It feels like just yesterday there were a lot of strange, inexpensive Windows computers with small screens, ranging from 7 to 10 inches. Some of these tablets had pens you could write with, but most of them were very slow or had a screen that didn’t look good or had some other bad thing about them. However, if you were patient and waited for their slow chips to work, they could be okay for running old apps or simple Office tasks when you need them.
That’s why the new Asus Expertbook B3 caught my interest. This is a small computer that comes with a stand and a cover with a keyboard. It also has a tiny pen that can be neatly stored in a slot. It uses a new Qualcomm processor that uses less power and doesn’t need a fan to operate. Can this small tablet work well with Windows 11 even though it doesn’t have great specs? The answer is no.
The ExpertBook B3 is a laptop that can be used as a tablet too. It is designed for business use. This model is the cheapest one that Asus offers. We tested the midrange and premium series with the ExpertBook B5 Flip and ExpertBook B7 Flip. Some other laptops like the Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga ITL, the HP ProBook x360 435 G8, or the Dell Inspiron 14 7415 are competing with it.
Design And Build-In Features
Microsoft’s Surface created the first modern 2-in-1 device by making the keyboard cover important and using a kickstand to hold the device up. The ExpertBook B3 has a similar design, but it doesn’t have a built-in kickstand. Instead, it’s a plastic that is covered by fabric and sticks to the tablet with magnets. This allows you to stand it up straight, not just lay it flat.
You can’t use this stand for drawing because it doesn’t fold down enough for the table. And when you have it standing up, you can’t connect the keyboard and the USB port is hard to reach because it’s under the edge facing the table. People can find this level of flexibility useful if they use their tablet in the kitchen as a cookbook, but it might seem like too much engineering and extra size for a rare situation.
Asus gives you the kickstand and keyboard cover for free, so you don’t have to buy them separately. The whole thing feels a little big when it’s all together, but the tablet by itself is very thin.
Connectivity Of The Device
Because it is small, it was not surprising to find only two ports on this Asus tablet, a regular headphone jack and a USB-C port. The USB-C port does two jobs: it’s the only port for charging and the only option for connecting things.
There is a big demand for dongles and hubs, which can easily turn one port into many others, including display-out. The B3 has Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5. 1, which are good for daily use, but not the latest technology for Wi-Fi. It would have been great to have a slot for a small memory card in this tablet. This would help make up for not having enough storage space. But unfortunately, you’re stuck with the 128 GB of storage that comes with the tablet.
It looks like Asus made sure to take out anything that could cause it to break because it has a US MIL-STD 810H durability rating. Overall, the B3’s connections are not as good as the Surface Go 3. The Surface Go 3 has a magnetic dock, USB-C, headset jack, and a microSD card slot, which the B3 does not have.
System Performance Features
The CPU is fast enough for using office programs and the internet. Asus cannot reach its maximum performance because the RAM (16GB) is firmly soldered and can only run in single-channel mode. You can turn on the dual-channel mode by adding another memory module. The notebook has an empty slot for RAM.
What Is The Energy Consumption Status?
We measured regular energy use with the device’s hardware. The highest power use of around 66 watts happens at the start of the stress test. During our stress test, this number goes down because the CPU becomes slower.
Processor Details
The quad-core Core i7-1165G7 (Tiger Lake) runs at a speed of 2.8 Using turbo, the speed can go up to 4.1 GHz with four cores or 4.7 GHz with one core. The processor can do two things at once on each core, called Hyperthreading. In the Cinebench R15 test, the processor runs at different speeds. For multi-thread tests, it runs at 3.4 to 41 GHz, and for single-thread tests, it runs at 1.8 to 47 The clock runs much slower when using battery power.
We see if the CPU Turbo is always on by running the Cinebench R15 benchmark test with multiple threads for 30 minutes. The CPU Turbo only works for about two minutes when all the cores are being used. After that, three out of the four cores run at speeds just a little lower than their normal speeds. The “High Performance” energy setting makes the clock go faster.
What Makes The ASUS ExpertBook B3 Flip Different?
Asus picked a black case that is not shiny and used a mix of materials, with metal for the back of the lid and plastic for the bottom part. The gaps are the same and there are no pointy corners. The bottom part and the top part can be turned too easily. The battery is attached and there is no maintenance opening.
The convertible has two USB-C ports, one is USB 3.2 Gen 1 and the other is USB 2.0 Additionally, it has two USB-C ports that support PowerDelivery and DisplayPort. In summary, the B3 has three ways to connect to a TV or monitor, including a special HDMI port. The microSD card reader is not very fast compared to other models. It is slower than the reference card AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60.
The 2-in-1 device has two cameras. One is a webcam (0. 9 MP) for video calls, and the other is a camera (13 MP) for taking pictures. The second thing is on top of the keyboard and can be used when the tablet is in a flat position. The webcam takes okay pictures, but the 13-megapixel camera takes good pictures.
Keyboard Which Is Built Differently!
The flat keys of the chiclet keyboard are easy to press and have a clear point when they are pressed down. When you type, the keyboard moves a little bit, but you might not notice it. Overall, Asus has made a keyboard that is good for everyday use. However, the keyboard does not light up, which is unusual for a laptop that costs 1,400 Euros.
The touchpad is smooth and can detect multiple touches at the same time. It is about 10.5 x 62 cm in size and moves easily. The pad can pick up touches even on the sides. The clickpad doesn’t move much when you press it, and it makes a clear click when you do. If you click in the top right corner, the numeric keypad will open.
Reasons To Buy ASUS ExpertBook B3 Flip
- ASUS worked hard to make a strong and useful laptop that can be used safely even in tough situations. The laptop has a metal cover and a plastic bottom. Bacterial growth has been prohibited via preservation. This would mean that it is effective with 99% of bacteria which is more or less good for hospitals and other places where cleanliness is a top priority.
- Having a device that does not stop working till the next mission commences, and even with all the day-to-day handling, is the advantage of passing MIL-STD-810H requirements. This device is awkward to carry because it weighs 1.61 kg and I need a space for storing at least of 19.5 mm in thickness.
- The laptop won’t be able to be updated with many of the higher-end alternatives in the future, but it will be good enough for years to come. The computer comes equipped with 16GB of built-in memory, as well as compatibility for optional memory card use. There is one M.2 PCIe x4 drive for storage.
- The 50-watt-hour battery pack isn’t very big, but it works well for the hardware. In our tests, the laptop lasted for 11 hours and 29 minutes when using the internet, and 6 hours and 59 minutes when watching videos. We are testing the battery with Windows set to better performance, the screen at 120 nits brightness, and only one program running.
The Asus ExpertBook B3 Flip is a versatile laptop that can be utilized in different circumstances. You can join the network using a cable, wireless internet, or mobile data. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports with power and DisplayPort capabilities for increased upgrade options are also provided. In this upgrade, you can consider joining a second screen and enjoy working on multiple monitors.
