At a look
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Strong AMD CPU efficiency
- Lots of RAM and a giant SSD
- Generous port choice
- Good converseers
Cons
- Display is on the dim aspect
- Grainy webcam
- Battery life is behind probably the most environment friendly ultraportables
Our Verdict
The Asus ExpertBook P3 is a work-focused laptop computer that shines in its worth vary. AMD’s {hardware} as soon as once more delivers Microsoft’s trendy “AI PC” expertise with out the compromises Intel and Qualcomm make.
Price When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: $1,479
The 14-inch Asus ExpertBook P3 is a work-focused Copilot+ PC that delivers a surprisingly good physique — all-metal construct high quality, a quick keyboard, and unusually good audio system — with AMD internals that ship critical efficiency. For many employees, the intense multithreaded CPU efficiency right here shall be extra necessary than a laptop computer that would theoretically final 24 hours away from an influence outlet.
Asus delivered a wonderful package deal right here, and I’m a fan… principally. I wasn’t notably impressed by the show on my evaluate mannequin, and the webcam is a weak level. But the general package deal is superior to the typical enterprise laptop computer and much superior to the typical Copilot+ PC with regards to CPU efficiency.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Specs
The Asus ExpertBook PM3406CKA is a enterprise laptop computer with an AMD Ryzen AI processor. Our evaluate mannequin got here with an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor, Radeon 860M graphics, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB solid-state drive. Asus listed it at a worth of $1,479 on its web site, but it surely was on sale for much less, $1,229 on Amazon on the time the evaluate was being accomplished.
While AMD’s Ryzen AI {hardware} can’t fairly ship the battery life you’ll discover on Qualcomm Snapdragon X or Intel Lunar Lake hardware, it does ship an unbelievable mixture of conventional x86 {hardware} (not like Qualcomm Snapdragon X), robust multithreaded CPU efficiency (not like Intel Lunar Lake), and a Copilot+ PC-ready NPU (not like Intel’s different {hardware}). Battery life remains to be stable. It’s simply not the 20+ hour runtimes I’ve seen on Intel Lunar Lake and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus {hardware}.
At the time of the evaluate, Asus was promoting fashions of this machine with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 CPU and AMD Radeon 820M graphics beginning at $949.
- Model: Asus ExpertBook PM3406CKA
- CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 7 350
- Memory: 32GB DDR5 RAM (5600 MT/s)
- Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 860M
- NPU: AMD NPU (as much as 50 TOPS)
- Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 IPS show with as much as 60Hz refresh charge
- Storage: 1 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD
- Webcam: 1080p digicam
- Connectivity: 2x USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen2), 2x USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen1), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio jack, 1x RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet, 1x Kensington Nano lock slot
- Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Gigabit Ethernet
- Biometrics: Fingerprint sensor and IR digicam for Windows Hello
- Battery capability: 70 Watt-hours
- Dimensions: 12.31 x 8.94 x 0.71 inches
- Weight: 3.6 kilos
- MSRP: $1,479 as examined
This is a strong laptop computer that may ship spectacular efficiency with cheap battery life and at a good worth.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Design and construct high quality
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
The Asus ExpertBook P3 has an all-metal chassis. Asus calls it a “robust aluminum build” and says it meets US MIL-STD 810H testing requirements for performing in troublesome circumstances. While my evaluate workflow doesn’t embody dropping laptops or subjecting them to sandstorms, this machine did really feel extremely sturdy.
Design-wise, you’re getting a silver chassis with a black keyboard and a black bezel across the show. The beveled edges on the fringe of the laptop computer’s keyboard tray are shinier. It appears and looks like a really rugged, very skilled enterprise laptop computer.
This 14-inch all-metal construct and 3.6-pound chassis feels well-designed. Even the hinge feels rigorously designed: Unlike many laptops, I can open the laptop computer’s show with only a single hand. The hinge retains the show properly in place, and I don’t have to make use of two arms to open the machine.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Keyboard and trackpad
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
The Asus ExpertBook P3 has a chiclet keyboard with a 1.5mm key journey depth. It feels snappy and responsive, and it was a pleasure to kind on. The white backlight makes it readable in low-light circumstances.
The giant trackpad additionally feels wonderful. The click-down motion has a very good tactile really feel — it rapidly springs again after you click on it down. The floor was easy and responsive. I desire haptic trackpads, however that is fairly a pleasant mechanical trackpad.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Display and audio system
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
The Asus ExpertBook P3 has a 14-inch IPS show with a 1920×1200 decision and a 60Hz refresh charge. That’s an affordable decision, however the refresh charge is simply common. The large downside is the brightness. With simply 300 nits of most brightness, there’s no manner round it: This isn’t a very spectacular show.
That’s frequent for work-focused PCs, which are likely to go for shows that ship longer battery life and prioritize different specs over a visible “wow” issue. This show does have a pleasant anti-glare coating, which makes it extra readable in difficult lighting circumstances. For folks utilizing this PC on the go, the show will most likely be the largest disadvantage: More brightness can be an actual improve.
This laptop computer’s audio system sound unusually good for a enterprise machine on this worth vary. There’s extra bass than I might count on, they get lots loud, and the excessive notes can get shiny and crisp in songs like Steely Dan’s Aja, an audiophile customary benchmark.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Webcam, microphone, biometrics
The Asus ExpertBook P3 has a 1080p webcam, and it wasn’t notably spectacular. The picture high quality appears grainy and washed out. On a snowy day in New England, the daylight wasn’t sufficient to supply a crisp image, and neither was my workplace’s overhead lighting. The webcam is the one element right here that feels prefer it doesn’t fairly match the standard of the remainder of this machine.
