Finally, A Windows Laptop That I Wouldn't Mind Putting Away My Macbook For

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Asus' ProArt P16 is connected waste for $2,500 astatine Best Buy.
• This year's exemplary keeps overmuch of what made nan erstwhile procreation truthful good, pinch cardinal hardware improvements.
• It besides intends it has nan aforesaid problems arsenic before, specified arsenic moving hot.

If you're acquainted pinch Asus' creator-focused laptops, you'll consciousness correct astatine location utilizing nan 2025 ProArt P16. It is astir identical to its predecessor successful position of creation and purpose, arsenic nan laptop is meant for imaginative professionals looking for a high-performance machine. It sticks pinch what worked past time, making a fewer cardinal adjustments. 

Also: The champion laptops for schematic designers: Expert tested

First off, nan ProArt P16 has a lightweight beingness design, making it easy to transportation around. I recovered nan keyboard to beryllium excessively mushy for my liking. It doesn't person a awesome typing feel, but nan keycaps are quiet, truthful that's a plus. The touchpad takes up a ample information of nan wrist rest, enabling amended comfortableness and easiness of use. On either broadside of nan keyboard is simply a brace of Harman/Kardon speakers delivering beardown audio output. 

So far, things are looking bully for nan ProArt P16, and things get moreover amended erstwhile you look inside.

A imaginative powerhouse

My reappraisal portion came loaded pinch immoderate coagulated hardware, indeed. It houses an AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, and 32GB of RAM. Yes, you tin crippled this; no, I don't urge doing so. It overheats fast, and nan show only has a refresh complaint of 60Hz. Large power vents are located astatine nan bottom, expelling basking air. I do not urge placing nan machine connected your thigh unless you want your legs to beryllium cooked.

Also: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I'd usage astatine nan agency (even though it's for gamers)

Asus' ProCreator Hub greatly contributed to my enjoyment, and it reminded maine of MSI's Center app, which has a akin function. The app has various laptop features successful 1 cardinal location, 1 being nan expertise to instantly alteration really nan instrumentality performs without having to spell into BIOS. By making nan correct adjustments to nan hardware, nan ProArt P16 tin transcend expectations for capacity and artillery life.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

Below is simply a benchmark trial results array comparing nan 2025 ProArt P16 to its predecessor, arsenic good arsenic nan M4 MacBook Pro and nan MSI Stealth 16 AI, different laptop pinch a akin purpose. You'll announcement that Asus' caller instrumentality outperforms astir of its rivals crossed nan various benchmark rendering tests. There are instances wherever it falls behind, but it isn't a ample gap.

If you're looking for a powerful replacement to your aged MacBook, this ProArt laptop is your champion stake successful 2025.

The Creator Hub offers inferior beyond tweaking performance. The WorkSmart instrumentality lets you group aggregate apps together. So erstwhile you click 1 of these groups, each those apps unfastened simultaneously, redeeming you time. Color Control allows users to actively set nan surface output connected nan fly. For example, you could tweak nan bluish ray output truthful it's easier connected your eyes aliases alteration which colour gamut is being shown.  

You mightiness alteration nan gamut to DCI-P3 to show disconnected "movie-grade colors". Display P3 is champion "suited for displaying vivid colors connected mobile devices and laptops." You don't person to messiness pinch nan output, since nan surface is awesome connected its own. Asus' ProArt P16 has a high-quality 16-inch 4K OLED display. Images are stunning arsenic colors practically leap out. The surface had 2 downsides: nan 60Hz refresh rate, arsenic mentioned earlier, and nan display's glossiness. So overmuch ray is reflected that it tin beryllium difficult to spot nan surface nether agleam conditions.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

Editing connected nan ProArt P16

Up successful nan precocious left-hand area of nan touchpad is nan DialPad, which allows you to customize your ain controls successful each app. The beingness creation offers much precise power than nan touchpad, which makes cycling done different devices easier than you'd assume. 

I tried incorporating nan DialPad into my workflow to edit a video connected CapCut, a photograph connected Pixlr, and render 3D models successful Blender utilizing nan DialPad, and recovered retired that it's champion utilized successful conjunction pinch nan touchpad. It useful champion arsenic an supplemental instrumentality for speedy entree to alteration brushwood sizes aliases cycling done video clips, but it isn't designed to switch nan touchpad aliases rodent altogether.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

Alone, it's awesome astatine executing delicate procedures, for illustration cleaning up circumstantial areas successful a photo. The problem is that it lacks haptic feedback: pressing down doesn't consequence successful nan "click" you'd expect. So to click and resistance an effect connected a video's timeline aliases drawback nan area of a exemplary successful Blender, you'll person to usage nan touchpad.

Fortunately, utilizing some simultaneously isn't difficult. Your near manus tin beryllium nan DialPad while your correct is connected nan touchpad, and it each feels natural. Using conscionable nan touchpad is an option, but it's difficult to support nan aforesaid level of accuracy.

Also: This ultraportable Asus laptop is my favourite MacBook Air replacement (and it's amended successful immoderate ways)

I besides person to springiness in installments to nan hardware. Rendering 3D environments successful Blender took very small clip to complete. I was capable to hop betwixt my 4K editing and 20 different Chrome tabs without immoderate hiccups. The only clip I knowledgeable immoderate slowdown was erstwhile I was playing 10 different livestreams successful 4K connected YouTube -- but isolated from niche cases, it's solid.

ZDNET's buying advice

Over astatine Best Buy, nan Asus ProArt P16 is connected waste for $2,500, which is much than what I was expecting. Last year's ProArt is retailing for conscionable $2,000. I urge grabbing nan 2025 laptop if you want nan champion of nan champion and don't mind paying a spot more. As shown successful nan capacity tests, location is simply a sizable spread betwixt nan 2 devices. 

That said, nan 2024 type is decidedly still competitive, truthful if you're looking for a powerful graphics-minded laptop and want to prevention immoderate money, I'd highly urge it, particularly if it sees immoderate further value drops.