ASUSPRO Commercial Laptops in Focus

The ASUSPRO series of business and commercial laptops has seen some re-organisation lately and so I figured it might be a good idea to take another look at them. The full series page has all the info you need, but the gist of it is that there are now the ASUSPRO P Essential and ASUSPRO B Advanced models, including the BU400 Ultrabook, which we’ve seen previously.

P Essential laptops are mainly for small businesses and individual users who want a portable PC with some business-minded features. They’re more affordable than their B Advanced peers, but share many of the core features. Primarily, all P Essential laptops undergo quality testing that’s stricter than the processes that other laptop series have to pass. They’re tested for drops, hinge reliability, pressure and spill resistance, among other things.

You also get shock-absorbing hard drives with these which are great for keeping data safe while travelling. You don’t want critical info getting wiped because airport security got careless or something. Screens are anti-glare by default, making them easy on the eye during prolonged use, and the touchpad has been enlarged for more input real estate, a feature implemented in many ASUS laptops. Processing is up to Intel Core i7, and you get a max two weeks of standby with auto backup if the battery drops to 5% charge or lower.

Other features not found on non-commercial ASUS laptops are SecureDelete data removal and facial recognition log-ins through the laptop’s camera. Pretty nifty that one!

Models on the P Essential side of things range from the 13” P31 to the much larger 15.6” P55. There are eleven models in total in this sub-series.

The ASUSPRO B Advanced range caters to larger organisations, mainly corporate and governmental users. These laptops are designed to be part of a managed IT environment, i.e. places that have an MIS department!

In addition to the features listed for the P Essential models, B Advanced laptops give you the smarter power of Intel Core processors with vPro technology that integrate myriad remote access and management capabilities, as well as more stringent security measures than “conventional” laptops.

Other critical extras cover: log-ins via smart card, fingerprint readers, and optional Trusted Platform Module (TPM) hardware, which stores encryption codes and passwords at a much more secure level than software-based features. Computrace LoJack for Laptops and Intel Anti-Theft Technology are also included, enabling easier recovery in the event the laptop gets stolen or misplaced, plus making it harder for malfeasants to break into your laptop should they manage to abscond with it. One of my faves here is the business card holder on the underside! Whoever thought of that, I salute you.

This portion of the ASUSPRO series includes the BU400 Ultrabook with Windows 8, which weighs a mere 1.64kg and measures 20mm at its thickest point. In my opinion it’s the most stylish of the commercial laptops, but of course that’s a matter of taste. The B Advanced roster numbers sixteen models, also ranging from 13” to 15.6” in screen size.

Don’t forget, laptops across the entire ASUSPRO spectrum may feature Intel SBA or Small Business Advantage. This suite of software, firmware and hardware features does a lot for business productivity, security and maintenance.

As someone who uses a B43E, I can tell you it’s definitely sturdier than your average laptop. I personally may not use many of the business features, but the true-comfort keyboard certainly comes in handy and the build quality is superb. Check these out at your nearest retailer – they may make a business person out of you yet, assuming you’re not one already!