ASUS is continuing to push its ExpertBook series as one of its premium business laptops, and this time we have the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra (B9406CAA).

But unlike a regular laptop review, I decided to use this one for 30 days before writing about it.

I wanted to see how it actually performs as a business laptop. Not just through benchmarks, but through everyday work, multitasking, meetings, writing, browsing, and carrying it around with me.

So after using the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra for 30 days, is this actually a good business laptop?

Specifications:

Model	B9406CAA
Color	Jet Fog
Operating System	Windows 11 Pro Windows 11 Home – ASUS recommends Windows 11 Pro for business
Processor	Intel® Core™ Ultra X7 Processor 358H 1.9 GHz (18MB Cache, up to 4.8 GHz, 16 Cores, 16 Threads); Intel® AI Boost NPU up to 50 TOPS
Graphics	Intel Arc B390 Intel® Graphics
Ethernet	1 x Intel® 2.5Gb Ethernet ASUS LAN Guard
Display	Touch screen with Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® and Corning® Gorilla™ Matte, 14.0-inch, Tandem OLED, WQXGA+ (2880 x 1800) 16:10, Anti-glare display, 600nits (1400nits HDR peak brightness), DCI-P3: 100%, Pantone Validated, VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 1000, Screen-to-body ratio:91 %
Memory	32GB LPDDR5X on board, Memory Max Up to:32GB
Storage	1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 4.0 SSD
Expansion Slots	1x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0×4
I/O Ports	2x Thunderbolt™ 4, compliant with USB4, supports display / power delivery 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A 1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS
Keyboard & Touchpad	Backlit Chiclet Keyboard, 1.5mm Key-travel, Haptic Touchpad
Camera	1080p FHD camera (AI image upscaling up to 5MP) with IR function to support Windows Hello, With privacy shutter
Audio	Built-in array microphone 6 built-in speakers Dolby Atmos
Network and Communication	Wi-Fi 7(802.11be) (Triple band) 2*2 + Bluetooth® 6.0 Wireless Card, 2)Bluetooth supports up to BT 5.4 (with limited feature support) and requires BT driver version 23.130.x.x or later
Battery	70WHrs, 2S2P, 4-cell Li-ion, Long life rechargeable high density lithium polymer battery.
Power Supply	TYPE-C, 90W AC Adapter, Output: 20V DC, 4.5A, 90W, Input: 100~240V AC 50/60Hz universal (Adapter+power cord)
Weight	Start from:0.99 kg (2.18 lbs)
Dimensions (W x D x H)	31.09 x 21.28 x 1.09 ~ 1.64 cm

Closer Look

The box comes in with a simple design with the ASUS ExpertBook branding at the front. The packaging keeps things clean and doesn’t really have anything too flashy going on.

Opening the box, you will find the documentation, laptop sleeve, 90W USB-C power adapter, and the USB3 to LAN Dongle.

And of course, the ASUS ExperBook Ultra laptop itself.

The design of the ExpertBook Ultra is very simple and professional. It comes in Morn Grey and Jet Fog, depending on the configuration.

At only around 0.99kg, this is one of those laptops that you will immediately notice when you put it inside your bag.

ASUS uses a magnesium-aluminum chassis with its Nano Ceramic coating, and the laptop has gone through a long list of durability tests. ASUS says it passed 24 MIL-STD-810H procedures and 157 of its own durability tests. It also has a 9H hardness rating for the chassis coating.

And even though it is small and lightweight, ASUS still managed to put a good number of ports into the laptop.

You get two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1 and a 3.5mm audio jack.

For me, this is important because thin laptops sometimes sacrifice ports just to make the device thinner.

Thankfully, that isn’t really the case here.

The touchpad is also quite large and uses a glass surface with haptic feedback.

It has six force sensors and supports ASUS’ touchpad gestures for things like volume and brightness control.

I like having these gestures available because they make some simple controls faster without having to reach for the keyboard.

Now this is something I really want to highlight.

I’ve tested and reviewed several ASUS slim laptops on this website, and the keyboard on the ExpertBook Ultra is a much better experience for me.

It has 1.5mm of key travel, and the keys just feel better when typing. It doesn’t feel as shallow as some of the other slim ASUS laptops I’ve used.

For someone who spends a lot of time writing, replying to emails, editing articles, and working on content, this makes a noticeable difference.

