Cheyenne Suarez

REVIEW: Asus ExpertBook Ultra is a featherweight laptop that packs AI heavyweight power

Article (news)

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782891820628asus experbook launch edit.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Asus launches the ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>Asus launches the ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA — The Asus Expertbook Ultra may look thin and light, but this device is a veritable powerhouse of a business laptop.Last year, the Taiwanese tech giant boldly declared that it wants to grab a bigger slice of the commercial PC market from more established brands in the segment. With the launch of the Expertbook Ultra, Asus has just declared that everyone else may need to do some catching up.This notebook is meant for business users who need a lot of power minus the tonnage. It ticks off all the checkboxes on what counts for a business machine, and then some. From its class-leading processor, to its generous memory and storage, to its sharp screen, tank-like build quality and serviceability, this laptop delivers. And it delivers them in a svelte package that’s as light as a bento box.<div>Asus ExpertBook Ultra Specs Sheet (B9406CAA, 2026)</div><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr><td style="width:50%;background-color:rgb(204, 204, 204)">Component </td><td style="width:50%;background-color:rgb(204, 204, 204)">Specifications </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;vertical-align:top">Processor </td><td style="width:50.0000%">Intel Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 Core Ultra 7 358H  16 Cores (4x P, 8x E, 4x LPE) / 16 Threads Up to 4.8 GHz Turbo</td></tr><tr><td style="width:50.0000%">Memory (RAM) </td><td style="width:50.0000%">64 GB LPDDR5x-8533 (soldered) </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50.0000%">Storage </td><td style="width:50.0000%">2 TB SSD </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;vertical-align:top">Screen </td><td style="width:50.0000%">14-inch, OLED, 16:10 aspect ratio, touchscreen, Gorilla Glass Matte 3K (2880 x 1800 px), 30-120Hz VRR refresh 600-nits SDR brightness, 1400-nits HDR peak100% DCI-P3 colors </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;vertical-align:top">Graphics &amp; AI (Video) </td><td style="width:50.0000%">Intel Arc B390 iGPU, 2.5 GHz, 122 TOPS Intel AI Boost NPU 50 TOPS</td></tr><tr><td style="width:50.0000%">Connectivity </td><td style="width:50.0000%">WiFi 7 (Intel BE211), Bluetooth 5.4 </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;vertical-align:top">Ports </td><td style="width:50.0000%">• Left: 1x USB-C TB4, 1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS, 1x USB-A 3.2 gen2, mic/headphone • Right: 1x USB-A 3.2 gen2, 1x USB-C TB4</td></tr><tr><td style="width:50.0000%">Battery </td><td style="width:50.0000%">70 Wh, 90W USB-C charger </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;vertical-align:top">Size </td><td style="width:50.0000%">310 mm (12.24”) x 212 mm (8.38”) x 10.9 – 16.4 mm (0.43”–0.65″) </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50.0000%">Weight </td><td style="width:50.0000%">1.1 kg (2.45 lbs) </td></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;vertical-align:top">Other features </td><td style="width:50.0000%">White backlit keyboard (1.5 mm travel), haptic touchpad 2MP FHD webcam with IR, ALS (Ambient Light Sensor), fingerprint sensor 6x speakers, mic array Clamshell format with a 140-degree hinge Dual-fan, dual-radiator, triple-heatpipe cooling system</td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div>Last year, Asus showed off the build quality of its Expert series notebooks. They showed how it could be dropped, squeezed with immense pressure, and even stepped on, but would still continue to function. They also showed how its keyboard could resist spills, and how its ports could withstand being yanked without breaking.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782891776489asus expertbook ultra.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Asus ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>Asus ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>Asus officials said that aside from the usual Milspec stress tests that commercial laptops are made to go through, its ExpertBooks go through a lot more to ensure that they are ready to handle the slings and arrows of outrageous business use. Asus is still making these claims about these laptops, but the company has also made a few tweaks to their features that make them even more premium.The commercial, or business laptop market, is a cutthroat arena. While premium consumer laptops aim for the trendiest designs, latest gee-whiz tech and materials, business laptops tend to be more conservative as they prioritize durability and serviceability. It’s a compromise that enterprises are willing to make.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782873906404asus expertbook ultra 3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Asus ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>Asus ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>But Asus seems to be leaning towards making these compromises unnecessary. While the ExpertBook Ultra still looks conservative compared to its flashy Zenbook cousins, it also got an updated design with the body now sporting a “nano ceramic” finish, which is similar to but not quite the same as the Ceraluminum coating on Asus’ new Zenbooks.Asus says that this nano ceramic coating adds toughness, scratch resistance, and smudge protection, while making the device easier to hold and nicer to touch. It does look a lot sleeker too, compared to the 2025 model. Another upgrade from last year is the display. From last year’s IPS display, the new ExpertBook now features a stunning, 3K 120Hz Tandem OLED touchscreen with impressive brightness (600-nits sustained, 1400-nits peak HDR). Its Gorilla Matte anti-glare coating ensures excellent outdoor usability. You can definitely use this while working in an al fresco cafe by the beach. The matte coating introduces some minor text grain and slight color softening, but the panel delivers superb contrast.While I rarely used the touchscreen on this laptop, it’s an extra feature that’s nice to have. It could be even more useful if Asus had included a stylus so that the notebook could be used to sign documents or annotate reports.Something I find odd though is Asus decision to keep the ExpertBook Ultra’s screen from being completely laid flat, which I thought was a pretty good feature for a business laptop.When it comes to the keyboard and trackpad, I have no complaints. The keys have 1.5mm of travel, which gives a satisfying click when typed on. The haptic touchpad meanwhile was very responsive.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782873943105asus expertbook ultra 2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Asus ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>Asus ExpertBook Ultra. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>Meanwhile, this thing packs plenty of power and resources. It features Intel&#x27;s Panther Lake architecture, packing a Core Ultra X7 358H hybrid processor (16 cores/16 threads) and 3rd-gen Arc B390 graphics, paired with a 2TB Gen5 SSD and 64GB of ultra-fast LPDDR5X-8533 onboard RAM.This configuration boosts power efficiency and performance. This was my first time to use a Panther Lake laptop, and I was pretty impressed at how it could last a whole day without needing to be plugged.Yes you can play games on this laptop, even though it’s not really meant for that. The integrated GPU is capable enough. But what business users would more likely welcome is its ability to run AI locally. With 64GB, you could theoretically run 30 to 40 billion parameter models while still leaving plenty of room for your OS and prompt memory. We didn’t have time to test this though, and hopefully we could have another crack at this laptop and see how well it can handle AI workloads.Of course, this wouldn’t be a business laptop if it had a meagre selection ports. Thankfully, the ExpertBook Ultra has a lot of them–there are two Thunderbolt/Type-C ports (one on each side of the laptop), which support data transfer, video output, and charging. There are also two ordinary USB Type-A ports, one on either side, and a full-size HDMI output on the left side, and an audio jack.It can also get plenty loud without letting the sound crack or hiss. The ExpertBook Ultra offers reliable speakers if you want to do a presentation or show an edit to colleagues.The Asus ExpertBook Ultra starts at P129,995 for the model with Core Ultra 5 Processor 325, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.Our review unit, which features the Core Ultra X7 358H, 64GB RAM and 2TB SSD, meanwhile, starts at P215,995.

The Asus ExpertBook Ultra is meant for business users who need a lot of power minus the weight, with its class-leading processor, generous memory and storage, and its sharp screen, tank-like build quality.

The Asus ExpertBook Ultra is meant for business users who need a lot of power minus the weight, with its class-leading processor, generous memory and storage, and its sharp screen, tank-like build quality.