| SPECS (B7402FB) | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-1260P |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| RAM | 32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM 2x DDR5 SO-DIMM slots |
| Storage | 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0×4 One Extra M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0×4 Slot |
| Display | 14-inch IPS 16:10 WUXGA Anti-glare Display, SRGB 100%, Touchscreen, Stylus Support |
| Weight | 1.48 kg including 43Whr battery |
| Price | RM 8,499 onwards |
Just Another Military Grade Business Design
ExpertBooks by now are well established as a well known business laptop solution with plenty to shout about, especially the higher end models such as this B7 Flip. This 360-degree flip laptop features an all mixed-metal build (magnesium-lithium alloy and pure aluminium), making it lightweight (1.48KG) and easy to carry even with one hand. There’s perpectually no plastic bezels that cover the screen, giving you a fuller visual experience that you deserve from a laptop that can become a tablet by just flipping. This 14-incher’s metal hinge is solid and sturdy, and does not flex the screen one bit.
The words ‘ASUS ExpertBook’ are printed on the bottom case rather than on a screen bezel this time around.
The backlit keyboard is pretty standard affair, clicky with 1.5mm of travel. Like every other ExpertBook, alphanumerical keys are uniform in shape, with the F-row and arrow keys getting their sizes halved to save space.
The touchpad is responsive and this time around it’s smaller than most, leaning towards a longer, rectangular shape. It’s NFC enabled if you want to pair certain hardware to it and supports ASUS’ touch NumberPad tech.
Getting Work Done
The ExpertBook B7 we have on hand is pretty top-shelf, flexing an Intel Core i7-1260P with 32GB DDR5 memory and even a 1TB SSD. The IPS panel covers up to 100% sRGB and the glossy finish is anti-glare for some added protection. It does however, make the display look a little washed out but believe me, it’s not. It’s just the way it is. The B7 has a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, something we’ve been very happy with since our last favorite Asus laptop, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition.
With these specs in mind, it was a total dreamboat of a laptop. There was simply nothing that could stop this laptop from performing virtually any task that we would typically deem “too demanding” for its class, such as 4K video editing, unreal engine rendering and batch high-resolution photo editing.
Unlike the B2, there aren’t any bezels on the screen, and therefore video editing timelines were taller and did not feel as boxed in. Colors were accurate, although definitely not as rich as an AMOLED panel, but it still managed to nail spectrums right. The SSD loaded working files with blazing speed, and even with just 65W of power, the B7 nailed a 5 minute 4K video in a handful of minutes and that was impressive.
Rendering didn’t feel hot but it was loud and for good reason. The B7 has ASUS’ Advanced Hybrid Cooling System (AHCS), which is a combination of hardware improvements that’s focused on heat dissipation. For one, they added a 3rd copper pipe to further take heat away from the motherboard. Its efficiency was best represented during Whisper mode where the laptop would run as quietly as possible.
The fans had some treatment too, where instead of a typical aluminum plate, it’s been replaced with a copper one which an even greated heat conductor since it absorbs heat quickly and doesn’t corrode which brings me to the next point. It’s spill-proof, so accidental splashes will be a problem of the past.
On the bench, performance results were impressive.
Geekbench : Single Core – 1054 | Multi Core – 7410
3DMark Fire Strike : 5024
From here I conclude that the ExpertBook B7 can definitely handle a variety of intense tasks with little effort. I was very happy with the performance output that it was able to throw out. It just felt like everything was in place, with enough power, and with enough longevity. This is what I expect from a high-end ExpertBook!
Battery Life
Battery life largely remains similar to ExpertBook expectations, but ASUS promised 12 hours in ideal conditions. We’d say that as far and difficult to gauge what “ideal conditions” are, a typical day of writing, streaming and medium media editing lasted 8.5 hours before being completely drained. I could however get over 9 hours on a full day out and all I did was updating my page, write articles and reply messages which is pretty good.
The package includes a small 65W USB Type-C PD power brick, capable of topping up back to at least 47% in 30 minutes. You’ll still need slightly more than an hour to bring it back to full which is the norm for today.
Good Spread of Ports
On the left, there are twin Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports with Power Delivery 3.0 support, a HDMI 2.0b port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a Micro HDMI port for Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack.
The right side houses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, volume rocker and a power button that doubles up as a fingerprint reader. There are 2 other additional ports which I wanted to highlight, which is the smart card reader and the Nano-SIM slot. It pretty much cements the B7 Flip to be a connectivity master, covering full WiFI with 5G cellular connectivity. There’s a miniDP port too to hook up to certain monitors if that’s your thing.
What’s weird here is that there’s no SD card of any size to be seen even though there’s still plenty of space well to house one. Perhaps ASUS assumed that we’d be using dongles that would already have one and save some cost into putting one in.
Main Ports
ThunderBolt 4 Type-C x 2 (PD 3.0 and Display Out)
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A x 2
HDMI 2.0b x 1
Smart Card Reader x 1
3.5mm Combo Jack x 1
microHDMI (FOR LAN) x 1
Power Button Fingerprint Sensor ( Windows Hello Ready)
Can it be upgraded / modified?
The upgrade paths here are quite open here, with both SSD and RAM being user replaceable. You can access this by turning the laptop over and removing the some Philips screws. There’s an extra slot for another nvme if you wish to add more storage, and both RAM slots can be opened and upgraded to support up to 64GB.
We don’t get a lot of 14-inchers with upgradeable RAM, so this was a total treat for us.
So why would you buy one?
You have to understand the product before buying it. The ExpertBook B7 doesn’t aim to be a laptop. It aims to be a solution, an answer to questions that concern your work and its various needs.
I see the ExpertBook B7 to be a rock solid choice for individuals who are in the office as well as in the field. With promising battery life without sacrificing performance, the B7 is able to complete your every task with no challenge or complications in the long run. A military certified chassis takes care of all the bips and bumps, and future-proof WiFi 6e and 5G connectivity ensures you’re online anywhere in the world.
I wouldn’t say this is the perfect laptop, but it is the best possible effort to be one that I’ve ever seen so far.
