The Geekom X16 Pro has made its mark in the competitive landscape of laptops, available on the Geekom website for just over ,300. This lightweight 16-inch device is designed to handle everyday tasks with ease, and it even excels in local AI performance.
First Impressions
Upon unboxing the X16 Pro, I was pleasantly surprised by its weight. At just 2.87 pounds, it is lighter than my MacBook Pro M1, which weighs in at 3.0 pounds. The laptop’s size may suggest a heftier build, but it feels remarkably comfortable on my lap, challenging my previous preference for smaller screens.
While the laptop’s design might come across as somewhat generic, its performance tells a different story. Powered by either an Intel Core U9-185H or U5-125H with Arc graphics and an integrated NPU, the X16 Pro delivers impressive capabilities for its price point.
Operating System Experience
Booting up Windows 11 was a mixed experience. The setup took an unexpectedly long hour to reach the login prompt, filled with numerous purchase prompts that tested my patience. Despite my initial frustration, I pushed through the setup to evaluate the laptop’s performance under Windows 11, which, while not ideal, is not a reflection of Geekom’s hardware.
Hardware Highlights
The X16 Pro features a 16:10 IPS display with a 2.5K resolution, 100% sRGB coverage, a 120Hz refresh rate, and brightness levels reaching up to 400 nits. While it may not rival a 4K Retina display, it serves well for everyday tasks. As a writer, I found the keyboard’s feedback and feel satisfactory, although I did need some time to adjust to the spacing of the Shift and arrow keys.
The touchpad is generously sized and provides a smooth experience, though it doesn’t quite match the quality of the MacBook Pro’s touchpad. Nevertheless, it surpasses many other devices I’ve encountered.
Performance Insights
In terms of performance, the X16 Pro shines. I tested its capabilities by downloading and installing Ollama to assess local AI performance. To my surprise, downloading the 16GB qwen-coder:3b model took less than five minutes, a feat that often takes much longer on other machines. The laptop handled the task of writing a Python GUI application efficiently, completing the request in about two minutes.
- My local AI test on the X16 Pro was a success.
- YouTube videos displayed beautifully, both in terms of visuals and sound quality.
- GIMP opened a bit slowly, but overall performance was commendable.
- Browsing with Opera was smooth, with quick page loads and no issues.
- LibreOffice performed well after its initial slow launch.
- I also tested the game Eternium, which ran smoothly without any lag.
Value Proposition
At around ,300, the Geekom X16 Pro presents a compelling case for its price. While cheaper alternatives exist, when considering laptops with similar specifications—such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage—the X16 Pro’s pricing becomes justifiable. Among the laptops I’ve reviewed in recent years, the Geekom X16 Pro stands out as a top contender, proving itself to be a valuable asset for typical use cases.
