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The World’s Lightest 14-inch laptop just got even more powerful

To many PMEBs and even business travellers, their laptops are literally their lifelines and links to their respective fields, and it goes without saying that portability and battery life are their key considerations when it comes to deciding a laptop of choice.

So, it goes without saying that the new ASUS ExpertBook B9 (B9450), which comes in three different retail models and two battery size options, fits the bill and then some. But why is that so? For a start, let us look at the laptop’s superpower – it is ultra-light-weight!

1. World’s lightest 14-inch business laptop

At only under a kilo (870g in fact, for the ExpertBook model with 33w battery option) and just 14.9mm thin, calling the ExpertBook B9 (B9450) a super-portable business laptop is an understatement. ASUS can achieve this incredible lightweight with the laptop because the lid and base panel are made of a new magnesium-lithium alloy material, which is 17% less dense than the conventional magnesium aluminium alloy used in its predecessor.

2. It is built with military-grade reliability

The ExpertBook comes with a powerful and flexible dual-storage option that gives you the benefit of an ultrafast solid-state disk (SSD) that delivers superfast data access and no-wait boot-up.

But all this lightweight material does not make the ExpertBook B9 flimsy nor fragile. Far from it. In fact, it’s one of the tougher laptops around that meets MIL-STD 810G military graded certification. There aren't many notebooks that can claim that, let alone business-oriented ones. Its hinges and I/O ports are braced with heavy-duty stainless steel brackets and rubber pads are attached to the laptop’s motherboard and battery screw to dampen shocks, preventing the internal hardware from being directly impacted in unfortunate situations where the laptop is knocked over or worse, dropped.

3. Looks good, sounds great

While catching up on the latest Netflix show or your Spotify list on the ExpertBook B9 is good and all, it is video conferencing where the laptop truly shines – considering the unique circumstances that business and remote employees are in these days.

With its 180° lay-flat hinge, ExpertBook makes it easy to share the screen in group discussions or collaborations.

Complementing the 14-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 display with incredibly slim 4mm NanoEdge bezels are Harmon-Kardon certified speakers and four far-field microphones that feature noise-cancelling technology. These microphones on the upper bezel of the display will capture voice from 360 degrees, providing exceptionally clear audio during remote calls or video conferencing. It will also automatically analyse environmental noise and work to filter that out during calls, helping to make your voice clearer while you #WFH.

4. It passes Intel’s Project Athena Certification

This certification is important. Intel’s Project Athena certification means users with these certified laptops will get the best mobile experience; that includes (but not limited to) rapid responsiveness, provide at least 9 hours of browsing and 16 hours of video playback on battery power, and charge within 30 minutes for 4 hours of battery life. Getting a laptop certified is no mean feat, and some brands even avoid it. This logo below is used to visually denote a Project Athena class certified notebook:-

This also means that the ExpertBook must come with a powerful set of components to meet the above criteria, with the choice of the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 mobile processors to choose from (up to 10^th Gen Intel Core i7 10510U). Other high-performance parts include 16GB of memory and up to 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD. If that's still insufficient, there is even a second M.2 slot for a secondary SSD upgrade – a feature not found in many other ultra-portable laptops.

The magic does not stop there. ASUS has also managed to cram in a bucket load of connectivity into the ExpertBook’s svelte form factor:

Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports? Checked.
HDMI 2.0 that supports 4K video output? Checked.
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port? Checked.
Wi-Fi 6 with Gigabit-class wireless performance? Of course!

5. Leave that charger in the bag

Portability is important but for many business travellers, so is battery performance. The new ExpertBook B9 has, quite literally, the best of both worlds.

Arguably the ExpertBook B9’s most defining trait is its incredibly long battery life, up to 24 hours as listed by ASUS. The laptop will literally outlast the full 18-hour long direct business flight from Singapore to New York (the world’s longest flight operated by Singapore Airlines, by the way) that you are on, and will even have enough spare battery juice for you to continue your work in the hotel before you call it a night. You won’t even need to whip out the charger during the flight – a very welcome convenience, especially if you’re flying on an airline that unfortunately does not have power outlets under the seats.

But in the event that you do need to take out the charger, because laptops cannot run infinitely on battery alone after all, the ExpertBook B9 has fast charging support that allows it to charge from 1% to 60% in just under 39 minutes!

Special Mention: DAAS from ASUS for Business

ASUS for Business aims to assist and support local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in bringing digital technology into their business, in a way that makes business process simple and cost-effective. One of its initiatives is to provide customised pricing and flexible financial models on hardware procurement. For example, the ASUS ExpertBook B9’s retail price starts from S$2,298. But instead of paying the full amount at one time to buy a single laptop, ASUS also provides the “Device as a service” option for optimising commercial organizations’ IT assets and resources. It’s a complete solution that combines hardware, insightful analytics, proactive management, and device lifecycle services.

That is to say, this is something like a subscription or leasing model that businesses can benefit. For example, the ASUS ExpertBook B9450 has a monthly 'lease fee' that starts from as low as S$59.90. Check out their specifications below.

ASUS ExpertBook B9450 models
Model	B9450FA-BM0671R	B9450FA-GV0015R	B9450FA-BM0315R
Price	$2,298	$2,688	$2,698
CPU	Intel Core i5-10210U Processor 1.6 GHz (6MB Cache, up to 4.2 GHz)	Intel Core i7-10510U Processor 1.8 GHz (8MB Cache, up to 4.9 GHz)
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro
Memory	16GB LPDDR3 onboard
SSD	512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD 1 x Expansion Slot: M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0x4	1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD 1 x Expansion Slot: M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0x4
Display	14.0-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), sRGB 100% (NTSC:72%) LED-backlit, Anti-Glare, Wide View, 300 nits
GPU	Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620
Interface	2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3) 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A 1 x HDMI 1 X micro-HDMI for LAN 1 x Audio Combo Jack
Security	Trusted Platform Module TPM 2.0 Windows Hello with facial recognition software Fingerprint sensor Webcam shield Kensington lock slot ASUS Business Manager with secure drive setting and lock control to USB storage devices
Video Camera	720p HD camera with microphone; IR camera
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11AX) + Bluetooth 4.2 (Dual-band 2x2)
Audio	Harman/Kardon Built-in microphone / Built-in Stereo 2W Speakers
LAN	On-board LAN with micro-HDMI to RJ45 adapter
Battery	66WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion	33WHrs, 2S1P, 2-cell Li-ion	66WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion
Weight	980g	870g	980g