I Tested Asus’ ProArt P16, an RTX 5090 Dream Machine for Creative Pros

In addition to the screen, the ProArt P16’s inputs and connectivity options are also suitable for creatives. The keyboard is comfortable, with noticeable travel and satisfying feedback for a non-mechanical keyboard—enjoyable enough for any user. A few keys, like Backspace, are slightly truncated, which doesn’t feel necessary on a big 16-inch laptop.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

However, the truncated keys allow for sizable speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard, which are joined by four more speakers within the system. The forward-most, up-firing speakers are particularly noticeable, and the laptop pumps out strong sound quality that holds up at higher volumes.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

It’s the touchpad that has the true creator-centric feature: the DialPad, a circular touchpad that lets you easily select and switch among in-application editing tools. We’ve seen the DialPad on previous ProArt systems, first in a physical dial form and more recently in this circular touchpad iteration. It’s located in the top-left corner of the touchpad, within easy reach for quickly switching among tools, colors, brush sizes, and more in your favorite creative applications. I’m no digital artist, so I can’t test how it fits into a creative’s workflow. Still, I found it simple to use in my test sessions.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The average user likely has no need for the DialPad, but for creative pros, it puts frequently accessed tools and options right at your fingertips, with some customization options available. If you’re constantly swapping brushes or other tools, you can put them front and center by pressing the wheel and scrolling the circle to pan through your options. I miss the feel of the physical dial on older models, but this works fine, too.

As for connectivity, the ProArt P16 includes one USB Type-C connection (USB4 with power delivery and data speeds up to 40Gbps), an HDMI 2.1 port, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port on its left side. On the right side, it has another USB Type-C port (this one a 3.2 Gen 2 port with power delivery and data speeds up to 10Gbps), another USB Type-A port, and an SD Express 7.0 card reader.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

This is a wide-ranging set of options, so you should find everything you need. The PC also includes a 1080p camera, which delivers sharp video quality and balances lighting well in dimmer environments. The wireless connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Asus bundles a fair amount of AI features into this system, and your mileage will vary on how helpful you find them. For example, MuseTree (an AI-powered image generator found on several Asus systems) returns, and you’ll also find StoryCube, which organizes and searches all of your local media. The ProArt Creator Hub software contains most of these apps and other creator-friendly settings. The MyAsus application focuses more on device and system settings.