Asus ExpertBook B9 review: A new benchmark for business laptops

The Asus ExpertBook B9 is marketed as the world’s lightest 14″ business laptop. It’s portable and powerful, yet it’s so much more.

Whether you’re buying laptops for your employees or just looking to upgrade your own personal device, you’ll need a device up to the challenge.

We had the pleasure of reviewing the Asus ExpertBook B9 recently, which is surprisingly light and compact, yet durable and powerful.

Asus ExpertBook B9 review

Design

The ExpertBook B9 sports a sleek, precision-crafted and minimalist chassis which, according to Asus, “pushes the limits of lightness for ultimate portability”.

While tough and durable, it’s still light enough for travel – in fact, it’s the world’s lightest 14″ business laptop – while improving your on-the-road productivity.

The ultralight B9 weighs in at just 880g and its thin bezels mean a 14 inch display comfortably fits into the 13 inch magnesium-lithium alloy chassis.

Keyboard and trackpad

The B9’s backlit keyboard is designed for a lifespan of up to 10 million keystrokes. It’s spill resistant and lights up well enough for you to type in dark environments.

It also features the LED-illuminated Asus NumberPad 2.0. Simply tap the NumberPad icon on the top right of the touchpad to activate. You can control the cursor, as well as the brightness settings.

Screen and display

The ExpertBook B9 has a frameless 14 inch NanoEdge display for an immersive experience. The anti-glare panel was one of my favourite features. I could finally work in the morning sun without eye strain.

It was without a doubt one of the most comfortable screens I’ve ever seen, for lack of a better word. The narrow bezels make it good to look at, too, and enhance the laptop’s overall design.

I/O ports

On the left, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports which offers support for the next-level USB 4 interface, 40 Gbps data transfer speeds, dual 4K display output and fast charging.

There’s also a regular HDMI port and an RJ45 micro HDMI slot. On the right side, you’ll find a USB 3.2 Gen 2, along with a Kensington Lock slot.

Performance and battery

This Asus ExpertBook B9 is equipped with an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 processor with Iris X graphics, along with two SSDs to provide up to dual 2TB capacity.

It also supports RAID technology and is powered by WiFi 6, otherwise known as 802.11ax. In addition, the Asus ExpertBook B9 is Eskom-proof.

Its long lasting all day battery won’t let you down throughout the business day or a long-haul flight, thanks to the B9’s energy efficient Panel Self Refresh technology.

Thanks to its fast-charge technology, you can charge it up to 60% capacity in under 40 minutes.

Asus ExpertBook B9: Conclusion

The ExpertBook B9 is easily one of the best business laptops on the market. It’s durable yet compact, powerful yet lightweight without compromising on performance.

The 13 hour-plus battery is a life-saver during load shedding. I would have liked a somewhat brighter display, but as it stands, the B9 leaves very little room for complaints.

In shorts, it’s light enough to lug around while fast enough to do what you want it to do.

Pros

Light, sturdy and durable

Beautifully designed

Long-lasting battery

Extremely portable and travel-friendly

Non-reflective display

Cons

Sound quality could be better

RAM can’t be removed

NOW READ: Devices to support work – from wherever you may be