This unique laptop from ASUS offers more than just a powerful computer. Let’s see how ProArt StudioBook 16″ can contribute to your post-processing and editing workflow.
Over the past few years, leading technology brands have focused on creating devices (computers, monitors, laptops, and mobile phones) geared toward advertisers’ use. This includes photographers, graphic artists, filmmakers, colorists, and video game creators. These devices often come with enhanced graphics capabilities as well as unique features that can aid in the workflow of the users for which they are created. The ASUS ProArt sub-brand entered the market for the first time through various professional monitors with outstanding color accuracy along with many other features. In recent years, however, the brand has extended this to an entire ecosystem of ad-tailored devices, and this laptop is one of the latest to join the fray. into that line.
External features, construction and dimensions
ProArt StudioBook 16″ features an all-black body with a matte anti-fingerprint finish, a departure from the usual ASUS rounded brushed steel aesthetic. This blackboard is topped by a simple chrome ProArt logo in the center. This 16-inch laptop weighs in at 2.40 Kg with a relatively slim width of 0.78 inches when closed. All of this in a 14.5 x 10.3 inch body. This US Military-grade version is quite large compared to most innovative laptops although this is mainly due to the 16-inch screen. The only downside for photographers is having to use a larger camera bag (as most camera bags have a laptop compartment up to 15.5 inches) or use a laptop bag completely separate hands.
Connections and ports
For a mobile device to be considered a mobile workstation, it would at least have to offer most of the connectivity options an ad would need. The ProArt Studiobook 16 features a variety of connections on both sides for additional hardware, AV input and output, and storage media. The left side includes a safety lock, a USB-A USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a center DC port, an HDMI 2.1 compatible port, a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, and another USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port capable of providing power, DisplayPort, and VR support. On the right is a 1Gbps RJ45 ethernet port, another USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a 3.5mm combo audio input jack, and a full-size SD Express 7.0 card reader.
Both sides are also equipped with three large vents for ASUS Icecool Pro cooling solution optimized for heavy graphics usage to keep the device as cool as possible. Inside, the laptop is also equipped with 6 2 * 2 dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2.
Display
The 16-inch 4K OLED display contributes the most to this laptop’s size. It comes with 16:10 aspect ratio with glossy glass surface. Maximum brightness is 550 nits. This OLED display can display 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, has a VESA HDR rating of 500 with a contrast ratio of 1M:1 and a response time of 0.2. This monitor has both Pantone validation and Calman verification for color accuracy rated Delta E < 2. While this rating denotes outstanding color accuracy, that accuracy is of course still achieved with continuous manual calibration. However, unlike other innovative laptops, the screen is non-touch and compatible with the pen.
internal
ASUS ProArt Studiobook 16 comes in many variants depending on the processor installed and GPU among others. This particular model is the H7600H which can be considered the entry level of the ProArt Studiobook 16 series.
This particular model uses a 2.4GHz 11th Gen Intel Core I7 octa-core processor (optional I9), with 1 Tb of memory (up to 4Tb available) and 32Gb of DDR4 RAM (available as an option). available up to 64Gb). The device also features an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU with bundled NVIDA Studio Driver optimization for a wide selection of photo, video and 3D processing software.
ProArt Studiobook 16 is more than just a computer with considerable graphics capabilities and a reliable display. In addition, it has a number of unique hardware features that photographers may find useful for photo editing and retouching workflows.
The ProArt Dial is a fully customizable shutdown dial that can be used to edit functions as well as system related adjustments. This physical rotation is located in the upper left corner of the touchpad and is embedded in the bottom frame making closing the laptop unobstructed. Simply rotate the dial to scroll through selections and manipulate the sliders, and tap once to select specific functions. ProArt Dial can be customized to include functionality from a wide selection of compatible editing applications and is specifically optimized for Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Premiere. Customization of functions is done through the Asus ProArt Creator hub allowing full access to the dial functions and other custom buttons available on the keyboard.
Next to the dial is a relatively larger-than-usual touchpad. While it looks like a regular functional touchpad, it has some unique features. For one, it has an additional button that can be customized for additional functions. Best of all, this trackpad actually doubles as a portable graphics pen tablet. With a sensitivity of 1024 levels of force, the touchpad is compatible with various versions of ASUS pens. This pen function can be quite useful for local adjustments and photo editing when the photographer is outside the usual office or studio environment. While the size of this integrated tablet doesn’t equate to the functionality and ergonomics of a full-size graphics tablet, using it on the go can be beneficial.
The additional creative functions on the touchpad and dial certainly greatly benefit the workflow of photographers and other creatives, especially when working on location. With the extra space available on the surface of the laptop, you can add a few customizable buttons along with the dial. While pen compatibility is definitely a big plus, it would also be nice if a storage slot for the pen was placed on one side or on the bottom of the laptop.
Application
Using ProArt Studiobook 16 for photo editing and post-processing certainly has its advantages both in terms of software performance and overall ergonomics. This particular variant, the H7600H, is the unofficial base model for this series with an Intel I7 processor, 1 Terabyte of storage, and 16Gb of RAM. However, when using it for photo retouching, raw processing and retouching, the performance is definitely more than enough for what is needed, and the GPU acceleration is attributed to the optimized drivers of the device. NVIDIA Studio provides smooth and lag-free experience. GPU acceleration is also felt with processes such as building panoramas, merging HDR images, and enhancing raw files (increasing size and resolution) through the “detail enhancement” functionality of the app. Adobe. I also tested the performance when rendering 360-degree panoramas which reduced the total processing time by about 30-50%.
The combination of the ProArt dial and hybrid trackpad adds efficiency when working on the go. The dial provides an easily accessible shortcut to most (if not all) of the functions needed for global adjustments as well as shortcuts to system-related functions. The trackpad offers a certain level of detail accuracy when it comes to manual photoshop editing and compositing. Considering that this comes with a 16-inch OLED display with remarkable color accuracy, one can consider this laptop a worthy mobile workstation for photographers.
What I like:
- Powerful computer for post-processing
- Customizable dials for more efficient editing
- Pen-compatible touchpad
- 16-inch 4K OLED display with delta E <2 . color accuracy
- Good collection of I/O . ports
What could be improved:
- The screen is not touch-sensitive and not compatible with the pen
- Additional customization buttons can be located below the ProArt dial
- No storage slot for stylus
