The Coolest Laptops Using Intel’s New Tiger Lake Processors

CRN looks at some of the coolest ultrathin laptops coming out with Intel’s new Tiger Lake processors, both for consumer and business segments. Some go the fancy route while others go big on memory, security or being superlight.

’The Best Processor On The Planet For Mobile Computing’

Intel is pushing one of its biggest laptop design ramps with the new 11th-generation Intel Core processors, which the chipmaker said can best rival AMD’s Ryzen 4000 chips across multiple tests.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company unveiled the processors, code-named Tiger Lake, at the beginning of this month, saying that they feature up to four cores, eight threads, a 3GHz base frequency and a 4.8GHz turbo frequency as well as discrete-level Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics and new AI features like DL Boost DP4A instruction set for neural network inferencing.

The semiconductor giant has said that more than 150 Windows and ChromeOS-based laptops are set to use the Tiger Lake processors, including 50 this year, some of which have already been unveiled. More than 20 of the laptops coming this year will feature the new Intel Evo brand that indicates premium designs adhering to a set of specifications and key experience indicators.

Unveiled Tiger Lake laptops include Asus’ superlight, business-class ExpertBook B9, Samsung’s Galaxy Book Flex 5G and Lenovo’s ultraslim IdeaPad Slim 9i.

Unlike previous processor launches, Intel went on the offensive with Tiger Lake and highlighted multiple ways the new 10-nanometer SuperFin processors can best AMD’s 7-nanometer Ryzen 4000 chips. Intel said the new flagship Intel Core i7-1185G7 delivers up to 2.7 times faster content creation, more than two times faster gaming performance and more than 20 percent faster office productivity than AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800U.

“It is the best processor on the planet for mobile computing, and we used very fair and current benchmarks to prove that in a number of different demonstrations,” Intel U.S. channel chief Jason Kimrey said in a recent interview with CRN, “so if it means being more public and proud about great technology, sure, we’re not going to hide behind that.”

What follows is a roundup of some of the coolest laptops using Intel’s new Tiger Lake processors that have been unveiled so far. Included for each entry is a photo, the specifications and features as well as any details on pricing and availability. The list will be updated as new laptops get unveiled.

ExpertBook B9

The new ExpertBook B9 from Asus is among the world’s lightest 14-inch businesses laptops, according to the OEM, weighing a mere 2.2 pounds. The laptop is encased in a magnesium-lithium-alloy chassis and is superdurable, having passed the MIL-STL 810H U.S. military standard test.

The laptop supports up to an Intel Core i7 processor from the company’s Tiger Lake lineup and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, which provides discrete-level graphics performance. With a 66 watt-hour battery, Asus said the laptop can offer close to a full day of battery life, and the battery can reach a 60 percent charge within 39 minutes.

Among the laptop’s next-generation features are AI noise-cancellation technology for uninterrupted video calls, an AdaptiveLock proximity sensor for fast logins and security, and two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports for speedy connectivity.

Other features include an LED-backlit IPS full HD screen with anti-flare and 400 nits of brightness display, up to 32 GB in 4,266MHz LPDDR4x memory, dual M.2 NVME PCIe 3.0 storage, support for RAID 0 and RAID 1 technologies on select models, Intel Wi-Fi 6 and a 720p HD camera with microphone.

The ExpertBook B9 will be available late in the fourth quarter in North America.

Galaxy Book Flex 5G

The Galaxy Book Flex 5G is a new 5G-enabled, 13.3-inch 2-in-1 designed for consumers from Samsung that is one of the first laptops verified for the new Intel Evo brand for premium notebooks. The laptop comes in Royal Silver and is light to pick up, weighing only 2.7 pounds.

As part of the Intel Evo program, the 2-in-1 is engineered to provide optimal performance with Intel’s new Tiger Lake processors with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. With a 69.7 watt-hour battery, Samsung said users can use the laptop for productivity, streaming and content creation all day “worry-free.”

The Galaxy Book Flex 5G comes with a built-in S Pen stylus that can be used to annotate images and documents on its touch-screen panel and to record audio memos while taking notes. The laptop also comes with a “world-facing” 13-megapixel camera to take photos, panoramas and videos on the go.

Other features include a 720p front-facing camera; up to 16 GB in LPDDR4X memory; up to a 512-GB NVMe SSD; a backlit keyboard; Wi-Fi 6, LTE and 5G connectivity; Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C ports; and a fingerprint reader.

Details on pricing or availability aren’t available yet.

