Over the past few weeks, I’ve tried several ‘executive laptops’. This is the term for flagship laptops for the leaders of Dell, HP, and Lenovo, the 3 corporations that sell most PCs to U.S. corporations. The 3 machines I tested, the HP Elite Dragonfly, the Lenovo X1 Carbon and the Dell Latitude 9510, have many similarities, but also many differences. They show how the market for those laptops has changed.
A few years ago, most of the laptops included in this category had 13.3-inch screens and were all undeniable. Generation has allowed smaller frames, allowing many machines in the category to be transferred to 14-inch screens in a space roughly similar to the old 13.3-inch ones. The vessels are now even smaller, resulting in a greater diversity of lengths.
In this generation, Lenovo has remained true to the essentials, providing the X1 with a 14-inch display on a directly called X1 Carbon and a 2-in-1 called X1 Yoga. (Offers other corporate devices in its T-series, adding 14-inch and 15-inch devices). The X1 Carbon measures 0.63 from 12.74 to 8.55 inches (HWD) and the base device weighs 2.5 pounds, very light.
HP became small, presenting its Dragonfly 2-in-1 with a 13.3-inch screen and a size of 0.63 to 12 to 7.8 inches (HWD), making it about three-quarters of an inch smaller in duration and width than the X1 Carbon, but over the same weight. It is more convenient as a machine, but you have to deal with a smaller screen. HP manufactures an Elitebook x360 1040 2-in-1 14-inch that measures from 0.66 to 12.7 to 8.5 inches (HWD), but has not yet submitted an edition with this year’s Intel processors.
Dell went the other way. Last year, it brought the 7400 14-inch (now renamed 9410), which is about the same length as the Yoga X1. But he arrived here in 2020 with a 15-inch model, the Latitude 9510, measuring 0.55 to 13.4 to 8.5 inches (HWD) and starting at 3.1 pounds. It is larger (not thinner) and heavier than the other two, but not too big. When you paint on it, you’ll probably appreciate the bigger screen.
All 3 vendors will offer classic and 2-in-1 laptops (although the Dragonfly is only available in 2-in-1 versions). There are other people who like to draw and write on their screens, and think that 2 -in-1 makes sense for it. I don’t use these machines much in pill mode; All are even heavier than an iPad or Android pill, and the Windows ecosystem of apps designed for a pill is rarely very well developed. However, I place touch screens all the time on these devices.
All of those machines offer a variety of processor features and ports, adding classic USB-C/Thunderbolt and USB-A ports. The X1, Latitude, and EliteBook families are available with Intel vPro processors, which many companies want for enterprise management. All have Wi-Fi 6 and cellular broadband features.
All brands will now offer 2 in 1 with touch screens. HP and Lenovo have more demo options, adding UHD displays (3840 x 2160 pixels) or displays with built-in privacy displays. HP will offer the privacy screen I’ve seen. For those who care about privacy, HP and Lenovo will offer physical switches to disable the webcam. Dell will not offer any of these features.
Of course, there are other possible features of high-end laptops, but you don’t see many in American corporations. Again, I’m talking about machines that are purchased through larger organizations, with an eye on standardized software versions and centralized management. Apple’s MacBook Pro laptops are very powerful, but most corporations are looking for Windows features. Microsoft’s Surface Diversity has great machines, but it doesn’t have the vPro features that many corporations need. All those corporations and others, like Acer, have machines that are more for small businesses.
However, even in the limited market of corporate executive laptops, we now see more options, and that’s a very smart thing to do.
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