Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025): 30-second review
When I reviewed the original Asus ProArt P16 last year, I was impressed by the design, aesthetics, speed, and, more than anything, the fact that there was finally a machine that was truly dedicated to the creative sector. Using Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Lightroom, and Photoshop really highlighted just how powerful the machine was. Now, in 2025, Asus has produced this latest updated iteration.
In terms of design, the machine looks very similar and once again is finished in that beautiful matte black, with the main body made from a highly durable material that meets MIL-STD 810H military standards for durability. While it’s not waterproof, through the test, I found it able to withstand more than a knock or two, and that matte finish was dirt and fingerprint-resistant.
Compared with the previous version, there seems to be little, if anything, in size or weight despite the new powerful graphics card within.
As for ports and connectivity, there’s a good selection, including USB-C 4.0, which is ideal when connecting external SSDs and essential for creatives who need mass storage for image and video files.
One of the features I like is the touchscreen, which is highly responsive, although limited by the 130º tilt; for a drawing PC, you’ll still need to look at the smaller P13. The new machine is also available with two screen options: the 3K 120Hz that I’m looking at in this review or the 4K 60Hz version of the previous generation. Either way, the screen is still quite glossy and suffers some reflection in brighter conditions.
The major change from last year’s model is the inclusion of the latest generation NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 laptop graphics card, which promises a considerable performance boost.
In testing, the ProArt P16 performed beautifully on creative tasks such as editing log format 4K video graded in Premiere Pro. Using all standard creative software applications, this laptop handled everything with ease, and that larger internal SSD I found to be extremely useful when travelling light. It’s easily one set to join the ranks of our best photo editing laptop and best video editing laptop round-ups.
My main issue with the laptop after a month of use is that the main venting is through the base of the machine, which is low clearance and does seem to see the fans kick in with relative regularity. Essentially, the fans activate early during rendering and editing, and although the volume wasn’t overly distracting, it was still audible. The screen surface is also quite reflective—more so than the MacBook Pro, with which this laptop must be compared.
Another issue I had was with the large trackpad; while this seems like a great idea, it takes getting used to, but once you start using the control dial in the top left-hand corner, the benefits to creative users become clear.
Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025): Price and availability
- How much does it cost? From £2799 / $2899
- When is it out? Available now
- Where can you get it? Directly from ASUS or Amazon
This is a laptop with a pure focus on creativity, processing, graphics power, storage and build quality that will enable you to edit the latest video and images with ease. However, this machine is never going to be cheap.
However, all things considered, the price of £2,799, $2899, the latest P16 model offers exceptional value for money. The laptop can be purchased either directly from Asus by clicking here, or through many online retailers.
Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025): Specs
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Processor
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 8GB GDDR6
RAM: 64GB
Storage: 2TB PCIe G4 SSD + 2TB PCIe G4 SSD
Left Ports: HDMI 2.1, USB-C 4.0, USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm audio jack
Right Ports: USB-A 3.2, USB-C Gen2 (data, DP, PD), SD Express 7.0
Screen: 16.0″ 3K 120Hz OLED Touchscreen
Connectivity: WiFi 7 2×2, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio: Built-in array microphone, Harman/Kardon (Premium)
Camera: FHD camera with IR function to support Windows Hello
Size: 35.49 x 24.69 x 1.49 ~ 1.73 cm
Weight: 1.85kg
OS installed: Windows 11 Home
Accessories: AC Adapter
Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025): Design
Once again, the ASUS ProArt P16 (2025) is one of the best-looking laptops on the market. A slim profile, 35 x 24 x 1.5 cm, weight of 1.85 kg, a matte black finish that seems to be completely fingerprint-resistant, and the ultra-hard case that marks out the ProArt P16 as a viable alternative to the MacBook Pro 16-inch. What’s more, when you put them side by side, the performance for video and still editing in real-world scenarios seems to be pretty much on par, although when it comes to price, there is a huge difference.
While the MacBook Pro and P16 are obviously very different, running different systems—there is common ground with the type of user who these will appeal to, essentially creatives and the ergonomics reflect this with the minimalistic look, rounded edges and aesthetics that leave no doubt that these are premium models. There’s also the hard, durable casing that helps protect the delicate internals and that huge 16-inch screen.
