The ExpertBook B9450FA from ASUS is a business laptop that weights just 870 grams. Yet it does not compromise on important things such as ports or battery life. Despite it’s lightness, it still packs a 14″ screen and is also smaller in size compared to HP’s Elite Dragonfly for example. The weight and small form factor is a great convenience for on-the-go business users.
Unboxing
Out of the box, you will get the following items:
- ExpertBook B9450FA (Star Black)
- Laptop sleeve
- RJ45 LAN to micro-HDMI adpater
- USB-C charging brick
Tech specs
| Display | 14.0″ Full HD LED 1920×1080 Display, 300 nits |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-10510U Processor (1.8 GHz quad-core with Turbo up to 4.9 GHz) |
| RAM | 16GB 2133MHz LDDR3 onboard |
| Storage | 1TB PCle 3.0×4 NVME M.2 SSD |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Wireless Network | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro (64-bit) |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 3, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x HDMI, 1x RJ45 LAN via micro-HDMI, 1x Kensington lock, 1x 3.55 audio jack |
| Weight | 0.87 kg |
| Dimensions | 32.0 cm x 20.3 cm x 1.49 cm |
| Warranty | 3 Years local-onsite warranty + International Carry-in warranty |
Build quality and design
The ExpertBook B9450FA is a well built device. It has a different look and feel compared to its ZenBook counterparts. The ExpertBook B9450FA is made from magnesium-lithium alloys which gives it nice matte fingerprint-proof finish. It also makes the laptop very tough and durable, so much so that it meets the MIL-STD 810G US military standard. There is minimal flex to the chassis and keyboard deck.
I like the design of the ExpertBook B9450FA. It is clean, minimal, and modern looking. It comes in one color called Star Black, which looks like a mix of navy and black.
However, there is one thing which is done quite poorly on the ExpertBook B9450FA which is the rubber feet. The feet do not seem to be properly rubberised and so there is hardly any traction with my table or the surface the laptop is on. The laptop even moves when I try to lift up the lid.
Display and webcam
The ExpertBook B9450FA has a 14-inch LED screen that is FHD (19020 x 1080). It has a matte screen which helps to prevent light reflections. The contents displayed on the screen is sharp with good colors. It is rated at 300 nits of brightness so if you’re this outside often, it is not the brightest display. Do note that this is not a touch-enabled display.
The display however, has a gorgeous 94% screen-to-body ratio. The only bezel you will notice is probably the top bezel that houses the webcam. The webcam is 720p and supports Windows Hello login. There is also a physical webcam shield which you slide to cover the camera if you are not using it.
Keyboard and ErgoLift
Like the ZenBook UX433, when you open up the laptop lip, the keyboard at the back tilts up a few millimeters. This is what ASUS calls ErgoLift, which lifts the laptop up by around 2 to 3 degrees. This provides a comfortable typing position and helps with cooling. The hinge can even be tilted at a full 180 degree angle.
The keyboard layout is simple and nice, providing you with an inverted-T layout for arrow keys as well. The keys are tactile and seem to have more travel and spring feedback compared to other ASUS laptops that I’ve reviewed. It is comfortable to type on.
The keys are have backlight which can get quite bright at maximum brightness. However, the light bleed from the backlight can get a little distracting.
By default, the function keys are set to shortcuts like volume and brightness. There even some shortcuts that is useful for business productivity use such as Screenshot, locking the laptop, and disabling the camera. If you are working with Excel and require the function row to work as F2 and F4 for example, the keyboard shortcut Fn+Esc will switch to th standard function key layout.
Trackpad
The glass trackpad is spacious and has Windows Precision drivers so it is smooth and responsive. Actual clicks on the trackpad can be registered anywhere on the trackpad so you do not have to reach for the bottom corner.
And if you need a dedicated number pad, you can activate the NumberPad by clicking the top right of the screen. Personally, I think it is quite useful and there isn’t much input lag. I wish there way as way to control the brightness of the lights from the NumberPad as can get quite distracting.
On the right on the trackpad, you’ll find a fingerprint reader which can be used as another method of unlocking this laptop.
Ports selection
The ports selection on the ExpertBook B9450FA is quite good. on the left, there are two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, which you can use to charge and connect to an external display. There is still a full size HDMI port, and a micro-HDMI port that doubles as RJ45 LAN port.
On the right, there is a Kensington Lock, one USB-A port and 3.5mm audio jack.
Battery and speakers
The ExpertBook B9450FA model that I have has a battery that is rated at 33Wh. As this is the 33Wh one, you won’t be expecting 24 hour battery life which ASUS advertised (on the 66Wh model).
However, battery life is still pretty solid even for the 33Wh model, which got me around 10 hours of use in web browsing and YouTube at 50% brightness and volume. And if you need to juice up your laptop quick, it will take just 40 minutes with the supplied charger to get the battery up to 60%, or an hour to 80%.
The speakers are actually pretty good considering its size. Audio is bright sounding and has better bass than other Windows laptop speakers. It is slightly better than iPad Pro speakers if you want a comparison.
Performance
As for internals, ASUS ExpertBook B9450FA has a 10th Generation i7-10510U processor. It is interesting that ASUS chose to go with the 14nm Comet Lake processor instead of the newer 10nm Ice Lake processor such as the i7-1065G7.
On Auto power mode and running GeekBench 5 tests, single-core score was 963, while Multi-core score was 2739. Also, converting a 30 seconds 4K video (120Mbps) to 1080p in HandBrake took around 1 min 47 secs to complete. In the HandBrake test, the laptop peaked at 7W with fans kicking in to cool the laptop to around 57°C.
For general real world use such as having close to 10 tabs open on Microsoft Edge editing on Google Docs while playing a YouTube video in the background, the ExpertBook B9450FA handled these tasks with ease. At times, I do hear the fans kicking in for a few minutes before going silent again.
As for SSD speeds, the included SSDs provide very good read and write rates which is very close to its competitors. Thermals is managed pretty well on the ExpertBook B9450FA. Temperatures usually max out at high 60s during demanding tasks. The fans run a little louder than the ZenBook UX433 but it is expected considering the slimness of the ExpertBook B9450FA.
Conclusion
ASUS ExpertBook B9450FA is very capable productivity focused laptop. There is a good selection of ports and specs that should future proof this device for a good amount of years. Wi-Fi 6 support is also another example.
It has great build quality and rocks a clean minimal design. Furthermore, the lightness of this laptop at under a kilogram makes it a compelling option for on-the-go users. For S$2,688, it is a little expensive, but you require a laptop that is optimized for productivity and portability, it is priced pretty competitively amongst its counterparts.