GEEKOM GeekBook M16 Laptop GBAtemp review
Hardware
Product Information:
Review Approach:
The M16 is GEEKOM’s second attempt at a 16 inch laptop. Featuring the same CPU as the previous X16 Pro, this new system still manage to come in at around $200 cheaper. What corners were cut for this more attractive price, and are they worth checking out for the $850 you can currently pick it up for? Let’s dive in to find out.
A Standard Assortment
Within the box you get everything you’d really hope to see with a laptop. That is the system itself, as well as a charger to keep it powered. With this laptop only available in the US, that’s the one I was provided with here. It’s 100W with GaN technology to keep it somewhat small, though I haven’t been able to use it myself due to the plug incompatibility. It’s always good to know the laptop will work with any old USB C plug though. On top of the standard bits, GEEKOM do also throw in a small USB C hub, which isn’t something I’ve seen from other brands. With the company better known for their IO-heavy Mini PCs, I can see this being a nice way to bridge the gap a little. There’s only so much you can fit on such a thin chassis, so bundling a way to make what you have go that bit further is appreciated.
Looking to the laptop, you can find its IO offerings below:
Left Side
- 1x USB C 4.0
- 1x USB C 3.2
- 1x HDMI 2.0
Right Side
- 2x USB A 3.2
- 1x 3.5mm Headphone Jack
Compared to their Mini PCs it’s certainly not a lot, but it is enough to get you by. The inclusion of a full-sized HDMI port is nice to see on such a thin system, with the option for further displays via the USB C ports. The included USB C hub does grant you a further HDMI port, along with two USB As, an Ethernet port, and pass-through power delivery. If you’re more of a power user, it does a good job in rounding out the package.
The body of the laptop is aluminium and is cold to the touch when turning it on. It’s got a pretty premium feel to it. Thanks to the larger body that’s needed for the 16 inch display, GEEKOM have more room to work with to flesh out the keyboard layout. We’re still a few keys short of 100%, but that coveted number pad is at least present. It is a bit of a shame for me that there wasn’t room for one more column though. That number pad return key is something I do miss, and certainly does take away from how I would otherwise want to be using the right side of the laptop. Outside of that though, you’ve got pretty much everything you’d need. I will say here that it does make use of the same function layer as the X14 Pro; that is to say it can be toggled on or off with the Fn key, with no access to the function keys granted by holding the key. It’s something you do get used to, but definitely stands out as different from every other brand of laptop I’ve personally come across.
Up to this point, the M16 had gone pretty much blow for blow with the more expensive X14 Pro I have to hand. It’s worth noting I don’t have the X16 Pro, with these being relatively similar systems outside of the choice of screen and keyboard layout. But it’s in that screen where we start to see the cost cutting. Gone is the extravagant 2.5K OLED display, with a more moderate 1200p LCD panel now taking its place. The refresh rate also takes a hit, dropping from 120Hz to 60Hz. It’s something of a shame with how much I’ve enjoyed the X14 Pro’s screen, it also being OLED and 120Hz, but ultimately not the end of the world. I feel like 1200p is the minimum I’d accept on a laptop like this, and it’s a sacrifice that does seem sensible in differentiating it from the more premium model. We do also see a reduction in bundled storage, with a 512GB SSD installed over the previous 1TB. Again, a somewhat expected drop. Especially in the current market.
With all the cuts here, I was somewhat surprised to see one area actually improved though. The battery in the M16 is really quite spectacular. Up from 77Wh in the X16 Pro, we now see a pretty hefty 99Wh on offer. And it really does last. Where I think the M16 will really shine is for students. A big screen and a big battery really do go a long way in making a great system to bring to lectures. Add to this the pretty reasonable 1.7kg weight and you’ve got a laptop that’ll last you the day without breaking your back. It is heavier than the X16 Pro, with that coming in at 1.27kg, but still perfectly manageable in my book.
