With its high-end specification, including a superb 4K OLED screen, the Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 sets a high bar for Windows-based creator laptops.
Mobile workstations need large high-quality screens and plenty of computing power. With its ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED, Asus lives up to this billing, adding specialist features for dedicated users of creative apps. Notably, there’s a wheel on the keyboard area called the Asus Dial and graphics tablet capability built into the touchpad. This laptop is available with AMD and Intel processors, and I was sent a review unit with a top-end AMD Ryzen R9-5900HX processor, discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics,32GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. This configuration costs £2,499 (inc. VAT; £2,082.50 ex. VAT). In the US, the ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED (H5600, AMD Ryzen 5000 series) starts at $1,999.99 for a model with a Ryzen R9-5900HX CPU, GeForce RTX 3060 GPU,16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED is big and heavy, weighing 2.4kg (5.29lbs) and measuring 36.2cm wide by 26.4cm deep by 1.99-2.14cm thick (14.25in. x 10.39in. x 0.78-0.84in.). It’ll need a generously sized bag and some strength to tote around. The power adapter is big too, so that’ll add even more weight to your travel bag. The chassis is thick enough to accommodate an RJ-45 Ethernet port, along with a good selection of other connectivity options. The build is very solid, with MIL-STD 810H compliance signifying this laptop’s capability to withstand knocks and drops. Creative users needing to travel and/or work in the field should be pleased with this level of protection. A top-notch screen is vital in a laptop designed for creative use cases such as photo and video editing or CAD work, and this Asus offering is a stunner. The 4K (3,840 x 2,400,283ppi) OLED panel is amazingly sharp and clear, and offers 550 nits of peak brightness. It supports 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, and boasts VESA Certified DisplayHDR True Black 500 for high contrast and is Pantone Validated for colour reproduction. The 16:10 aspect ratio is helpful, although the large bottom bezel feels strangely out of place on a laptop with otherwise very high-quality screen credentials. Asus claims an 85% screen to body ratio, although we calculated it at 77.7%. Sound quality from the Harman Kardon speakers is excellent. There is plenty of bass and no distortion, even at top volume, which is rather loud. There is an HD camera above the screen with IR support for face authentication via Windows Hello.
