It wasn’t too long ago, that ASUS Malaysia announced their new slew of ASUS ExpertBook lineup for the Malaysian market. During the launch, we got to witness three different models and one of it is the ASUS ExpertBook B7, the 2-in-1 Business Laptop that gives you the versatility and holds up to what it’s supposed to be. Thanks to the folks at ASUS, we got the chance to have the ASUS Expertbook B7 Flip Hands-on to see what makes this particular laptop stand out.
ASUS ExpertBook B7 Flip Hands-On
A Quality Build in and Out
Weighing at 1.47kg, the ASUS ExpertBook B7 Flip is constructed with a good magnesium-aluminium alloy chassis that’s known for the durability and stability. Not just that, because of the chosen material, they can keep the laptop at such light weight, making it an easy to bring around laptop around. Thing about this particular laptop is that: it’s a 2-in-1, so the hinges need reinforcements.
That said, ASUS didn’t skimp out in that area as they have equipped with a good, reinforced hinge, vaguely similar to the Zenbook Flip we have reviewed a long while ago. And just like their other laptops, the ExpertBook gets Military grade 810H reliability. Given that a business laptop of this calibre is going to be in every kind of environment, it’s good to have the certification for ruggedness.
What I like about the laptop is the coating that it’s covered in: a sandstone like surface that’s nice to use in many environments where if you do accidentally get it scratched up, you can wipe it off and its brand new. Again, only if it’s a light one. The colour is another nice aspect in the looks department. Every bit of this laptop reminds me of the ASUS ExpertBook B9 we fell in love with a long while back.
Versatility is the Biggest Factor
Unlike the ExpertBook B9, which is kind of versatile in its own way, the ExpertBook B7 Flip has two things that does unique and may appeal to people who spend their time remotely and adapt to situations.
Speaking of adapting to situations, the ASUS ExpertBook B7 Flip, like it says in the name, it’s a 2-in-1 foldable laptop. This gives the laptop an upper hand in certain aspects: namely the display is touch screen, which means you can fold it up and write with the included ASUS Pen, it can be used in Tent or Presentation mode for quick meetings and finally, a 16:10 aspect ratio display, which is a rather odd choice but an interesting one as this is the first time are seeing it on a business laptop.
Secondly, the ability to work remotely may sound like, you can do that with every other laptop. But the ASUS ExpertBook B7 Flip has a dedicated SIM slot for you to give Cellular Connectivity. Supports 5G and you can have data all the time wherever you go. So, no more reason to say that there’s no Wi-Fi where you go to attend a call.
Business-grade Laptops with Business Centric Features
It’s not a business-grade laptop if it doesn’t have Business centric feature and ASUS has equipped this laptop with the best kind. Starting off with the Webcam, which has a privacy shield to close when it’s not in use. There’s an LED Status Indicator on the laptop to indicate that you are in a con call for instance, or you could just turn on so that people wouldn’t bother you. A fingerprint sensor for quick unlock. It even comes with an NFC reader integrated to the NumberPad/Trackpad.
Now, the NFC reader is worth highlighting as this laptop can be logged in with a help of a keycard or even say if this laptop is assigned to a person holding a certain position where they do not have access to more privileges, then it could be even used as a one tap admin override. Now obviously, we have not tried it but it’s something I do hope that it supports.
The display features a mode called PrivateView, where once its enabled, it wards away all the prying eyes looking at the screen from an angle more than 45 degrees, respectively. So, you can see how effective it is from the photos we shot.
12th Generation Goodness
Unlike consumer laptops which comes with a certain variant and specification, the ASUS ExpertBook B7 Flip, just like their other ExpertBook laptop comes with a customizable specification that’s made to order. But what we do know is that the laptop comes with 12th Generation Intel Processors with an option to get the vPRO Processors, which allows the company to keep their employees productive, secure company assets and simplify fleet management. The RAM can go up to a whopping 64GB DDR5 SODIMM. The storage has support for up to 2TB and supports PCIe Gen 4 speeds.
Rather impressive After Sales Support for Users
Finally, the laptop gives consumers and business owners a sigh of relief. The ASUS ExpertBook B7 Flip comes with 3 years of global warranty with local-on site warranty, followed by 3-years of battery warranty and a year of local damage protection. This is pretty impressive. While it is a start of something new for ASUS, at least it’s headed towards a right direction.
Conclusion
We had a good time checking out the ASUS ExpertBook B7 Flip for this hands-on content. It’s finally nice to see a form factor that actually works for a business standpoint in various forms. Unfortunately, we are not doing a review. But when we do have the chance to do so, we will keep you posted. In the meantime, if you want to check out the pricing and availability, click here to do that.