Taking the ProArt P16 out of the box, it’s identical in size and weight to the previous version, so it fits easily into a camera backpack, laptop bag, or Peli case if you need extra protection. Alongside the laptop comes the AC adapter, which unfortunately includes an AC-to-DC transformer that is relatively large compared with some other models. However, this is a 200W power supply, so when the computer is plugged into AC power, you will see a slight performance boost compared with battery operation, at least during extended usage.
Around the edge, there’s a good range of ports for connectivity, including USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with Display and Power Delivery, USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a single HDMI 2.1 FRL, a 3.5 mm combo audio jack, and the DC-in. There’s also an SD Express 7.0 card reader, which is extremely useful for imaging professionals—although, with many newer cameras switching to CFexpress Type A or Type B, it’s likely you’ll still need a card reader. In that case, the USB 4.0 port will definitely come in useful
When it comes to the screen, this is quite interesting, as there are two versions of this laptop available. There’s the more common 4K 60Hz OLED screen, but there’s also another option. In this review, I’m looking at the 3K 120Hz option and aside from the resolution the rest of the machine is the same.
The refresh rate change on the 3K model can be changed through the display settings from 60 to 120Hz. This is obviously handy if you want smoother motion for gaming, but it’s also great if you’re running a higher frame-rate video and need to check it back. It’s just unfortunate that the screen resolution is 3K and not 4K, so you’ll never be able to view your 4K edits at native resolution. However, for laptop work, that’s really not too much of an issue—you can always hook out through the HDMI into a monitor for professional viewing.
One upgrade that I would have liked to have seen would have been a little more flexibility with the tilt of the screen, which is still only 130°; this is in line with the MacBook Pro but doesn’t make the most of the screen potential. Being a fully touch sensitive screen with 4096 points of sensitivity, it would have seemed a great opportunity to include a flip screen as seen on the P13. Even a little more tilt would have made it more useful when you’re working in environments where work surfaces aren’t always flat.
Overall, when it comes to build and design quality, the ASUS ProArt P16 is one of the best-looking laptops out there. It feels solid, and with its military certification for toughness, you can be sure it’s going to be equally at home out in the field as it is in the studio. It’s worth noting that while military certification ensures it’s tough, it isn’t waterproof. However, it is drop-tested, dust-tested, humidity- and shock-tested, so compared to most other laptops, it should survive far more abuse than most.
Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025): Features
Taking a look at features and everything has been designed for the creative market. As such, it’s got that tough exterior, looks fantastic, and the surface finish of the casing is fingerprint-resistant—as I found out during the test—which, for a device finished in matte black, is quite unusual. From the perspective of the creative sector, there are some interesting highlights here. The first is the decent set of ports on either side, offering flexibility with various generations of USB-C and USB-A, so plenty of external storage devices, memory cards, and control boards can easily be plugged in.
Looking at headline features, there’s once again the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, which features the AMD XDNA MPU offering up to 50 TOPS. This is coupled with the upgraded NVIDIA GeForce RTX Studio 5070 laptop GPU, which includes 8GB of GDDR7 memory. Alongside that is the integrated graphics: AMD Radeon 890M—same as in the previous generation
As for storage and RAM, there’s a bit of a change: the laptop is now only available in a 64GB version. This is more than sufficient for a machine of this size running creative applications. While it doesn’t compete with top-tier desktop solutions, I found it more than adequate for editing 4K video footage shot on a Canon EOS R5C—which essentially means that if this laptop can cope with that, it’s going to handle pretty much anything up to that level.
Internal storage now consists of a 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. While this isn’t the latest PCIe 5.0, it’s still impressively fast. Compared with the previous generation of the P16, there’s a noticeable uplift in transfer rates for both reading and writing, which is good news for anyone editing creative content and large files.
Enabling AI potential, we have the same NPU as the previous generation. Much of the rest remains unchanged, as mentioned. The new GeForce RTX 5070 pairs with the optional 3K OLED 120Hz screen. Other than refresh rate and resolution, it remains similar to the 4K OLED 60Hz version but allows switching between 60Hz and 120Hz if you need that extra refresh rate for video—or gaming.
In terms of resolution, the 3K screen (2880 x 1800) is fine for most users. It’s a bit limiting if you’re editing 4K video, but with the option to connect to a higher resolution screen via HDMI or USB, this isn’t a major issue. It’s still nice to have that higher refresh rate.
