ASUS Business Philippines unveils the lightweight, AI-enabled ExpertBook Ultra in Cebu, marking a strategic move into regional markets with a focus on hybrid work demands and modern business needs.
ASUS Business Philippines has used Cebu as a stage for its latest push into AI-enabled business computing, bringing the ExpertBook Ultra to the city on 7 September 2026 before a planned Davao showcase later in the week. The regional rollout signals a deliberate move beyond Metro Manila and towards the country’s other commercial centres, where executives, entrepreneurs and SME owners increasingly need devices that can cope with hybrid work, travel and long hours away from a desk.
At the launch at NUSTAR Resort Convention B & C, the company framed the laptop as a response to an old problem in business computing: the trade-off between portability and performance. Francis Avila, head of commercial at ASUS Business Philippines, told the event that “For us, a laptop is not just a tool , it is an extension of who we are, how we work, and how we lead.” The company said the event was intended to show how work devices are changing from simple tools into more capable, more adaptive systems.
The ExpertBook Ultra is built around that positioning. ASUS says the machine weighs 0.99kg, is 10.9mm thin and uses a magnesium-aluminium chassis with Nano Ceramic coating and CNC machining. The company has also highlighted military-grade durability, a 14-inch 3K tandem OLED touchscreen, six-speaker Dolby Atmos audio and a haptic touchpad. ASUS Business Philippines also showcased the device through hands-on demonstrations in Cebu, underlining its attempt to present the laptop as a premium work machine rather than a standard consumer model.
The company is also leaning heavily on AI as part of the product story. According to ASUS, the ExpertBook Ultra can be configured with up to an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor and up to 50 NPU TOPS, with ExpertCool Pro thermal management designed to sustain performance in a slim body. ASUS says this is meant to support demanding workloads, faster multitasking and AI-assisted features without turning the laptop into a heavier workstation.
On the software side, ASUS is pitching the device as a certified Copilot+ PC with its MyExpert platform handling some tasks on-device rather than pushing everything to the cloud. The company says the system can help draft and translate documents, search files and images, generate meeting notes and summaries, and add watermarks when sharing sensitive material. For business users handling confidential data, ASUS argues that local processing offers a useful security advantage.
The launch also reflected a wider commercial strategy. Brian Weng, country product manager for commercial desktop at ASUS Business Philippines, said buyers should think about the full device lifecycle, not only the initial purchase. Alongside the ExpertBook Ultra, ASUS showed its broader business portfolio, including the NUC 16 Pro Mini PC, ExpertCenter desktops and all-in-one systems, plus services covering deployment, IT management, data sanitisation, asset recovery and sustainability.
In the Philippines, the ExpertBook Ultra starts at PHP129,995 and is available through selected ASUS stores, authorised retailers and the company’s official online shops. ASUS said the starting price has remained unchanged since its local introduction in July, despite wider market increases. For Cebu and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao, the regional launch was as much about access as it was about product launches: a sign that premium business hardware is being marketed increasingly as infrastructure for modern work, not just a high-end laptop.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
