The new ExpertBook A7's metal chassis is a real eye-catcher, but the keyboard disappoints

With the ExpertBook A7, Asus is launching its first business laptop with a premium metal chassis whose appearance immediately brings Apple's MacBook to mind. The unibody chassis also thoroughly impresses with its quality and rigidity.

However, the slim design also has its drawbacks, and the keyboard in particular came as an unpleasant surprise. While Asus usually equips even its very thin devices with excellent keyboards, key travel on the ExpertBook A7 has been reduced to just 1 mm, which is immediately noticeable when typing. Overall, the keyboard simply is not very comfortable to use, and this could be a real deal-breaker for anyone who types a lot. The large haptic touchpad, on the other hand, works very well.

Another drawback concerns the display. In principle, a matte OLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate provides a very good starting point, but the matte surface has an unusually severe impact on the image. The entire image looks extremely grainy, and not just with bright content, as is the case with some other matte screens. This effect is so pronounced that it seriously compromises overall image quality, and we recommend trying out the display before buying if possible.

We are not satisfied with the fan control either. Although the laptop only has a relatively weak Intel Wildcat Lake processor and is equipped with two fans, they kick in fairly quickly, especially when plugged in. Since the fans produce a fairly high-pitched noise, they soon become somewhat annoying in everyday use. All further details about the new Asus ExpertBook A7 can be found in our in-depth review.