Over the years , I have curated a rather non - envious track record with manage electronics around me . From shatter the screen on iPhones , breaking the hinge of a foldable phone , a buck laptop lid , flattening the edges of MacBooks , and forgetting point in transit , the history of my mischance is pretty diverse . And expensive .
But nothing wound more than the harm obtain to a laptop computer , which you ca n’t just obliterate behind a skin or vitrine . I ’d care to believe there are a few others like me , seeking a machine that can wield rough usage , or just happens to be sturdier than the rest . Asus for sure sees an opportunity in that bracket .
The company recently introduced a ternary of laptop computer in the ExpertBook P serial . To my surprise , the party focus less on the common carrying out - centric presentment , and more on the practical side of things , such as enduringness .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Is it performant?
A few days after the launch , I stimulate my hands on the ExpertBook P1 . I was in for a pleasant surprisal . It ’s a fairly competent laptop computer , but more than that , it can brush off mechanical stress with easiness . And on top of that , it fortifies a few area that most brands barely devote any special care to .
The configuration I tested came fit with an Intel Core i7 ( 13620H ) central processing unit , ticktock alongside 32 GB of RAM and 512 GB of M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD . Thanks to extra slots , the RAM and memory are upgradable up to 64 GB and 2 TB , respectively . Over at the front is a 14 - inch full - HD panel .
Now , this is neither the in vogue Intel potato chip nor the fanciest display out there . It is sharp and offers panoptic viewing angles without any noticeable colouring crushing . I wish it were a glass - based board , but I would take Asus ’ anti - glare approach any given day .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
The 10 - core silicon is fairly muscular , though not the late that Intel has to offer . When pitted against the 14 - center Intel Core Ultra 5 , it barely manages to achieve a high single - sum performance , but delivers a 30 % lower multi - core performance .
The aging Intel processor again serve a high-pitched individual - burden tally at Cinebench 2024 compared toQualcomm ’s top - close Snapdragon X Elite , but underwhelms with its multi - core chops , yet again .
On the graphics front , the integrated Intel UHD art unit is just about 18 - 20 % behind the Arc graphics shipped with the 2d - genArrow LakeUltra Series 2 processor . But numbers away , this is still a pretty open combination .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
If you are n’t diving into any demanding creative software suite , the configuration will get past most productivity software with ease . My work load involved Chrome ( across two screens and three windows ) , Slack , Trello , Teams , and a fistful of World Wide Web instances for puppet like Asana and consistent wireless music playback .
Running the laptop computer in Balanced visibility , I easy got a full day of use without any stutters or UI crash . The battery , on the other deal , is promise to last three years without its electrochemical health fall below the 80 % mark . It normally live me about 9 - 10 hours of continuous custom , but you could definitely extend it with a slenderly low brightness and performance tuning .
What I like the most is the charging flexibility . Natively , the treble - prison cell 50Whr shelling tolerate 65W fast charging , but it allow the full spectrum of 5V-24V power input . I was able to charge the laptop computer with a power bank and gave it some last - mile succus . I go for more brands hop on to this movement this twelvemonth !
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
What makes the ExpertBook P1 stand out?
The Asus laptop computer is not out there to turn eyeballs with esthetic . It ’s clean and industrial , with a intimate Asus conception . What sets it aside is the sturdy engineering , despite the laptop weighing just around three pounds .
This is a US MIL - STD 810H military - grade outfit , cover up intimately a dozen family of tests . In addition to the usual temperature and altitude test , the fortified build allows it to handle strong vibrations ( 500Hz ) for a sustained period , mechanically skillful shocks , and ingress tribute against dust .
Asus says the base can go a drop from a tallness of over a meter on a concrete trading floor . The physical body is credit card , but the figure has been reward using metal part . It ’s hard to discern that the ExpertBook P1 offers all that , but after using it as my casual workhorse , I am confident that it can sweep off a few accidents .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
On the more hard-nosed side of things , both sides of the laptop computer can run a smushing force worth around 110 pounds . This comes in handy for situations such as rough luggage handling , like the infamous airline business luggage transport , packed under - carrriage in heap , or cramp slots in string .
The hat itself can support a load of up to 55 pounds without causing any scathe to the silver screen . For business professionals on the move or students in college , such structural lustiness is nothing shortsighted of a reassuring blessing .
I prove to feign the consignment test with some of my gymnasium equipment , and the laptop computer come out unharmed . The base of operations is certainly more sturdy , while the display lid is quite compromising . Asus says the laptop is tested to pull round over 50,000 anatomy whirl tests .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Laptop lid and the linked flexible joint chemical mechanism are often a weak link . I have develop two in the span of five eld , so I know the hurt and learned the pricey object lesson . On the ExpertBook P1 , Asus has used 1.2 mm stainless steel hinge inserts and thicker screws , which are tout to survive 66 % higher pulling force than an average laptop computer .
The hinge mechanism is indeed pretty lasting . The flexing is visible , but there is no worrisome creaking to be take heed . This is me holding the laptop at the flexible joint full stop , while exerting fundament atmospheric pressure on the lid part :
The constituent are also lock tightly in seat , and even when the laptop is drop , there are no chinks or chimes to be heard , salve for a insipid thud .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Practicality, above anything
As laptop computer started to get smaller and slimmer , the industriousness adopt a vogue of pick the ports . Asus has skirt that movement on the Expertbook P1 . There are a couple of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type - C ports and an adequate number of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type - A embrasure on the laptop computer .
You also get an HDMI 1.4 and an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port , alongside a 3.5 mm combo squat and a Kensington Nano lock . While the port multifariousness is a welcome move , Asus did n’t bone them on one side . rather , they are spaced out across the left and proper edges .
I have often struggle with laptops that set the porthole on one side . TheMacBook Airis the best example . Anything thick than an average USB - C cable obturate memory access to the other port . The only option left is to invest in a pricey port hub .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Interestingly , the Asus ExpertBook P1 ’s I / oxygen ports are also special . They have been certify to last 5,000 insert - eject cycles , but more significantly , they put up a pretty unafraid lock - in for the cable’s length and accessories .
When I first saw the ExpertBook P5 dangling by a USB cable , I was surprised . Then I tested my P1 random variable at home base , and it did n’t disappoint . Have a look :
The lively character also extends to the keyboard , which can handle liquid spill . in person , that ’s a huge sigh of relief . My cat latterly orchestrated a soda tumble on a laptop computer , and it ended up fry the circuits on the motherboard . I could never get it repaired .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
The ExpertBook P1 integrates a FIDO - compliant fingermark sensor within the trackpad area . It ’s a tad small , but it gets the job done . Asus also tender a whole clustering of security auspices at both software and hardware levels . Among them is usurpation detection against unauthorised devices , and a discrete Trusted Platform Module ( TPM ) flake build within .
For BIOS attacks , downgrade are prevented to obstruct exploits , and there ’s also an robotlike recovery system in spot if the BIOS is corrupted . For added privacy , there ’s a strong-arm webcam shutter at the top .
Overall , with the ExpertBook P1 , Asus has create a rather compelling laptop that is geared at pro as well as educatee likewise . It undercuts the MacBook premium , while also offer a handful of pragmatic perquisite that are hard to find in the laptop market .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
