ASUS ProArt P16 (2025) Laptop Review – RTX 5070 Power in a Creator’s Body

Technology changes quickly. It feels like just the other day that I reviewed the previous iteration of ASUS’ ProArt P16 (2024) laptop. Announced at the end of Q3 2024, I had reviewed the P16 during the busy December period. However, with the announcement and release of NVIDIA’s next-generation hardware, ASUS has updated its ProArt P16 (2025) well ahead of schedule. 

The ProArt P16, with its complete model name ASUS ProArt P16 H7606 (2025), has been equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 series Laptop GPU. This update enhances the overall performance of the P16, resulting in improved visuals, editing, and gaming capabilities. While the device is aimed at creatives, its underlying hardware is well-suited for gaming, and not just casual gamers. Having already tested two models with the RTX 5000 series, the ROG Strix SCAR 18 and the ROG Strix G16, how does the ProArt P16 compare? 

A Familiar Frame with Subtle Tweaks

The ProArt P16 (2025) continues its practical and minimalist design ethos with its utilitarian build. When closed, the laptop resembles a flat rectangle with ever-so-slightly rounded corners, breaking its hardened aesthetic. Compared with its 2024 predecessor, it’s an almost identical build, with even the on-paper dimensions and weight remaining the same. 

Even the port configuration remains the same. This includes a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (with support for display/power delivery), USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C (with support for display/power delivery) on the right, x2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A on either side of the chassis, HDMI 2.1 FRL on the left alongside the 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack and DC-in. Lastly, there’s a built-in SD Express 7.0 card reader on the right. With just four USB inputs in total (two Type-C and two Type-A), it’s close to the limit on the number of peripherals that can be added. 

Ironically, despite being designed for creators, it’s a minimalist design to the extreme. Its matte-black finish is only interrupted by the ProArt logo and text on the top right corner (which appears in the bottom left when the lid is opened). 

While the release schedule between the two iterations was less than six months, I would have liked to see a bit more streamlining in the overall build. I still love the minimalist chassis, but a 1.85 kg laptop by modern standards is quite bulky. It may not appear large, but it’s more in line with gaming laptops, which arguably offer a lot more in terms of design flair than an Ultrabook. 

That Gorgeous OLED Returns

The screen on the 2025 variant also remains unchanged. It’s a beautiful 16″ OLED panel with a 4K (3,840×2,400px) resolution. It also includes 500 nits brightness and HDR10 support, a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, VESA certification for HDR True Black 500, and Pantone validation. It features a touchscreen panel with a glossy finish, also supporting a stylus. However, the stylus itself isn’t included within the contents. 

There are two variants of the laptop in terms of its refresh rates, but only the 60Hz variant is currently available in the region. Having the 120Hz variant available would’ve been great, especially for content creators who work with higher frame rates in their video editing. That said, the 120Hz panel comes with a slightly lower resolution as a caveat. 

On the design front, the screen doesn’t fold back completely flat. For creators who will be using the stylus for editing or drawing, it would be ideal for the lid to open to 180°. I did manage to test the stylus support using my device, which often comes in handy. It works well and is only limited by the software you’re using for sketching and other purposes. 

Overall, the visuals, in terms of colour and contrast, are top-notch. There’s very little to fault in this case, with accurate colour reproduction and a touchscreen capability. 

Under the Hood

For the specifications, it ties in with the previous iteration H7606 model with a few notable changes: 

• Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 12×2 – 2.0GHz, up to 5.1GHz, 80W PL2 / Short Burst, 80W PL1 / Sustained, Strix Point-HX (Zen 5/5c) 

• NPU: AMD XDNA NPU up to 50TOPS 

• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU – 8GB VRAM, Core – 2392MHz, RAM – 1,500MHz, 105W TDP 

• Motherboard: AMD Promontory/Bixby FCH 

• Memory: 64GB, LPDDR5x-7500, Dual-Channel, onboard 

• Display: 16″, 16:10 aspect ratio, 3,840×2,400px, cATNA60CL10-0, OLED, glossy, HDR, 60Hz 

• Storage: WD PC SN740 SDDPNQE-2T00, 2TB 

The most significant change from the hardware is the inclusion of the new GPU. With NVIDIA having released its new RTX 5000 series at CES 2025 in January, the gaming and laptop tech worlds awaited its inclusion in their respective series. Having already tested and benchmarked the performance, there has been a noticeable boost in performance with the new generation of laptops. 

More Power, Longer Battery Life

It may appear, on paper, that only the GPU has been swapped, without much concern or significant changes to any of the other hardware. However, real-world tests show a promising year-on-year boost in performance, even with a majority of identical hardware. 

For starters, the same AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 delivers an improved overall performance boost of around 6%. In some benchmarks and tests, the previous iteration of the P16 delivers better performance; however, ASUS has made enough tweaks for the overall performance to achieve a notable improvement. 

Another significant boost comes from an unexpected source. Although many enthusiasts will understand the power of a good SSD within your build, it can be an overlooked component for many. ASUS has switched out the Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM SSD on the previous iteration with the WD PC SN740 SDDPNQE-2T00 on the 2025 iteration. The overall improvement is significant, with an average increase of around 30% in read and write benchmark scores. 

Despite the supposedly more heavy-duty GPU, the loads on general laptop use are relatively the same. However, ASUS has also fine-tuned its components and how they work together, which shows a boost of between 5 and 10% in overall battery life. The best results are achieved through the rundown tests, which involve browsing with multiple tabs while simultaneously streaming a video over Wi-Fi, yielding a 10% improvement. This boosts the overall runtime to over 9 hours and 20 minutes, compared to 8 hours and 30 minutes on the previous iteration, with an almost one-hour increase. 

Even without the addition of the new RTX 5000 series GPU, the P16 delivers great value in terms of the performance gains between iterations. That said, the GPU is where the money lies in terms of marketing, as well as the long-term future-proofing of the device. And it doesn’t disappoint. 

The RTX 5070 laptop GPU delivers a 6% increase in its 3DMark benchmark scores. It may not seem like much to start with, but it’s a decent enough jump on new technology. Furthermore, it boasts more than 16% improvement in Blender benchmark tests, reducing rendering times on various models, which is excellent for 3D creators. And, lastly, there is also a 15% boost in overall gaming performance, which ekes out a few more FPS for avid gamers. 

Is the ASUS ProArt P16 (2025) Worth It?

The ASUS ProArt P16 H7606 (2025) continues its utilitarian design with its minimalist ethos. A no-frills approach to delivering on quality, offering a decent boost in performance thanks to the inclusion of the RTX 5070 GPU, as well as a few behind-the-scenes tweaks to its existing hardware. It’s an excellent device for designers and creators. However, if you already own the previous iteration of the P16, you may want to skip the new model if the 10-20% performance boost isn’t significant enough for your liking. 

The step up from the RTX 4070 to the RTX 5070 has meant a significant price increase. With a price increase of R10,000, its retail price has jumped from R64,999 to R74,999. That places it on par with the Strix G16, which includes all the RGB frills, an RTX 5080 GPU and a chunkier build, albeit with the exclusion of the touchscreen. The choice comes down to how much of a gamer or creator you are – or will be.

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