Staying with the screen—again important for creatives—it supports DCI-P3 100% colour gamut. While this isn’t quite Adobe RGB, it’s close enough and should satisfy video producers. With Delta E < 1 colour accuracy, it should meet the needs of most photographers, too although it’s not quite Adobe RGB. As with other pro laptops, the screen is fully touch-sensitive with 4,096 pressure points (MPP 2.0 support). While this is excellent with the smaller P3 and its flip screen, on the P16, it feels slightly overkill—still, it’s good to have.
An interesting decision from Asus is including Windows 11 Home rather than Pro. For most creatives—often freelancers or contractors—this makes sense, as the extra features in Pro (Group Policy Editor, Remote Desktop access) are rarely needed. Having edited several 4K videos over the course of testing, I can say there’s no real benefit to having the Pro version for creative tasks at least, but if you’re part of an organisation then an upgrade to Pro will probably be needed.
Another key feature is the advanced thermal system designed to keep the AMD Ryzen HX 370 cool under load. This thermal design can handle up to 120W, so even under heavy processing and graphics load, you should see little thermal throttling.
ASUS has been clever in its integration of AI technology into these ProArt laptops. Alongside Asus Copilot+ integration, it has developed several tools useful for creatives. You have StoryCube, a one-stop AI media hub; MuseTree, which helps you develop ideas using AI; and Creator Hub, probably the most useful, allowing you to manage colour and other creative settings.
Another standout feature is the huge touchpad—which is large even by modern standards. It offers excellent control and is fully customisable. A real highlight is the DialPad in the top left corner. This can be programmed for Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, and more. In use—for instance, in Photoshop—you can quickly adjust brush size or opacity using a combination of touches and presses. Although it takes some time to get used to, like other control boards, it proves very handy and far from a gimmick.
Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025): Performance
Benchmark scores
Crystal Disk Mark Read: 547.79MB/s
Crystal Disk Mark Write: 473.16MB/s
Geek bench CPU Multi: 7187
Geek bench CPU Single: 1899
Geek bench GPU: 12065
PC Mark Overall: 5368
Cine bench CPU Multi: 7692
Cine bench CPU Single: 1378
Fire Strike Overall: 3021
Fire Strike Graphics: 3366
Fire Strike Physics: 14562
Fire Strike Combined: 1022
Time Spy Overall: 1261
Time Spy Graphics: 1116
Time Spy CPU: 4870
Wildlife Overall: 4928
Steel Nomad Overall: 167
Windows Experience Overall: 8.0
Starting out with the P16, everything is straightforward enough. Once the laptop is unpacked, you go through the lengthy setup process of Windows 11 Home, which seems to add more options and features every time I run it. Out of the box, it takes around 10 to 15 minutes to get to the point where you’re ready to install your own applications, all after Windows has fully updated and restarted a couple of times to ensure it’s running the latest Windows version.
After that, Wi-Fi signal strength is excellent. Downloading all my creative applications—along with a few games for testing was all relatively quick and straight forward thanks to Wi-Fi 7 support.
Getting straight into real-world tests, I had a few tight deadlines with video projects. With all my footage downloaded onto a LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 5, connected via the USB-C 4.0 port, I was able to launch Premiere Pro, set up a project and begin editing. The transfer rates between the P16 and the LaCie drive were exceptionally fast, with no dropped frames or slowdowns. The machine kept up with the pace of editing without issue.
The final edit, compiled from Canon EOS R5C 4K log 4:2:2 footage—was handled exceptionally well. There was some slowdown when applying complex colour corrections, but the machine coped extremely well during rendering, performing almost on par with my desktop PC, which I usually rely on for such edits. It’s also worth noting that during this process, I had the laptop connected to a 4K monitor for more real estate, along with Photoshop open for overlays and titling.
Performance in Premiere Pro was decent throughout. For an edit that ran for 15 minutes, while there was some slowdown toward the end, the P16 kept pace. As long as I followed proper procedures and allowed time for rendering, the workflow remained smooth. One thing to note: you could feel the heat underneath the laptop. While there is a small rubber foot at the back to elevate the base slightly, it didn’t create enough clearance, and the area around it felt very warm. Fan noise was definitely noticeable, something that stands in stark contrast to the MacBook Pro, which remains virtually silent.
