Productivity Just Got Lighter! ASUS ExpertBook B9 OLED (2023) Review

Business laptops tends to be simple with the usual focus on security and performance rather than adding quirky features, and ASUS was no different with my fair share of experience in using ExpertBook laptops. But when they reached out and asked me if I can take a spin on their latest ExpertBook B9 OLED (B9403), it got me excited knowing that this laptop ticks all my checkboxes when looking for a portable work device.

Design & Specification

Saying that this laptop is lightweight is an understatement. Measuring only 990g, this is the perfect example when we say that a laptop is actually portable and this is all thanks to its magnesium-lithium alloy chassis; which by the way also passes the industry-leading MIL-STD 810H US military standard. But before we further dive into the rabbit hole, I would like to commend ASUS for their commitment in environmental sustainability, including all the efforts that underwent to create the ExpertBook B9 OLED (B9403). This includes the use of a patented manufacturing process called Thixomolding wherein it reduces the materials used by 29% and manufacturing time by up to 75%. Recycled materials were also used in most of its packaging resource. The accessory box was creatively designed as well so it can double as laptop stand. And speaking of accessories, the ExpertBook B9 includes its 65w charger, a micro-hdmi to LAN adapter and a leatherete sleeve for the laptop.

Just like any other expertbook laptops, the B9 is no different with its minimalist design and feel. You will also immediately know that this is an ExpertBook laptop with it's signature star black color that has a blue shade to it. The ExpertBook logo can still be seen in the upper left corner with its LED activity on its side and a big ASUS logo right at the center of the lid.

Internally, the ExpertBook B9 OLED is powered by Intel® Core™ i7-1355U, a 10-core CPU but only two are performance-cores and the rest are efficient-cores. This might be limiting to some users but should be more than enough for day to day task even that can handle even small complex loads. This processor is paired with a soldered 16GB LPDDR5 memory and a Terabyte of Gen 4 drive from Samsung. Oddly enough when compared to its older iteration, the number of M.2 slot in this year's model is reduced from two slots to one thus eliminating both multi storage and RAID support.

Display & Connectivity

One of the biggest changes in this year's model is the addition of an OLED panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Now you get more vertical real estate, better color and image quality. I might sound like an old broken record by now but you are missing a lot if you still have not experienced OLED yet. Content consumption is more immersive with its color accuracy, and your eyes will be thanking you even if you are working with your laptop for extended periods. Calibrating the display yielded 100% of SRGB, 78% AdobeRGB, 79% P3 with 285 nits of brightness which is expected for its color accuracy due to its OLED panel. The 90Hz refresh rate of this display is also something worth mentioning if ever you have a use-case for it. Brightness report is a little bit low despite testing it twice and at the same time being visually much brighter as compared to other laptops that I tested, and I think the reason might be that my calibration tool can't assess OLED panels properly as this model is only for older display panel technologies.

Similar to its older model, the ExpertBook B9 OLED has two Thunderbolt™ 4, a full-sized HDMI, a pseudo-microHDMI port to plug in our LAN adapter, an audio jack, and a Kensington security slot over at left side. a Type-A that is USB 3.2 Gen is located on the other side together with its power button that doubles as a fingerprint combo too. Given how slim this notebook is, this set of I/O is actually more than enough to accommodate most external devices.

Keyboard & Trackpad

For a thin laptop, My expectations were a little bit low for the keyboard but surprisingly, it is much better with a decent tactility and travel distance that I was able to easily adjust while typing this article. There is a subtle per key illumination and is only actually visible when it is dark and basic function keys are still present on this laptop.

The trackpad on the other hand is fantastic. I was able to use the older B9 before and one of my comments was that the trackpad was too small but this year's trackpad has a much bigger vertical space and you can easily glide your fingers through it with its glass coating. NumberPad also makes a comeback which is functional but with a slight learning curve given that there is no tactile feedback and layout is a little bit different from a standard numpad. NFC by the way is also integrated in this trackpad and while I was not able to test it personally, this can be integrated so you can easily use as an extra layer of security. I do like how ASUS improves quality of life features for their ExpertBook laptops and this shows that they are really committed in penetrating the enterprise market seriously.

Benchmarks & Temps

As mentioned previously, the Intel® Core™ i7-1355U only has two P-cores hence why this 13th Gen CPU is a little bit slower than a 12th Gen i5 CPU. It does reach 55W of power with 5GHz peak at a very short burst but on a full multicore Cinebench R23 test, we are seeing 2.2GHz peak for its P-Cores while E-Cores just hover around 1.6GHz peak . Trends on its performance are similar across on my testing. You get slightly better single core performance than 12th Gen but loses on the multi-core segment given its core configuration. And do not expect to game on this machine as well. You can get away with older game titles but don't expect to run more recent games here.

Temps are better given its size and dimension. Peak temps reach as high as 93C but averages at 84C. Another great thing is that the cooling design keeps the keyboard area cool despite its slim profile. And surprisngly, the ExpertBook B9 OLED was able to cramp two fans thus allowing as to cool the cpu while maintaining a manageable fan noise.

Security & Battery Life

It is still surprising that ASUS was able to cramp a 63WHr battery in this 1.57cm thin laptop. And with our YouTube stream battery test, the ExpertBook B9 OLED was able to last 10 hours on a single charge which I think is a hard requirement to be called a business laptop. Though battery life might vary depending on your usage as for example, using it for video conferencing would require more resources as compared to handling spreadsheets.

ASUS has been boasting their Enterprise-grade security as part of a core feature for the ExpertBook series and the B9 is no stranger to this. Starting with Intel's vPro platform, this certifies that the Expertbook B9 is equipped with hardware-based security features such as Intel Trusted Execution, Active Management, and Virtualization Technologies. TPM 2.0 chip is also baked in this laptop securely storing passwords and encryption keys minimizing the risk of leaks through hacking. Other security features include ASUS' facial recognition technology called Adaptive lock, a fingerprint scanner, physical webcam shield and the NFC feature baked in the trackpad that can be used as a card reader. These security features ensures secure, reliable, and remote-management capabilities to protect important data in enterprises.

Verdict

The ExpertBook B9 OLED 2023 is an exceptional work laptop that is well suited for professionals looking for a premium looking portable device. I am giving this laptop our top pick award for its features that you can't get in other business notebooks including a 90Hz 16:10 OLED display, large trackpad with NFC support, good I/O selection for its form factor, ten hours of battery life, and finally a sturdy yet lightweight design with military grade durability. Though how I wish that there is a 360 touch enabled version given how light this device is and an option for 32 GB memory option to prep this laptop for the future. Price is a little bit steep at PHP 111,000.00 but comparing this to other device in within the enterprise segment, the ExpertBook B9 OLED is pretty much on par with other business laptops out there. But at the end of the day, we still love this laptop for its overall design and does not change our gold recommendation.