ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Asus ExpertBook P3 is at present on sale on the firm’s web site for $1,150.
- It is an incredible laptop computer, boasting a compact design, a long-lasting battery, and highly effective audio system.
- Nevertheless, the uninteresting show and weak webcam maintain it from being an ideal all-rounder.
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Work laptops are an fascinating class, as a result of they’re all out to do the identical factor: assist professionals and college students energy via their day. So, after I assessment these computer systems, I look at the finer particulars.
Despite the fact that two fashions appear similar on the floor, it is the small variations in design and performance that make one laptop computer a greater expertise over one other. Working example: the Asus ExpertBook P3.
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It could be as a result of I lately reviewed it, however the ExpertBook P3 instantly jogged my memory of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1. Each purpose to be dependable and versatile PCs, however Asus’ mannequin does a greater job. It feels extra purposeful. The place the IdeaPad felt prefer it was checking off packing containers, the ExpertBook understands its function by having good design decisions and polish that make it an incredible day-to-day companion.
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Comfy, moveable
The ExpertBook P3 is a compact laptop computer that is straightforward to tote round, measuring 12.31 x 8.94 x 0.71 inches and weighing slightly below three kilos. Asus makes use of the accessible area fairly successfully right here. The all-black keyboard is surprisingly comfy, with a enough quantity of journey distance that forestalls the keys from feeling mushy. It even has a full-sized quantity pad that does not overly compress the important thing sizes.
Just like the IdeaPad, the trackpad on the ExpertBook sits barely off-center, though it’s considerably greater, occupying practically the whole width of the palm relaxation. It is a comfy association, and I did not should repeat hand motions simply to maneuver the cursor throughout the display screen. Because the cherry on prime, Asus’ mannequin passes the one-finger check with flying colours. It stays completely nonetheless whereas the lid is being opened.
Audio/visible trade-offs
Asus’ ExpertBook P3 incorporates a sharp 14-inch, 2K show with a 16:10 side ratio. A display screen like this outputs crisp textual content and visuals whereas additionally offering loads of vertical room for scrolling via paperwork, managing spreadsheets, and extra. In actual fact, it permits the laptop computer to realize a powerful 86% screen-to-body ratio.
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Nevertheless, brightness is proscribed to 300 nits, which could be somewhat dim. Nevertheless, the anti-glare coating does an incredible job at minimizing reflections, so visibility stays sturdy.
Shade accuracy is the place the show stumbles. With solely 45% NTSC protection and no image-enhancing software program, the panel is uninteresting. Colours lack vibrancy; nothing actually pops, which limits the laptop computer’s usability for devoted artistic work. Finally, nevertheless, it is probably not designed for that use case.
The audio system on this laptop computer are nothing in need of spectacular, producing clear and wealthy audio that elevates movies, music, and spoken dialogue to the subsequent stage. You’ll be able to select particular person devices in songs in addition to hear delicate enunciations in velocity.
Moreover, the amount on the ExpertBook would not have a low cap restrict. It will get loud sufficient to fill a complete room whereas sustaining readability. It is nearly as if Asus tucked a soundbar inside.
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Nevertheless, I want I may prolong these compliments to the webcam. The 1080p lens produces grainy, noisy recordings. Even in optimum lighting situations, the image high quality continues to be poor. I ought to level out that Asus outfitted its machine with a proprietary app referred to as AI ExpertMeet. Whereas it would not deal with the digicam high quality, it gives helpful options that improve the conferencing expertise by incorporating instruments similar to noise discount, AI transcription, and customizable watermarks.
Efficiency check
Underneath the hood, my assessment unit was outfitted with an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor, an AMD Radeon 860M graphics card, and 32GB of RAM. A mixture like this places the ExpertBook forward of many equally priced laptops. In actual fact, it is one of many strongest performers I’ve examined in current months.
Because the benchmark desk beneath reveals, the ExpertBook P3 outpaces different related Home windows 11 machines I’ve lately examined, even approaching scores from the M4 MacBook Professional. These numbers translate to strong real-world energy for demanding duties.
My stress check concerned my traditional gauntlet: 50 Chrome tabs with ZDNET articles, Google spreadsheets, Amazon listings, Slack channel, and YouTube livestreams, plus a digital machine working one other occasion of Home windows 11. The ExpertBook dealt with all the things with relative ease.
I did discover some slowdown when the digital machine was lively, however a couple of tweaks to its settings smoothed issues out. For productiveness, it carried out completely. As talked about above, I simply would not suggest it for artistic duties. The {hardware} can deal with mild video modifying and different GPU-intensive duties, however the uninteresting show holds it again.
A cool function that deserves a callout is its upgradability. Customers can bodily open the chassis and add extra reminiscence and storage on their very own, one thing that is not potential on many different competing laptops. There’s a restrict, although: it caps out at 64GB of DDR5 RAM and as much as 3TB of storage.
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One benefit of the AMD {hardware} is its energy effectivity. In my testing, Asus’ machine lasted over 12 hours of steady utilization on a single cost — lots to get via a full workday after which some. When it is time to energy up, the included 90W charger works rapidly: a 30-minute cost brings the battery to simply over 60%.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Costs for the Asus ExpertBook P3 begin at $1,150, with my assessment unit’s configuration on sale for $1,230. For professionals who desire a light-weight, competent work machine, the ExpertBook P3 is a wonderful alternative. It is one of many higher laptops in its class for 2025. Should you’re searching for one thing slightly extra reasonably priced with even higher battery life, contemplate the Acer Aspire 16.
