What makes a good laptop?
For some brands, it’s about adding more power or battery life. For others, it’s about making the laptop sleeker and lighter. But with its new ExpertBook Ultra, ASUS has gone some way towards making a business laptop more durable and tougher, without sacrificing its weight or slim profile.
That is an interesting direction because most premium thin-and-light laptops tend to chase the same few things. They want to be thinner, lighter, brighter, faster, or more efficient than before. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but it also means many of them end up feeling like variations of the same idea. The ExpertBook Ultra feels a little different because ASUS is not just trying to make a sleek business laptop. It is also trying to make one that can take more punishment than its size and weight suggest.
But make no mistake, the ExpertBook Ultra is still very much a premium work laptop, and its price tag of $3,099 for the base model, going up to $5,399 for the flagship model, pretty much makes that clear and is targeted at mobile professionals, executives, frequent travellers, and companies that want a business laptop that feels modern without becoming fragile.
We don’t recommend you try holding your non-ExpertBook Ultra laptop like this.
Photo: HWZ
A big part of that comes from the materials. ASUS uses a light and tough aerospace-grade magnesium-aluminium alloy chassis, which helps explain how the ExpertBook Ultra can keep to its sub-1kg weight while still feeling more rigid than a typical ultra-thin machine. The surface is also treated with ASUS’ Nano Ceramic Technology, which gives it a claimed 9H hardness rating and allows the laptop to be more resistant to scratches, stains and general wear. I would not call any laptop scratch-proof, because that is just asking for trouble, but during a live (and jaw-dropping) demonstration at a media session, the notebook’s lid survived being scratched repeatedly with a key by an ASUS representative. To be sure, while the ExpertBook Ultra is more than capable of protecting itself against accidents, you can still damage it if you have the intent to abuse it.
The keyboard features a comfortable 1.5mm key travel, an even backlighting system, and a spill-resistant design.
Photo: HWZ
The durability demonstration went beyond scratch resistance too. During the same session, the ExpertBook Ultra also survived water being spilled over its keyboard, as well as the weight of an 80kg person standing on it (ASUS claims the laptop can withstand up to 100kg of weight over it). It shows just how far the company is pushing the toughness limit with this laptop. ASUS has also used Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for the display, which gives it improved drop and scratch resistance.
Speaking of display, the ExpertBook Ultra’s 14-inch 3K OLED display is as gorgeous as one would expect from a Tandem OLED panel. For those not in the know, a tandem OLED is a screen that stacks two layers of OLED pixels on top of each other. This makes the screen much brighter while using less power than a normal OLED screen. And in my time with the laptop, I do find the colours looking rich, blacks are properly deep, and text appears crisp enough for long reading and writing sessions.
I also like that ASUS has gone with a matte anti-glare finish. Glossy screens may make your Netflix movies and games “pop”, but they can be annoying under office lights or near windows. The matte treatment on the ExpertBook Ultra makes the display feel more practical for a work laptop. It’s also a touchscreen, which is nice, although I see it more as a convenience than a core feature.
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