The ExpertBook Ultra comes with a 14-inch 3K Tandem OLED display with a 2880 x 1800 resolution and a 30-120Hz variable refresh rate.

It can reach up to 1400 nits HDR brightness and supports 100% DCI-P3, DisplayHDR True Black 1000 and an anti-glare Gorilla Glass Matte surface.

And yes, it looks really good.

The OLED panel gives you the deep blacks and contrast that you would expect from OLED, while the high resolution makes text and images look sharp.

For working with documents, browsing, watching videos and editing content, this is a display I enjoy using. The anti-glare surface is also helpful when you’re working in places where you have different sources of light around you.

The built-in webcam privacy shutter lets you physically cover the camera when you’re not using it. A simple but smart feature that gives you more privacy.

The ExpertBook Ultra comes with a 70Wh battery, which is quite large considering how thin and light the laptop is.

ASUS claims up to 26 hours of battery life, depending on the test and configuration. ASUS also claims that 15 minutes of charging can provide around 6 hours of productivity or around 9 hours of local video playback under its specified test conditions.

Of course, real-world battery life will always depend on what you are doing. If you’re running heavy applications or pushing the CPU and GPU, you won’t get those numbers.

But for a laptop designed around portability and productivity, having a 70Wh battery is a big advantage.

And this is where the ExpertBook Ultra makes sense for me. You have a lightweight laptop that is easy to carry, but ASUS didn’t simply put a tiny battery inside just to keep the weight down. For everything that I do when I attend some events this is a good laptop, so I even don’t bother bringing a charger.

AI Business Laptop

The ExpertBook Ultra is also a Copilot+ PC, with up to a 50 TOPS NPU for AI workloads.

But instead of simply saying “it has AI,” ASUS also has its own MyExpert suite.

MyExpert and AI ExpertMeet are designed around productivity features such as meeting transcription, translation and document-based AI functions. These are designed to run on-device, while some cloud-based functions can require an additional monthly fee.

And this brings me to one of my biggest complaints about the laptop.

The ExpertBook Ultra is already a premium and expensive laptop.

So I don’t really like the idea of having to pay extra to fully unlock some of the features available through the Expert software ecosystem.

I understand that cloud-based AI services cost money to operate. But from a consumer’s perspective, if I’m already paying a premium price for the laptop, I would prefer to have more of the experience included with the device.

This doesn’t make the laptop bad. But it is something I think ASUS should reconsider, especially for a business laptop that is already positioned as a premium product.

Benchmarks

For benchmarking, I use Cinebench 2024, 3DMARK Time Spy, FURMARK2, and HWiNFO64.

Results

Conclusion

After using the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra for around 30 days, I think the biggest selling point is not actually the processor or the AI features.

For me, it is the combination of portability, durability and everyday usability.

The laptop is extremely light, and travelling with it is easy. You don’t feel like you’re carrying a heavy laptop around all day. At the same time, the durability features give me more confidence when bringing it outside.

The keyboard is also surprisingly good.

Compared to the other ASUS slim laptops I’ve tested and reviewed on this channel, the ExpertBook Ultra gives me a much better typing experience.

The OLED display is another big advantage. It looks great, has a high resolution, high refresh rate and excellent HDR capability.

And then you have the 70Wh battery, which fits perfectly with the whole idea of this laptop being designed for people who are always moving around.

Sure, there are a few things I don’t like.

The biggest one for me is the additional cost for some of the Expert software and cloud-based AI features. When you’re already paying a premium price for the laptop, I think some users will question why they need to pay again to get the complete experience.

But aside from that, I think ASUS did a really good job with the ExpertBook Ultra. It is not trying to be a gaming laptop. It is not trying to replace a desktop workstation.

Instead, it focuses on being a lightweight, durable and powerful business laptop that you can bring almost anywhere.

And after using it for 30 days, I can say that ASUS got that part right.

If you’re someone who travels a lot, works remotely, attends meetings, writes a lot, or simply wants a powerful Windows Business laptop that doesn’t feel like a burden in your bag, the ExpertBook Ultra is definitely worth looking at.

Overall, the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra is a business laptop that makes travelling easier without making you feel like you are giving up too much performance or usability.

You can buy the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra Laptop starting at P129,995.00 or $2,070.00 at your nearest ASUS affiliated Online and Physical Stores.

With that, the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra Laptop receives the Editor’s Choice Award.