ASUS Business Philippines brought the new ExpertBook Ultra to Davao last Friday, September 11, for a local launch event held at dusitD2 Davao City.

The Davao event is part of ASUS’ regional push for the ExpertBook Ultra after its Philippine launch in Manila earlier this year, followed by a stop in Cebu.

The ExpertBook Ultra is ASUS’ latest flagship business laptop, focusing on a combination of portability, performance, battery life, and business-focused security.

A business laptop that doesn’t look like one

One of the biggest talking points of the ExpertBook Ultra is its size.

The laptop starts at around 0.99kg and measures just 10.9mm thin, depending on the configuration. ASUS uses a magnesium-aluminum chassis to keep the weight down while maintaining the durability expected from a business machine.

But ASUS isn’t treating thinness as the only selling point.

The company also demonstrated the laptop’s durability during the event, including hinge testing and a spill-resistance demonstration.

The ExpertBook Ultra is also designed to meet military-grade durability standards, something that makes more sense for a business laptop that could spend most of its life being carried between offices, meetings and business trips.

Intel Core Ultra and up to 50W performance

Inside, the ExpertBook Ultra uses Intel’s latest Core Ultra processors.

Higher-end configurations can be equipped with the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, while other models are available with Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 5 processors.

ASUS also highlights its ExpertCool Pro cooling system, which allows the laptop to run at up to 50W CPU TDP.

That’s interesting because there’s normally a compromise when it comes to thin-and-light laptops.

You either get something portable, or you get something powerful.

ASUS is trying to push the ExpertBook Ultra closer to both.

Depending on the configuration, the laptop can also come with Intel Arc graphics, up to 32GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.

A 3K OLED display

The ExpertBook Ultra also gets a fairly serious display for a business laptop.

It uses a 14-inch 3K 2880 × 1800 OLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and an anti-glare finish.

ASUS claims up to 1,400 nits HDR peak brightness, along with 100% DCI-P3 coverage.

The display is also protected by Gorilla Glass, with ASUS offering configurations using its Gorilla Matte surface.

This isn’t necessarily something businesses need, but it does make the laptop more suitable for people who spend a lot of time working directly on the screen.

AI is part of the package

Of course, like most premium laptops launching in 2026, AI is a major part of the ExpertBook Ultra.

The higher-end Intel Core Ultra X7 358H configuration comes with a 50 TOPS NPU, allowing AI workloads to be handled locally on the laptop.

ASUS is positioning this around features such as AI-assisted productivity, security and other work-related functions through its MyExpert AI platform.

The more practical benefit, however, is that the laptop has dedicated hardware for AI workloads instead of relying entirely on the CPU.

Security is still a big part of the ExpertBook

Unlike consumer laptops, business machines have another problem to solve: security.

The ExpertBook Ultra comes with ASUS ExpertGuardian and features designed around enterprise security, including support for newer post-quantum cryptography technologies.

ASUS also highlights NIST SP 800-193 compliance and other security features designed to protect the system at the firmware and hardware level.

There is also an IR camera for Windows Hello, a privacy shutter and other security features aimed at business users.

Battery life and connectivity

Despite its size, the ExpertBook Ultra packs a 70Wh battery.

ASUS claims up to 26 hours of battery life, although actual runtime will obviously depend on what you’re doing with the laptop.

For connectivity, the laptop includes two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports, two USB-A ports and HDMI 2.1, along with Wi-Fi 7.

It also has a haptic touchpad and a six-speaker system with Dolby Atmos.

So while this is clearly designed as a business laptop, ASUS hasn’t stripped away features that make a premium laptop enjoyable to use outside of work.

Pricing starts at PHP 129,995

In the Philippines, the ExpertBook Ultra starts at PHP 129,995.

The configuration shown at the Davao event comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, along with Windows 11 Pro, Wi-Fi 7 and the 70Wh battery.

Higher-end configurations are also available.

One of the top configurations presented during the event is priced at PHP 185,995 with Windows 11 Home and Microsoft Office Home & Student, while the Windows 11 Pro version goes up to PHP 193,995.

That configuration comes with the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD.

At those prices, the ExpertBook Ultra is obviously not trying to compete with mainstream consumer laptops.

It’s aimed at professionals and businesses that are willing to pay more for a combination of portability, performance, security and support.

ASUS is also offering a five-year business warranty for the ExpertBook Ultra, depending on the applicable package and configuration.

The Davao Stop

The Davao event gave ASUS Business Philippines a chance to bring the ExpertBook Ultra directly to businesses and professionals in the region.

And after seeing the laptop in person, the interesting part isn’t really the marketing around it.

It’s the fact that ASUS managed to put a fairly powerful Intel Core Ultra platform, a 3K 120Hz OLED display, a 70Wh battery and a decent selection of ports into a machine that starts at roughly a kilogram.

The PHP 129,995 starting price will certainly put it in premium territory, but that’s also where the ExpertBook Ultra is positioned.

It isn’t trying to be the laptop for everyone.

It’s ASUS’ attempt at building a business laptop that doesn’t force users to choose between performance, portability and features.

And for professionals who travel frequently or simply want a powerful laptop that doesn’t feel like a brick inside their bag, that’s probably where the ExpertBook Ultra makes the most sense.