Switching to image editing, I used Adobe Bridge to organize my files. Rendering thumbnails from a Sony Alpha 7 IV took a little time, but opening images in Photoshop was quick. The P16 handled auto-align and blended for focus stacking without issue, and I was able to pack and transfer the images to a colleague at relative speed.
Once again, the laptop’s power was evident. However, while on paper, the large touchpad control seems like a great idea, in practice, I felt it was slightly too large. I spent time adjusting sensitivity and features, but it didn’t always work as seamlessly as I’d hoped. On several occasions, I missed left or right clicks due to the pad’s size and had to deliberately tap the correct area. That said, the DialPad offset this slight annoyance.
I remembered from the previous testing how useful DialPad could be. It took a little time for muscle memory to return, but once it did, it was very handy for adjusting brush size, dodging and burning, or quickly scrolling through settings. ASUS could still refine the software a bit, particularly around function allocation to specific apps.
Leaving real-world tests behind and looking at benchmarks, all results were very impressive. There’s a slight uptick from last year’s ProArt P16, particularly in graphics performance. Most other performance metrics remain consistent, though you now have more internal storage than was previously possible.
When it comes to outright performance for creative applications, the ProArt P16 (2025) is undoubtedly one of the best machines I’ve used. It’s also on par with the MacBook Pro M3 Max in many respects, though the M3 Max still edges ahead in pure performance. However, when comparing prices, the difference is vast. For my money, the P16 (2025) will meet the needs of most creatives while leaving a significant portion of your budget untouched compared with the Apple alternative.
I can’t finish without mentioning the P16’s gaming capabilities. I’m pleased to say that this was also a very good experience. Switching from 60Hz to 120Hz, I loaded Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and the motion on that glossy 16-inch screen was smooth, with the machine handling everything with ease. This 3K 120Hz version of the machine is superb for gaming, and aside from my desktop, it was the best gaming experience I’ve had on a PC.
Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025): Final verdict
I’ve been a long-time Mac user, and as my old MacBook Pro M1 Max hits its three-year birthday, I’m seriously having to consider where to go next with an upgrade. Do I stick with Apple and pay almost $4,000 / £4,000 for the latest M3 Max, or do I bite the bullet—as I have with my desktop machine—and switch to a Windows 11 laptop?
It’s a difficult decision, but the speed, quality, design, and robustness of the ProArt P16 (2025) really make me think the time has come to switch. The quality of the machine is exceptional. It has all the ports and connectivity options I need to plug in at almost any location. When it comes to compatibility with video formats and peripherals, the Windows system is beginning to break away from the more traditional Mac choice for creatives.
During the weeks I’ve had the new P16, the areas that really stood out to me are the power of the new graphics card—which is excellent for both video editing and the occasional game—and the ability to connect to a 4K monitor. That means when editing 4K at native resolution, you can see detail, tone, and colour accurately. In the field, it also works well, and even though the screen resolution drops to 3K, the 120Hz refresh rate gives you a good feel for exposure and motion smoothness when shooting high-resolution, high-frame-rate footage.
However, the 3K screen is a limitation. While that’s less of an issue out in the field, if I want to travel and edit without connecting to a 4K monitor, I won’t be able to view native 4K resolution. The same applies to higher-resolution stills—it’s a little limiting and then while the colour accuracy is good it doesn’t quite stretch to Adobe RGB.
That said, I’ve worked with lower-resolution laptops for many years, and I don’t think this is a serious issue. So, what would make me finally switch from Mac to PC? Right now, it’s very close. If the screen were 4K and had the option to go to 120Hz, it would be a possible. If the screen were also slightly less reflective, then that might do it. In every other way, the P16 (2025) is an excellent machine. Although the fan noise can be a little irritating, the huge price difference compared with the MacBook Pro M3 Max makes the P16 a very attractive option. For what I need, the performance and build quality of the P16 meet my needs almost perfectly.
Should I buy the Asus ProArt P16 H7606 (2025)?
|
Value |
Exceptional value for money considering the processing power and build quality |
5 |
|
Design |
Pleasing design with a matte black finish and useful DialPad for creatives |
5 |
|
Features |
Packed with features and screen options tailored to different workflows |
4 |
|
Performance |
Exceptional all-round performance, though the fans kick in early under heavy load |
4 |
|
Overall |
Exceptionally well-balanced, high-performance machine with a clear focus on the creative market |
5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fu5RgVFdkHC93S9JEFpWTV.jpg
Source link
