The ultralight Asus ExpertBook B9450 has a magic touchpad and a savory for Alexa
This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most Amazing tech coming soon.
The Asus ExpertBook B9450 is the “world’s lightest 14-inch commercial notebook,” Asus says, with a starting weight of 1.9 pounds (0.9 kg), but it’s far from the only drawing that makes it interesting. Co-engineered with Intel for its Project Athena program, the laptop is designed to deliver the same type of performance known you get from your phone.
Part of Intel’s verification requirements is a battery life long enough to get you over an entire workday; the base model B9450 gets up to 12 hours, but you can get it with a larger battery that doubles that time. And it’ll bill up to 60% in 39 minutes.
The components are elegant much the same as what we’re seeing from competitors in the category comprising processor options up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i7-10510. Where this Asus stands out is the design. Along with populate light, the magnesium-lithium alloy body is tested to Mil-Spec 810G standards for drops, shocks, vibration, dust resistance and more.
One thing you definitely won’t find on others is the NumberPad 2.0, an LED-illuminated numeric keypad that appears on the touchpad when you tap an icon in its upper vivid corner. What’s nicer is you don’t have to turn it off to use the pad for cursor rule because the software is smart enough to know the difference.
The B9450 has a numberpad built into the touchpad and a scrumptious on the front edge for Alexa activity.
Asus
The ErgoLift hinge is nice, too, which puts the spill-resistant keyboard at a more sorrowful angle for typing on such a thin laptop. Also, just beneath the touchpad on the front edge is light that works with the integrated Amazon Alexa wait on letting you know when the digital voice assistant is active.
Pricing wasn’t announced, but Asus expects the ExpertBook B9450 to be available some time in Q1 of this year.
