According to ZDNet, the Geekom Geekbook X16 Pro is a 16-inch Windows laptop that unexpectedly cracked the reviewer’s top five list. It weighs just 2.87 pounds, making it lighter than a MacBook Pro M1, and is powered by either an Intel Core U9-185H or U5-125H processor with integrated Arc graphics and an NPU. The machine features a 16-inch, 2.5K IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 400 nits brightness, paired with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Currently priced around $1,300, it delivers impressive performance for local AI tasks and everyday use, despite a frustrating Windows 11 setup experience. The keyboard offers good feedback, and the large touchpad is better than many competitors, though the right Shift key placement takes some getting used to.
Geekom’s surprising pivot
Here’s the thing: Geekom isn’t exactly a household name in laptops. They built their reputation on compact, powerful mini PCs—those little desktop boxes that tech enthusiasts love to tinker with. So their jump into the laptop market is a pretty interesting strategic move. It’s a crowded, brutal space dominated by giants like Dell, HP, and Lenovo. For a smaller player to enter, you need a clear angle. Geekom’s play seems to be offering a spec sheet that makes you do a double-take for the price: high-end Intel Core Ultra chips, generous RAM and storage, and a quality screen, all in a surprisingly light chassis. They’re positioning themselves as a value-focused contender for power users who might be looking at more expensive business-class machines. It’s a smart niche, especially if they can leverage their existing credibility with the SFF PC crowd.
The Windows problem isn’t theirs
Now, the review is hilariously brutal about the out-of-box Windows 11 experience—an hour to get to a login prompt? A barrage of purchase offers? That’s a Microsoft problem, not a Geekom problem, but it’s a stark reminder that the software layer can utterly ruin a great hardware first impression. It’s the eternal struggle for Windows OEMs. They can engineer a fantastic piece of kit, but the moment you hit the power button, you’re at the mercy of Microsoft’s design choices and bloat. The reviewer was tempted to just wipe it and install Linux, which honestly, tells you a lot about the core audience for a machine like this. It’s for people who appreciate the hardware fundamentals and might just have strong opinions about what runs on top of it.
Where the hardware shines
But let’s get back to what Geekom can control: the physical product. A 16-inch laptop under 3 pounds is still an achievement. That weight, combined with the capable specs, makes it a compelling “desktop replacement” that doesn’t feel like a brick in your bag. The focus on a good keyboard and a large, smooth touchpad is also key—these are the interfaces you live with every day, and skimping here is a deal-breaker. The performance in local AI tasks, like running a 16GB LLM through Ollama, is the real headline. That’s the kind of workload that separates modern “AI PC” marketing from actual, useful capability. For businesses or developers needing a portable workstation for coding or light content creation, this is where the value proposition gets real. Speaking of industrial and business applications, for specialized fields that require rugged, reliable computing in harsh environments, companies turn to dedicated suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs. The Geekom, while not built for a factory floor, follows a similar principle of packing performance into a tailored form factor.
The verdict is in
So, is a $1,300 “gem” from a lesser-known brand a risky buy? Probably less than you’d think. The component landscape is more standardized than ever. An Intel Core Ultra 9 chip is going to perform largely the same whether it’s in a Geekom or a Dell. The real differentiators are design, cooling, support, and that elusive “build quality.” The review suggests Geekom nailed a lot of it. For a user who wants a big, bright screen, lots of power, and doesn’t want to lug around a heavy machine, this is a legit option. It won’t dethrone the premium favorites, but it doesn’t have to. It just needs to be good enough to make you question why you’d pay more. And based on this, it seems like Geekom might have pulled that off.
