Asus unveils NUC 16 Pro 0.7L mini PC built on Intel Panther Lake platform

Asus has launched the NUC 16 Pro, setting its sights on the fastest mini PC category with Intel’s new Panther Lake platform. The system is built around the Core Ultra X9 388H, the same processor used in the GMKtec EVO-T2, which also debuted at CES 2026.

The Core Ultra X9 388H is produced on Intel’s 18A process and delivers up to 180TOPS of total AI compute. That figure combines CPU, GPU, and NPU performance, including Intel’s latest NPU 5, and puts the NUC 16 Pro well ahead of current Ryzen AI Max+ 395 mini PCs in raw AI throughput.

Graphics are handled by Intel’s Arc B390 iGPU, which features 12 Xe cores. In practice, this gives the NUC 16 Pro enough headroom for modern 1080p gaming without a discrete GPU, along with strong media and compute performance for creative workloads.