Business laptops prioritize basic features at attractive prices. Compared to those flashy consumer laptops, business laptops are designed to meet business needs and look utilitarian at best, and these laptops (at least in India) are as barebones as possible. So what happens when Asus builds a business laptop based on Microsoft’s CoPilot+ PC requirements? Can we truly have a device that meets the needs of small and medium-sized businesses and enterprises while also delivering good performance? Asus’ new ExpertBook P5 laptop is indeed a worthy choice.
ASUS ExpertBook P5 (P5405) design
The Asus ExpertBook P5 defies expectations of a bulky business laptop. It has a slim overall profile, is well designed (even compared to the Asus Zenbook S14), is made from high-quality materials, and, according to the company, is built to US MIL-STD 810H military-grade standards. That means it can run on a sunny beach (for those working from home) or in a chilly corporate office.
ASUS ExpertBook P5 only comes in one matte gray finish
The laptop’s hinge feels solid, and the display can be raised with one finger when giving presentations (without looking awkward). The hinge also allows the display to be fully opened and laid flat on a table. No, this isn’t to keep your coworkers from peering at your display from across the desk, but to prevent excessive stress on the hinges. Since the monitor sits flat on the table, the hinges are less likely to be damaged if something heavy is dropped or accidentally placed on the monitor.
The ASUS ExpertBook P5’s hinge allows its display to be placed on a surface
Unlike its sleeker cousin, the Zenbook S14, the ExpertBook doesn’t have a CNC-machined frame (which acts as a chassis). This business laptop comes with a matte aluminum lid or panel, giving it a premium look and feel. They don’t easily pick up fingerprints or smudges, but if they do, they can be easily wiped off. The panel is also meant to have some degree of flex; this is very noticeable when you open the display cover, but not with the lower half, which does struggle to bend given the layered components and panel.
The camera has a convenient privacy cover
I found the ExpertBook’s keyboard to be perfect for all-day use. The 1.5mm key travel is adequate, but if you type a lot like me, I did find the keys a bit stiff. The keys are quiet and suitable for conference rooms and meetings. If you’re clumsy, the keyboard is also spill-resistant and comes with a backlight so you can keep working hard at night.
Rear ventilation means you can place the ExpertBook P5 in the docking station and use the laptop with the lid closed
The ExpertBook makes some simple design decisions that feel logical and functional, forcing me to compare it to its higher-priced sibling, the Zenbook S14. Since the ExpertBook has an air inlet on the bottom (exhausting hot air from the back), it can easily be placed into the base stand and function normally with the lid closed. The Zenbook S14 needs to be opened as it breathes through the perforations above the internal keyboard.
ASUS ExpertBook P5 (P5405) Performance
In addition to the lack of an Ethernet port due to its slim design, there are plenty of I/O ports to choose from. ExpertBook P5 offers 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, 1 HDMI 2.1 port and the usual 3.5mm combo audio jack.
Port selection on Asus ExpertBook P5 is pretty good, but Ethernet port is missing
As for the part that makes this business laptop a CoPilot+ PC, it comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 258V processor (4.8GHz), including an Intel AI Boost NPU with up to 47 AI TOPS to meet Microsoft’s requirements. There’s 32GB RAM (LPDDR5X), 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD, and Intel Arc 140V GPU for graphics. We ran the usual benchmarks and here are the results:
| benchmark | ASUS ExpertBook P5 | ASUS Zenbook S 14 | Dell XPS 13 9345 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 Single | 1,531 | 2,520 | 2,795 |
| Geekbench 6+ | 7,636 | 10,688 | 14,478 |
| Geekbench AI Quantitative Score | 3,530 people | 3,678 | 22,200 |
| PCMark 10 | 4,694 | 6,836 | not applicable |
| 3DMark CPU Profile | 5,161 | 5,161 | 8,459 |
| 3DMark Night Raid | 33,631 | 34,727 | 25,732 |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light | 2,741 | 3,243 | 1,931 |
Since this is a business laptop, my use is limited to office work. During that time, everything went as expected and the laptop barely heated up. Since the P5 scored a respectable 33,631 points in 3DMark’s Night Raid, you might also consider playing some casual games on this machine…if your IT policies allow it and your boss isn’t around. It’s still pretty quiet when the fan is spinning (especially when I’m running benchmarks).
The Asus ExpertBook P5’s IPS display is colorful, but not as colorful as the Zenbook S14’s OLED panel
Our review unit came pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro and the Microsoft Office suite. ASUS offers a range of AI tools; among them, I like the included AI ExpertMeet, which basically provides AI-generated summaries for live and recorded meetings. It also has the ability to watermark video calls with messages and business cards, which is very convenient for self-employed individuals or small and medium-sized businesses.
Like the ASUS Zenbook S14, the ASUS ExpertBook P5 also offers a high-resolution IPS display. However, the P5’s display has a slightly lower resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels compared to the S14’s 2,880 x 1,800 pixels, and it also lacks touch input. Oddly, the P5’s display also offers a 144Hz refresh rate, which both feels out of place and doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do (not blurry). A standard 60Hz or even 90Hz panel will suffice, making way for some other additional hardware. On the plus side, the P5’s matte display is better suited for glare-free productivity when working outdoors.
The ExpertBook’s trackpad uses Asus’ gesture controls (Edge), which is useful but can become irritating due to ghost touches
ASUS ExpertBook P5 comes with a 63Wh 3-cell battery. Thanks to the latest Intel chips, battery life is very solid and I could easily get 9-10 hours of use in the office with the monitor set to 144Hz refresh rate and brightness set to 70% (because 50% isn’t bright enough). ASUS provides a 65W Type-C power supply in the box, which can charge 70% in one hour.
ASUS ExpertBook P5 (P5405) Verdict
Of course, being a business laptop means that ordinary consumers won’t be able to buy the ExpertBook P5 online or even in-store. Interested businesses or business owners need to contact ASUS directly.
The ASUS ExpertBook P5 offers excellent value to its target audience. It not only provides some practical artificial intelligence functions for business users, but also provides sufficient capabilities for self-employed people at a suitable price. It’s not as trendy as the consumer offering, the ASUS Zenbook S14 (Review) (priced from Rs 1,42,990), but offers a stylish design that still looks and feels premium. For a business laptop, a 144Hz display is definitely overkill. An OLED display with a standard refresh rate would be more useful. But almost everything else seems right for the job.
