Businesses today are not conducted in the office anymore. Business deals are also not sealed in a meeting room most of the time these days. Instead, if you consider the 2020/2021 pandemic situation, businesses and deals are conducted and sealed at home. But even before that, businesses and deals are done outside of the office environment like coffee shops and even restaurants, public spaces.
Portable computing solutions like notebook PCs play a big role in the rising trend in moving out of the office to get your work done though. At the same time, laptops are also getting more sophisticated, especially when they start becoming more function specific. For example, the ASUS ExpertBook line-up that ASUS just launched are built specifically for the modern road warrior.
ASUS ExpertBook B1
A thin and light notebook PC does not need have to come with a heavy price tag. The prime example of an affordable thin and light notebook that is also versatile is the ASUS ExpertBook B1 (B1400 & B1500). They are thin (19.2mm for B1400, 19.4mm for B1500), and they are not exactly back breaking (1.45kg for B1400, 1.73kg for B1500). While they may not be the lightest laptops available today, you do have to remember that the B1400 ExpertBook B1 is a 14-inch notebook, while the B1500 ExpertBook B1 is a 15.6-inch notebook.
The display size is the only thing that separates the two notebooks in the series though. The ExpertBook B1 notebooks come with up to the 11th Generation Intel Core i7 1165G7, a powerful CPU with Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. Alongside up to 8GB of RAM, the ExpertBook B1 makes short work of any sort of documents you need to get through for the day anywhere.
It is truly a laptop you can take anywhere with you with little worry that it will work in any condition. ASUS built the ExpertBook B1 to MIL—STD 810H military standards to ensure that it can withstand all the kinds of drops and bumps it will go through in its lifetime. At the same time, it has versatility like no other with a slew of I/O ports that could prove useful in a lot of conditions. It has a full HDMI port, an RJ45 LAN port, a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 port, three USB Type-A ports (2 x USB 3.2, 1 x USB 2.0) one MicroSD card reader, a VGA D-SUB port, and an Audio combo 3.5mm AUX jack.
Physical connection, while much appreciated is secondary these days when it comes to networking today. The ExpertBook B1 comes with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. These things mean that the ExpertBook B1 will have a stable and fast connection to any wireless internet line, or when you need to transfer data between two Bluetooth devices.
Of course, security is a big concern in the corporate world. To ensure only the right people gets access to the ExpertBook B1, ASUS includes a fingerprint sensor that integrates to the power button for Windows Hello’s biometric security measures. It is seamless too, with users only needing to turn on the device with the power button to simply log in. At the same time, Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM 2.0) ensures that the ExpertBook B1 is more secure than ever. As a bonus, it is Windows 11 ready with TPM 2.0.
ASUS ExpertBook B5
Next up is the new standard in convertible notebook PCs, the ExpertBook B5. To be fair, there are two flavours in the ASUS ExpertBook B5 line-up – a convertible flip variant, and regular clamshell variant. They are basically the same notebooks though, on paper at least, with the flip convertible ExpertBook B5 Flip being the heavier one of the two (1.11kg vs 1kg).
The MIL-STD 810H aluminium and magnesium-alloy constructed body is light while containing a lot of power. It packs a lot of punch with up to an 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU with the proven integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. 8GB of RAM ensures that the ExpertBook B5 maintains its speed and power through any sort of work you can throw at it.
The 16.9mm ExpertBook 5 series still packs up to 512GB of SSD that gives you ample storage for all kinds of documents you need for work. SSD speeds also allows you to quickly access any files you need at any time. Dual-band WiFi 6 should also supply the ExpertBook B5 with enough networking speeds when needed.
Of course, security and privacy are not forgotten with the ExpertBook B5 series. The 720p HD webcam comes with a physical shield to cover the webcam when not in use. The power button also doubles as a fingerprint sensor for super quick log in to Windows 10 Pro. At the same time, you can get the ExpertBook B5 with TPM 2.0 which also means that it would be compatible with Windows 11 when it is available.
At up to 1.11kg, the ExpertBook B5 series is made to be travelling with you to all corners of the world. This is also while providing you the power to get any sort of work done anywhere and anytime with up to 14-hours of battery life from its 66Wh battery. When you run out of battery, charge quickly via USB Type-C using the provided 65W charger that you can also use to charge your smartphone, if needed.
ASUS ExpertBook B9
The start of the show is none other than the ExpertBook B9. The most premium device in the ExpertBook line-up offers the world’s lightest 14-inch business laptop experience at 880 grams. At 14.9mm, it is not exactly thick either.
ASUS managed the weight and also achieve MIL-STD 810H military build standards with a unique magnesium-lithium-alloy chassis mix. They still manage to fit a 33Wh battery in the 880g variant of the notebook for an impressive battery life. For a full day of battery life though, there is the 1005g variant that packs double the battery size at 66Wh. Both of which are still contained in a 14.9mm thick body.
The 14-inch display is an LED-bakclit, IPS panel that projects 1080p Full HD resolution at up to 400nits in brightness and up to 1005 of sRGB colour gamut. To keep Windows 10 Pro and all its applications running happy on the ASUS ExpertBook B9 is a powerful 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. With up to 16GB of RAM too, the new standard in thin and light can multitask like a champ.
You get WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 as standard in the ASUS ExpertBook B9 notebook for high-speed and stable networking. The only way to extract more speed for the ExpertBook B9 is to connect the notebook to an RJ45 line, which is possible with the laptop via the micro HDMI port (adapter included). At the same time, you have up to 1TB in SSD to store all your important files and documents while maintaining the speed to access needed files.
Instead of writing off the 3.5mm AUX combo jack though, ASUS manages to keep the headphone jack in the ExpertBook B9. Alongside the AUX jack are two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, and a single standard HDMI port alongside a micro HDMI port. This also means that the ExpertBook B9 can handle up to two 4K displays at the same time.
Security is handled by a combination of hardware and software implementations on the ASUS ExpertBook B9 to make it the most secure business notebook you can find in their line-up. There is the fingerprint sensor that is integrated with the power button. At the same time, the 720p HD webcam also comes with an IR sensor for Windows Hello’s biometric facial recognition feature. TPM 2.0 comes standard in the platform for encryption. ASUS Business Manager and ASUS Control Center apps allows you to monitor and control all the security features and even drive access on the ExpertBook B9.
Price and Availability
All ASUS ExpertBook laptops come pre-installed with Windows 10 Pro. There are no colour options on the new notebook PCs unfortunately, but they all come in a shade of grey that could blend into any workspace easily.
The ASUS ExpertBook B1 will be available in 14-inch and 15.6-inch trip equipped with either an 11th Generation Intel Core i7 or Intel Core i5. Prices start from 3,599 (B1400 with Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB) and tops out at MYR 4,399 (B1400 with Core i7, 8GB RAM, 512GB). The 15.6-inch trip only comes in an 11th Generation Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, and 512Gb storage option at MYR 3,759.
The ASUS regular clamshell ExpertBook B5 will be available in either an Intel Core i5 (256GB) trim or an Intel Core i7 (512GB) trim. It will be priced at MYR 4,299 and MYR 5,199 respectively. The convertible variant of the ASUS ExpertBook B5 comes with a sylus too. It will be priced at MYR 4,999 (Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB) and MYR 5,599 (Core i7, 8GB, 512GB).
The ASUS ExpertBook B9 in Malaysia will only be available in the slightly heavier 1,005g option that comes with 66Wh battery that could last you a full working day. You get 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage as standard too with the top-of-the-line business notebook from ASUS. All these will set you back MYR 7,989. More information on ASUS’ ExpertBook series can be found on their website.