Why Asus ExpertBook B9 is your ideal office workhorse?
It is difficult to find many laptops at an attractive price point with portability, battery life, connectivity - all in a lightweight package. The Asus Expertbook B9 fits right into the top echelons for laptop options designed mostly for the executive professional class in a secure fashion.
We got to review the Asus ExpertBook B9, the next generation of the 2020 Red Dot Design Award-winning mobile powerhouse, with a solid maximum of 2TB of storage size. It is safe to say that it's going to be a notable challenger for the lightest business notebook in the world.
Here are our thoughts on testing the various features of the ExpertBook B9, especially considering the work user profile of managerial levels and above.
Punching above its Lightweight
The ExpertBook B9 tips just over at 1.01kg on the weighing scale. With thin bezels (94% screen to body ratio) and a 14-inch screen, that folds under the keyboard with the help of its ErgoLift hinge, the ExpertBook B9 is very sturdy and proves looks can be deceptive. The sleek portable product is military grade-standard, Asus claims, and we would like to believe so. When the keyboard lifts, it allows for faster cooling.
It's made with multiple layers of a magnesium-lithium alloy material that Asus says is 17 percent less dense than the "conventional" alloy used. According to its certification, it can bear loads up to 30kg! Metallic flecks give the body a dash of glamour.
Battery Life
ExpertBook B9 packs a 66Wh battery that stores enough juice to last 24 hours- all in a 14.9-mm-thin profile. Fast-charging support brings either battery option up to 60 percent of maximum capacity in just 39 minutes, so you can recharge for the long flights at the boarding gate itself. Nice touch!
Connectivity
The slim ExpertBook B9 is still heavy on connectivity options with two Thunderbolt 4 ports offering support for the next-level USB4 interface, 40 Gbps data transfer speeds, dual 4K display output, and fast charging. It also offers standard USB Type-A and HDMI outputs and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. The full HDMI option is impressive when most ultrathin laptops struggle to fit in even the Type-A port. The networking is where the ExpertBook B9 beats all competition hands down. Data packets on our router clocked it at 1364 MBit/s when receiving and 1342 MBit/s when sending data. That's nearly 18 percent more than the 14" Lenovo ThinkPad X1 or 40 percent more than the similar-sized 2019 Acer Swift 7. There is seamless PC-to-phone integration.
Core Strength
The guts of the leader ExpertBook B9 are led by new and high-performance 11th Gen with Intel core i7 processor with Iris Xe graphics decent enough for casual entertainment and work protocols with 16 GB memory. There is also superfast Intel WiFi 6 and the device has a dual-storage system with a maximum 2 TB capacity.
Security
Realizing that work environments need a good layer of security, Asus has equipped the ExpertBook B9 with many measures to ensure both the hardware and user's data are kept safe. An integrated fingerprint sensor makes signing in simple with one touch, while the biometric-login webcam benefits from a physical sliding shield - so it just takes one swipe for the visual reassurance of a covered lens. There is also a Trusted Platform Module chip to store passwords and encryption keys.
A smart proximity sensor enables fast login with face detection technology called AdaptiveLock. The moment the user sits in front, both the webcam and an infrared camera help recognize the face before logging them in. When the user steps away, it automatically locks itself back.
Fun Features
Apart from the connectivity, the ExpertBook B9 ensures interactions on Zoom, Teams, Slack, and Google enable productive meeting sessions. Noise cancellation technology, coupled with features such as ClearVoice Mic and Multi-presenter mode, can isolate unwanted noise from human speech for highly efficient video conferencing. There are four 360° far-field microphones and Harman Kardon-certified speakers for clear sound. It also includes a virtual assistant with Amazon Alexa integration.
There's a fingerprint scanner below the arrow keys, and the NumberPad 2.0, also seen in the Asus ZenBook 14 and OLED Flip 13. The latter pulls up an LED numeric pad with the touch of a sensor. There is also a preloaded suite called Asus Business Manager where you can encrypt your local drives, toggle system registry editing, and customize other stuff. Last but not least, the product receives Energy Star Certification and EPEAT Gold Rating. In another word, it improves environmental performance to meet the modern energy use guidelines with the highest golden standard.
In summary, the ExpertBook B9 is by no means a gaming laptop or handling extensive media. But if you are a businessman or a company executive or even a student for that matter on the go, the ExpertBook B9 is certainly in the hall of fame among affordable mobile workhorses. It can be the ideal partner for your boardroom in the corporate world.
Specs at quick glance
Asus ExpertBook B9400
Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7
Graphics: Intel X Graphics
Memory: 16 GB
Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
Display: 14'' FHD anti-glare
Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1 USB Gen 2 Type-A, 1 HDMI, 1x micro HDMI
Battery: Lithium polymer 66Wh
Storage: 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe x 4
Camera: 720p
Weight: 1.01kg (with 66W battery)
The Asus ExpertBook B9 is available now at major retailers in the UAE from 6,999 AED.
For more information please visit : https://bit.ly/3m4gUxd
Published: Mon 17 May 2021, 5:55 PM
Updated: Mon 17 May 2021, 8:36 PM
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