XMG's Core 16 M25 AMD is a good all-rounder for gaming and work

Are you looking for a good all-round laptop, which should be able to handle plenty of usage scenarios? The new XMG Core 16 (M25) might be the answer. While it is a gaming laptop at heart, the simple black aluminum chassis means it can be used pretty much anywhere without drawing any attention. You get a large screen, which can handle gaming thanks to 300 Hz and fast response times, but it also offers good image quality for work thanks to the matte surface and the lack of PWM flickering. There is also an accurate sRGB profile for picture or video editing. And if you want the most accurate image, you can download our calibrated profile for free in our review article. The input devices are comfortable and there is a dedicated numpad. With a weight of around 2.1 kg, it is also still pretty portable for a 16-inch laptop.

Both the performance components and the memory equipment can be tailored to your need. if you want the best gaming performance, you should get the mobile RTX 5070, but the RTX 5060 of the base model already offers good performance. In terms of the processor, you have a choice between different Zen 5 chips from AMD, which also meet all the requirements for Windows' AI features. The base option is the Ryzen AI 7 350 (8 cores), but you can also opt for the Ryzen AI 9 365 (10 cores) or the faster Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (12 cores). Our review unit was equipped with the HX 370 and the performance utilization was very good. XMG also offers different power profiles, so there is quite a bit of spread in terms of performance and fan noise. The Core 16 also offers to slots for SSDs and memory modules each, so you can realize up to 16 TB of storage and 128 GB RAM.

We did not find any major drawbacks during our review of the XMG Core 16 M25. The bottom panel gets quite warm under heavy loads and there is no Advanced Optimus GPU switching. This is not really a deal-breaker, because there is a MUX switch. Wi-Fi 7 is not supported, either, but this is not going to be an issue for most users. The Core 16 M25 starts at €1549 with the small Zen 5 processor, the mobile RTX 5060, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. Please see our in-depth review for more information.