ZDNET's key takeaways The Asus ProArt P16 is available now, starting at $1,900.
It pairs powerful hardware with a suite of customizable options designed for creatives.
The deep personalization requires engagement from the user, the huge trackpad won't be everyone's cup of tea, and the ultra-glossy display tends to glare. $1,899.99 at Best Buy
Asus' ProArt series consists of sleek laptops with high-end hardware for creatives. At the top of the line is the new AMD-powered ProArt P16, which exudes power and performance with a sleek, all-black form factor, giant trackpad with Asus' proprietary DialPad, and a brilliant display.
I had a chance to go hands-on with the ProArt P16 a few months ago and found it to be a highly capable machine with a lot of raw power. However, it also requires some customization and optimization to get the most out of it. Before I touch on that, let's take a look at the hardware.
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The ProArt P16 has 32GB of memory, an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, and a 12-core, 24-thread chip with a 50 TOP NPU. This strong core powers the device's creative endeavors, whether video editing, using advanced animation or graphic design programs, or simply multitasking with a handful of different apps and dozens of browser tabs.
One of the best parts of this laptop, however, is its display. The 500-nit, 3840 x 2400 resolution AMOLED touchscreen display delivers a crisp, bright picture with a glossy, premium coating. Powered by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, it features DLSS 3 (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and support for ray tracing.
Although it can deliver a good gaming experience, it's held back a bit by the 60Hz refresh rate, which is part of the give-and-take of the device's overall feature set. Asus' decision to limit the refresh rate is disappointing, but it keeps the price point low and solidifies its intended use case as a creator-first machine.
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