unsightly.

The ProArt P16 was first presented a year ago at the Computex trade show in Asus’s hometown of Taipei, as one of the first computers with a lot of AI. With the AMD Ryzen 9 AI as the processor, it had a built-in NPU of 50 TOPS, which, together with RTX 4000 graphics, unlocked several interesting possibilities for both third-party AI applications, Microsoft Copilot functions, and self-developed AI-based programs.

Smart and Less Smart Solutions

However, I never got the opportunity to delve into that, but when an upgraded version appeared at this year’s Computex, Asus in Sweden also received samples. Now, I’ve put my metaphorical teeth into it and tested it.

When I open the screen lid, I’m met with a large touchpad with a built-in bonus control in one corner: the Asus Dialpad. It’s a round virtual “wheel” that’s connected to the volume and brightness in the system, and which can be connected to controls in other programs for functions like zoom, brush sizes, and more.

Above sits a well-built keyboard with clear backlighting. However, it’s unnecessarily crammed between two large upward-facing speaker panels. These do sound very good, but it means that some keys have been squeezed together. It feels a bit unintelligent. And a number pad is just out of the question.

Performance is More Than Enough

The 2025 ProArt 16 has the same processor as last year, the twelve-core Ryzen 9 AI HX370, which can almost – but not quite – compete with an Apple M4 Pro. However, it has upgraded the graphics to a GeForce RTX 5070 card, which beats Apple’s graphics by the same margin that it lags behind on the processor side, about 10 to 20 percent.

Are these numbers life-altering? No, both have a lot of computing power. You can run heavy programs, large advanced projects with complex calculations, and a lot of data processing. Build 3D worlds, run local AI models, edit 4K video, program, retouch, illustrate, produce… you’re not likely to hit any performance ceiling.

Especially in my version of the ProArt P16, which features a full 64 GB of fast RAM and a spacious, lightning-fast 2 TB SSD. However, such a configuration comes at a cost—this is the highest-end model in the series, priced at $3,800. You can also choose other configurations, down to an RTX 4060 graphics card, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD, saving up to $930. But even then, it’s still expensive. Nonetheless, I believe the superior graphics performance and extra RAM are worth the investment.

Despite a slim design, Asus has managed to incorporate cooling into the computer that is both effective and not too noisy. On and off, it’s completely silent, but most of the time, I hear a barely audible whisper. When I put a heavy load on the processor, the fans slowly ramp up, and at most, it becomes more noticeable. But never more than a neutral noise.

One of the Best Laptop Screens

All models come with the same brilliant OLED screen. It not only has one-hundred-percent contrast and is VESA Display HDR True Black 500 certified, but also perfect DCI-P3 matching for the colors and is Pantone-validated. With a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels, it’s sharp and beautiful, and you get a 120 Hz image refresh rate.

It’s a hard-to-beat feeling to work on a good OLED screen, and this is one of the very best, whether you’re color-grading a film project, creating printed materials, playing games, or streaming series. You can set the screen to a comfortable reading mode and everything is flicker- and blue-light-free.

If there’s anything to complain about, it’s the brightness. It’s high, but not in the class of the mini-LED screens we’ve seen in some laptops lately. This means that sometimes there can be clear reflections in the glossy screen surface.

The screen also has touch functionality and support for a stylus pen. I don’t know if it’s so suitable for that, since it can’t be folded flat or flipped around 360 degrees, so you can’t draw on it seriously. But the possibility of using a pen exists if you are interested.

I prefer regular mouse control or a separate drawing tablet if I want to draw. If you want to plug in a regular mouse, you have plenty of USB connectors for that, both type A and C, and the fastest has USB 4 speed.

Several Good AI Functions

With AI in both the processor and a lot of AI capacity in the graphics card, there are great opportunities for local generative magic, and Asus utilizes them better than most others. They offer a couple of smart, own programs: Musetree, which allows you to explore and build on AI-generated suggestions of short keywords or simple sketches, and Storycube, which can index, sort, and create theme albums from your photos and video clips.

Both are well worth exploring, especially Musetree. It can be a test of patience at first start, because the program needed to be updated and it took several hours. But it’s an interesting tool once it’s up and running. No revolution, but a good mindmap and idea creation support.

You also get Studio effects, Copilot, and Live Translations from Windows, and a few other small functions like noise filters for the microphone. Not all Copilot Plus features are here – for example, I miss generative tools in MS Paint. But there are so many better ones from third parties you can invest in. If you pay this much for a PC, you can pay for that too.

Finally, Asus gets a plus for better-than-expected battery life. Its 90 Wh battery is of course quickly drained with maximum CPU load and high brightness, but you only work like that sometimes. For more normal loads and a dimmed screen, it can last a whole workday, or almost. You should always bring an adapter – otherwise, you won’t get maximum performance either. A lot, but not the most.

Specifications

• Product Name: Asus Proart P16 N7606WP-RJ079X
• Tested: June 2025
• Manufacturer: Asus
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX370, 4 zen 5 + 8 zen 5c up to 5.1 GHz
• NPU: Ryzen AI 50 TOPS
• Graphics: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070, 8 GB
• Memory: 64 GB LPDDR5X
• Storage: 2 TB SSD, slot for SD card
• Screen: 16-inch glossy OLED, 2880 x 1800 pixels, 120 Hz, 500 cd/m2, multitouch
• Webcam: 1080p, IR
• Connections: USB-C 4, USB-C 3 Gen 2, 2 x USB-A 3 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, headset
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Operating System: Windows 11 Pro
• Other: Asus Dialpad, backlit keyboard, facial recognition
• Sound Level: 0–37 dBa
• Battery: 90 Wh, 1 hour 20 min (high load, high brightness, 120 Hz), 18 hours 30 min (low load, low brightness, 60 Hz)
• Size: 35.5 x 24.7 x 1.5 cm
• Weight: 1.85 kg