A Solid Performer
The Ultra 9 185H is a CPU we’ve covered in a few systems at this point, including the X14 Pro. Even without running the benchmarks I could tell you that it’s a perfectly cromulent option for day to day usage. Web browsing, video watching, report writing, all of that is covered pretty neatly. But for those of you that do care about the numbers, you can find some below.
Cinebench 2026.1.3
- Multi Thread - 2717
- Single Core - 516
- Single Thread - 382
Geekbench 7
- Multi Core - 13336
- Single Core - 1992
PCMark 10
- Overall Score - 7719
- Essentials Score - 9360
- Productivity Score - 14486
- Digital Content Creation Score - 9205
3DMark
- Steel Nomad Light - 3044
- Steel Nomad Light Stress Test - 97.4% (Pass)
With the ideal use case for a system like this being studying in my mind, I actually decided to set it up with that as the focus. A month or so ago I started an online Japanese course and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to put the laptop through its paces. It’s hard to really find complaints with how it performed. I could move between desks without needing to worry about keeping the system powered, with it losing around 15% of its charge over the span of a two hour Teams session. The ports on offer were ample to be plugging in a headset where needed, and the camera, though not extraordinary, was decent enough to show my face on the calls. Through the ten sessions I used the laptop, I didn’t experience any slowdown or any real frustrations. It performed just as I’d expect an Ultra 9 185H laptop to.
I did touch on the keyboard layout earlier, but I will drop a special mention here for the Copilot Key. Specifically in how I had absolutely no desire to use it for its intended purpose, providing me with a very convenient macro key to remap to something more useful. For Teams-based courses, having a dedicated button to mute and unmute your microphone is a genuine life-saver, and with how easy the key is to remap, I was grateful to have it.
The one problem I did have with the system was something I thought was lacking in the X14 Pro too: the trackpad. It was bad there and it’s bad here. Again we see an incredibly smooth feeling trackpad, again entirely let down by the horrific click feel. It’s stiff, it’s loud, and you can only click by pressing in on the bottom third of the trackpad. It’s one area that is in dire need of a redesign on GEEKOM’s side. If you don’t mind tapping on the trackpad as opposed to clicking, or even plugging in your own mouse, you’ll get on fine. If you’re a clicker though and like to travel light, I can understand this being a deal-breaker.
Looking past the studying use case, I’ll also say that the integrated Arc graphics are capable of running some lighter games. You shouldn’t be buying this expecting it to be a killer gaming machine, but if you’re happy with your simpler indie titles, you’ll likely have a good time. Balatro, Slay the Spire, that kind of thing. You can get more demanding titles to run, but to do so you’ll often be accepting some pretty hefty compromises. Temper your expectations, and maybe do some Googling to see exactly how this CPU can be pushed. It’s been out long enough to be fairly well documented.
A Solid Offering
The M16 is a decent laptop in 2026. It’s not packing the latest or greatest of specs, but picks a few key areas to prioritise and does a good job on delivering. What you have here is a system with serviceable performance, supported by a fantastic battery and large screen. All wrapped up in a pretty premium-feeling package. For $849 I do think you get your money’s worth, especially considering that price can regularly dip lower with the various discount codes and promotions GEEKOM run. If you want a good system for studying and day to day browsing, I can certainly recommend it.
On the note of discount codes though, GEEKOM have once again thrown one our way. This time you’ll be getting a further 12% off, bringing the price down further to $747. Interestingly it does seem they have a very accessible promo code listed on their site that offers the same discount, so pick your poison. We don’t get any kind of kickback from these, nor from you clicking the tracked links below. It does however inform GEEKOM that you’ve arrived at their site via us, which is useful for them to know. You can find the details below:
- Official Store (12% Off - GTGBM168)
- Amazon US (12% Off - GTGBM168)
Verdict
- Solid performance
- Decent IO offerings including full-sized HDMI
- Fantastic 99Wh battery
- Great build quality
- Number pad included
- Good trackpad feel
- Reasonable price point
- Horrific mouse clicks
- 512GB SSD can fill up quickly
- Bog standard 1200p LCD display