This machine does have a bodily webcam shutter change, which is at all times good to see.
This laptop computer’s built-in microphone setup sounds surprisingly good, too. The audio high quality of my voice was deeper and richer than it usually is on the typical laptop computer I evaluate. I’d be completely satisfied utilizing this to talk in on-line conferences, though I want the webcam delivered a greater picture high quality.
The ExpertBook has an IR digicam for Windows Hello facial recognition sign-ins, in addition to a fingerprint reader constructed into the ability button on the top-right nook of the keyboard. You can use whichever biometric technique you want.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Connectivity
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
The Asus ExpertBook P3 packs a wonderful collection of ports. On the left, you’ll discover two USB Type-C ports, a USB Type-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a combo audio jack. On the proper, this machine has a second USB Type-A port, an RJ-45 Ethernet jack, and a Kensington Nano lock slot.
That’s a wonderful collection of ports, together with Ethernet, however remember there’s no SD card reader right here. Also, this machine prices by way of USB Type-C, so that you’ll at all times be plugging the charging cable into the left. I want there was a USB Type-C port on either side of the machine, although. The USB Type-C ports are USB 3.2 Gen2, so there’s no Thunderbolt or USB4 right here.
The Asus ExpertBook P3 helps Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, so you may have the newest bleeding-edge wi-fi {hardware}. Combined with Gigabit Ethernet, this machine is prepared for all kinds of community setups on the go.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Performance
The Asus ExpertBook P3 carried out nicely in day-to-day productiveness duties — internet browsers, workplace suites, communication instruments, and the kind of Windows desktop apps most employees can be operating on laptops like this one.
We ran the Asus ExpertBook P3 by means of our standard benchmarks to see the way it performs.
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
First, we run PCMark 10 to get an thought of general system efficiency. With a PCMark 10 rating of 7,636, the Asus ExpertBook P3 exceeded the efficiency you’d get from Intel Lunar Lake-powered Copilot+ PCs.
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a closely multithreaded benchmark that focuses on general CPU efficiency. It’s a fast benchmark, so cooling beneath prolonged workloads isn’t an element. But, because it’s closely multithreaded, CPUs with extra cores have an enormous benefit.
With a multithreaded Cinebench R20 rating of 6,213, the Asus ExpertBook P3 and its eight cores with 16 threads exceeded Intel’s eight-core Lunar Lake {hardware}, which is concentrated on effectivity and never multithreaded CPU efficiency.
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
We additionally run an encode with Handbrake. This is one other closely multithreaded benchmark, but it surely runs over an prolonged interval. This calls for the laptop computer’s cooling kick in, and plenty of laptops will throttle and decelerate beneath load.
The Asus ExpertBook P3 accomplished the encode course of in a mean of 974 seconds, or simply over 16 minutes. That’s a wonderful rating, particularly for a Copilot+ PC laptop computer.
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it surely’s nonetheless good to examine how the GPU performs. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU efficiency.
With a 3DMark Time Spy rating of 3,037, the AMD Radeon 860M graphics right here simply aren’t as highly effective as what Intel affords in Lunar Lake programs. However, they’re nowhere close to the bottom-of-the-barrel older “Intel Graphics” GPUs that many lower-end laptops are presently transport with.
Overall, efficiency was wonderful for a machine like this one. If you prioritize graphics efficiency, nevertheless, you’ll desire a machine with a unique GPU (doubtless a discrete GPU).
Asus ExpertBook P3: Battery life
The Asus ExpertBook P3 has a 70 Watt-hour battery. Combined with AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 {hardware}, I’d count on to see first rate battery life for a laptop computer, however not most ultraportable battery life. And that’s precisely what the benchmarks confirmed.
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled till the laptop computer suspends itself. We set the display to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks, which meant we needed to crank this laptop computer’s show brightness up. This is a best-case situation for any laptop computer since native video playback is so environment friendly, and actual battery life in day-to-day use is at all times going to be lower than this.
The Asus ExpertBook P3 lasted a mean of 768 minutes, which is 12.8 hours. Depending in your workload and your display brightness, you could possibly get a full workday of battery life out of it, however simply barely. The battery life is okay, however battery life is a trade-off you make once you select AMD Ryzen AI {hardware}. They provide first rate energy effectivity, however you get extra efficiency than you do with Intel Lunar Lake and Qualcomm Snapdragon X {hardware}, and also you pay for it with larger energy consumption.
Asus ExpertBook P3: Conclusion
The Asus ExpertBook P3 is a superb laptop computer combining an all-metal construct high quality and “AI PC” {hardware} that delivers a mixture of stable CPU efficiency and an NPU that may drive Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC options. On high of that, the worth — $1,200 to $1,400 or so, relying on the sale pricing — is a superb worth for a machine that comes with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB solid-state drive.
The most important draw back right here is the show: Many folks will need one thing brighter and maybe higher-resolution. The different draw back right here is battery life: Chips from Intel and Qualcomm will ship for much longer battery life at the price of top-end CPU efficiency, and that shall be a greater match for employees with gentle workflows. But this can be a sturdy laptop computer that may ship spectacular efficiency with cheap battery life and at a good worth. It’s an excellent laptop computer.