Is the Asus ProArt P14 the best compact Windows multimedia laptop?

Alongside HP, Asus is currently the only manufacturer to use Nvidia's new RTX Spark N1X processor in a compact 14-inch laptop, and it even opts for the fastest version of the chip. Like the larger ProArt P16, the ProArt P14 features a relatively slim metal chassis, available in either white or black. The chassis impresses with excellent rigidity, a great sound system and plenty of ports, including a full-size card reader. Unlike the one in the larger P16, however, it does not support the SD Express standard. Despite the relatively slim chassis, Asus includes a very good keyboard and a haptic touchpad.

The display is a tandem OLED touchscreen that impresses with both high brightness and very accurate color reproduction. However, the touchscreen slightly affects the perceived image quality, particularly with bright content. As mentioned earlier, Asus uses the fastest Nvidia RTX Spark N1X processor currently available, combining 20 CPU cores with 6,144 GPU cores. Up to 128 GB of RAM is also possible. Our review unit, however, is the base model with 32 GB of RAM, of which 16 GB is allocated to the graphics card by default, leaving just 16 GB for the rest of the system. This is insufficient, particularly for the heavily promoted use of AI models and agents. We have already examined the RTX Spark N1X's overall performance in our comprehensive analysis.

One weakness is the ARM version of Windows. Compatibility issues mean that some applications and games are still not supported, which can limit flexibility in everyday use. While improvements in game compatibility are on the horizon, the 14-inch laptop is somewhat disappointing in terms of battery life: it lasts just 12 hours in our Wi-Fi test at 150 nits. Its main rival, Apple's MacBook Pro 14, which now also features a tandem OLED display, lasts significantly longer here. 

Finally, there is the price: our base configuration with 32 GB of RAM already costs €3,300. Anyone serious about working with AI models should opt for at least 64 GB of RAM if possible, although no models with more than 32 GB of RAM are currently available on the market. You can find all the other details about the new ProArt P14 in our in-depth review.