ASUS’s latest ExpertBook series laptops feature a revamped stylish design, thinner profile, upgraded performance, and more. We review the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra, and here are our thoughts about the laptop.
Design
ASUS ensured that the new ExpertBook series comes with a premium and durable design. The new ASUS ExpertBook Ultra (B9406CAA) features a new aviation-inspired, magnesium-aluminum chassis, weighing just only 0.99 kg and as thin as 10.9 mm. The weight of the device closely resembles the likes of the ZenBook A14 series. The laptop also comes with a 9H rating durability against scratches and stains. The laptop comes in both Morn Grey and Jet Fog colors, and we got the latter for review. The main display features a 14-inch touchscreen OLED panel with a matte finish, and comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and Corning Gorilla Matte protection. The screen resolution is 2880 x 1800, and the screen ratio is 16:10. The display also comes with VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 1000 certification for clear blacks.
The laptop sports two front-facing speaker grills on the front side and two under the palm rest area. There is also a fingerprint reader embedded within the power button of the keyboard. The backlit keys help to keep the productivity going in any light conditions, and the keys feature an advanced coating that offers a silky-smooth touch and resistance against smudges. The large glass touchpad uses haptic feedback to mimic physical clicks, which is silent and accurate. The keys offer a 1.5mm key-travel typing experience too.
The new ExpertBook comes with MIL-STD-810H military-grade standards, which have gone through 24 durability tests. The laptop features one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port and one Thunderbolt 4 port on the left side, along with another USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, one Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, one HDMI 2.1 TMDS, and one 3.5mm audio jack on the right side. There is also the power LED indicator on the right side.
The outer lid comes with the ASUS logo in the middle, and on the bottom side, you can see the extra speaker holes, the air vent grills, and the screw holes. The bottom panel can be removed, in case the user wants to upgrade the 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD. There is also a 1080p camera on the top side of the screen with an IR function for Windows Hello and a physical privacy shutter to close the camera when not in use. There are also air vents on the rear side of the device.
Performance
The new ASUS ExpertBook Ultra is powered by the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, a high-end mobile processor that features 16 computing cores (four performance cores, eight efficient cores, and 4 low-power cores), and the graphics are handled by the Intel Arc B390 iGPU. The NPU features 50 TOPS of computing power. The processor is supported with 32GB of LPDDR5 SDRAM, which is more than sufficient for most computing and office tasks, along with Windows 11 Professional OS installed on a Samsung PM9E1 PCIe 5.0 OEM SSD with 2TB of internal storage.
The performance of the laptop is smooth and snappy when we used the device. We ran several benchmarks to test the performance of the system and SSD drive using tools such as PC Mark 10, 3D Mark tests, Cinebench 2026, and CrystalDiskMark. Check out the scores below.
Other features of the laptop include the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) (triple band) 2×2 using the Intel BE 211, and Bluetooth 6.0 for wireless connectivity. The laptop houses a large 70WHr, 4-cell Li-ion battery, which helps the laptop last for several hours of productive use.
Verdict
If you are looking for a stylish, lightweight, and durable business-grade laptop for your productivity tasks, the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra (B9406CAA) is an excellent choice to consider. The laptop weighs only 0.99 kg, which should help to carry the device at ease, and the laptop features all the ports such as USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports for storage transfers and external display connections. The keyboard of the laptop is pleasant to type on, and keys feature a smooth typing experience. The glass touchpad comes with haptic feedback to mimic physical clicks.
The performance of the laptop is top-notch for a lightweight business laptop, thanks to the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, the Intel Arc B390 iGPU, and the 2TB Samsung PM9E1 PCIe 5.0 OEM SSD. The laptop also sports Bluetooth 6.0 and WiFi 7 for wireless connectivity. The main display comes with a stellar 14-inch OLED display with 3K of screen resolution, and the large 70WHr, 4-cell Li-ion battery easily lasts for several hours of productive usage, with support for USB-C charging capability.
