Asus has turned a new page with its ExpertBook P1 series which has become the first ever commercial laptop by the company to ditch the traditional B2B model and be sold directly to businesses via an exclusive Flipkart partnership. The Taiwanese tech giant is looking to cover more ground by appealing directly to the end customers with its value proposition.
The ExpertBook P1 is the entry level laptop in this lineup which starts at a starting price of ₹39,990 but the version reviewed here retails for ₹72,990. Marketed as the perfect companion for businesses, does the ExpertBook P1 really live up to that promise? Well, I have been using the laptop as my daily driver for about two weeks and here’s my two bits on its real-world performance.
Unboxing and design:
Opening the eco-friendly cardboard box of the ExpertBook P1, you’re greeted with the laptop itself, a 65W adapter with a Type-C cable (more on this later), and a bunch of paperwork (check out the image below).
The version I received comes in Misty Grey with a matte finish that keeps fingerprints at bay. There’s a small yet distinct Asus ExpertBook branding on the back, inside a metal plate, and a similar minimalist logo just below the display. The laptop is made entirely of plastic, though Asus claims it uses a reinforced metal chassis for increased durability.
The design of the ExpertBook P1 screams business, with a minimalist, distraction-free look thanks to the colour choice. However, unlike other Asus laptops I’ve reviewed, this one is on the chunkier side and doesn’t give off as much of a premium vibe — but I suppose that’s the compromise for the price.
For what it’s worth, the 14-inch variant weighs just around 1.4kg, which is still on the lighter side and can easily be carried in a regular backpack.
Display:
The ExpertBook P1 features a 14-inch Full HD IPS display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and peak brightness of 300 nits. The display is guarded by thick bezels on all sides, with a chunky chin at the bottom — but that’s kind of par for the course.
In day-to-day usage, I had no trouble with the FHD panel, as it gets plenty bright for my needs, with adequate details and sharpness even when sitting next to a bright window (thanks to the anti-glare display).
However, it was difficult to work on the laptop while travelling in cabs with bright sunshine, as the text became hard to read.
The display also comes with just a 45% NTSC colour gamut, which means it may not be ideal for video editors or anyone needing highly colour-accurate displays for their work.
The paired stereo speakers with Dirac branding deliver loud and clear audio that will suffice for most users, whether they’re watching a YouTube video, playing music, or attending video calls. However, if you require more detail from the sound, a wired headphone is always recommended.
Webcam and AI features:
The ExpertBook P1 comes with a 720p webcam with a dedicated shield to hide the camera when not in use. I took a few video calls with this laptop to test the camera quality, and it turned out to be good enough for the price — but don’t get your hopes up too high.
Artificial Intelligence is reaching most laptops these days, and Asus isn’t staying behind either. The ExpertBook P1 not only comes with the dedicated Microsoft Copilot key, but it also brings a new AI ExpertMeet app that can transcribe meetings, add watermarks to team meetings, and even generate minutes of the meeting on-device. Along with this, you get the usual suite of Asus AI features like gaze correction, motion tracking, and light optimisation.
Keyboard:
The ExpertBook P1 features the same chiclet-style keyboard found on most Asus laptops, with good key travel. The typing experience on this laptop is top-notch, with the keys not requiring much pressure and the keyboard not producing much sound, even when typing fast.
The touchpad below the keyboard is big enough to work with all the Windows shortcuts, while not being too big to take over the entire real estate. It’s fluid and responsive to use, though there is a bit of coating on top that didn’t sit quite right with my fingers (this could vary from person to person).
Inside the touchpad is a squarish cutout for the fingerprint sensor, which comes with FIDO2 encryption and is fast and accurate enough for daily use.
Connectivity and durability features:
As you’d expect from an Asus laptop, the ExpertBook P1 comes with plenty of connectivity options. On the left side of the laptop, you get 2 USB 3.2 Type-C ports, an HDMI 1.1 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the right, you get a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, an Ethernet port (handy for office environments), and a nano Kensington lock slot. It supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Asus says the ExpertBook P1 has passed 24 testing procedures under the US military-grade MIL-STD-810H standards. The laptop is said to withstand up to 50kg of squashing force on both the lid and bottom, while the keyboard also features 66cc of spill resistance.
Asus has also included several features in the BIOS, such as self-healing BIOS recovery and intrusion detection, to help secure user data.
Performance and battery:
This version of the Expertbook P1 comes with the 13th Gen Intel core i7-13620H processor with 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Paired with the 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, the laptop works like a breeze with the fast app opening times and no noticeable lag during the review period.
Even when opening 20 tabs (give or take) in a browser, the laptop didn’t break a sweat and more importantly there was no noticeable fan noise thanks to the improved cooling mechanism by Asus.
The processor used on the Expertbook P1, however is a 2 year old chip which means there isn’t too much of an improvement in battery life that you see with the newer Intel and especially Snapdragon based chips.
That being said, the 50Wh battery on the P1 lasts about 5 hours on a single charge and can be charged with the bundled 65W charger and even with mobile powerbanks or chargers during emergencies.
One good thing about the bundled charger is that it comes with PD and PPS support which means that it can not only pump up the laptop but even give life to some of other USB-C powered devices like phones, especially the ones that don’t come with a charger inside the box (you know who I am talking about).
Verdict:
At a price of ₹72,990, the Asus ExpertBook P1 ticks most boxes for a business-focused laptop, delivering reliable performance, a crisp display, comfortable typing experience, and solid build quality. The added security features and value additions (like free1 year McAfee antivirus and additional warranty) sweeten the deal further. While the screen could have been better suited for bright outdoor use, for those primarily working indoors or in office environments, the ExpertBook P1 is an easy recommendation.