IdeaPad Slim 9i

The IdeaPad Slim 9i is a 14-inch ultraslim laptop from Lenovo, measuring as thin as roughly half an inch and weighing 2.6 pounds. The laptop comes with an optional genuine leather cover that is bonded with an aerospace-grade aluminum chassis.

As part of the Intel Evo brand, the laptop is designed to deliver optimal performance with 11th-generation Intel Core processors, which come with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. Lenovo said the battery can last up to 20 hours for the FHD panel version, boosted in part by the laptop’s Intelligent Cooling Mode that can also provide a thermal boost.

Among the IdeaPad Slim 9i’s top features is an optional 4K VESA DisplayHDR 400 IPS touch-screen display that features up to 500 nits of brightness, which is optimized by Dolby Vision. There is also a premium option for a 3-D Curved-edge UHD Display. Other top features include a smart sensor touchpad with haptic feedback, Lenovo Smart Assist for hands-free facial recognition, Amazon Alexa integration and a dual front-facing Dolby Atmos Speaker System.

Other features include up to 16 GB in LDDR4X memory, up to a 2-TB PCIe SSD, Super Resolution 2.0 for upscaling video content to 4K, Smart Sense Keyboard for smart backlighting, Intel Wi-Fi 6, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an ultrasonic fingerprint reader.

The laptop is slated for a November release with a starting price of $1,599.

Portege X30W-J

The Portege X30W-J is an ultralight, 13.3-inch 2-in-1 for business users from Dynabook that can pack up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory and weighs less than 1.9 pounds. The laptop’s chassis is built with magnesium alloy, coated with a Mystic Blue Metallic paint.

The laptop comes with either an Intel Core i5-1135G7 or i7-1165G7 from Intel’s Tiger Lake lineup, which means it also comes with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. With a 53 watt-hour battery, Dynabook promises “all-day battery life,” which is “perfect for mobile professionals.”

Among the Portege X30W-J’s top features is a 13.3-inch Sharp IGZO touch display, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, Harman Kardon stereo speakers as well as support for Microsoft’s Windows 10 Secure-core PC requirements and Trusted Platform Module 2.0 for enhanced security capabilities. The laptop also comes with a ClickPad pointing device and a Dynabook TruePen style.

Other features include up to a 1-TB SSD, Intel Wi-Fi 6, a webcam with dual microphones, an infrared IR camera with Windows Hello support, a fingerprint reader and a security lock slot.

The laptop will be available through resellers in the fourth quarter. Pricing is not available.

Prestige 14 Evo

The Prestige 14 Evo is a 14-inch consumer laptop from MSI that is one of the first devices verified for the new Intel Evo brand for premium notebooks. The laptop comes in Pure White and Carbon Gray colors on an ultraslim aluminum chassis, and it’s extremely light, weighing only 2.4 pounds.

As part of the Intel Evo program, the laptop is engineered to provide optimal performance from the 11th-generation Intel Core i7 and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, providing up to 4.8GHz in dual-core turbo mode and graphical capabilities that are three times faster than the previous Intel processor generation. With a 54 watt-hour battery, MSI promises up to 12 hours of battery life for the device.

The Prestige 14 Evo’s top features include PCIe 4.0 storage support for two times faster bandwidth speeds than PCIe 3.0, the ability to lay the laptop flat and flip the display’s orientation, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and login with fingerprint scan and facial recognition.

Other features include an anti-glare, wide-view angle FHD screen; 16 GB in LPDDR4X-4267 memory; a 1-TB NVMe SSD; Intel Wi-Fi 6; and a 720p HD webcam.

Details on pricing or availability aren’t available yet.

ProBook 650 G8

The ProBook 650 G8 is a business laptop from HP Inc. that is the company’s lightest 600 series to date and can support up to 64 GB in DDR4-3200 memory and a slew of configuration options. With a slim yet durable aluminum chassis, the laptop’s startup weight is 3.8 pounds.

The laptop supports the Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors from Intel’s Tiger Lake lineup. However, only the Core i5 and i7 come with the advanced, discrete-level Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. The Core i3, on the other hand, comes with less-capable Intel UHD graphics. The laptop can be configured with a Nvidia GeForce MX450 discrete graphics card.

Among the ProBook 650 G8’s top features: support for Optal2 SSD for enterprise-level secure storage, HP security and manageability features like HP Sure Start and HP Sure Click, SuperSpeed USB-C and USB C ports and HP DriveLock and Automatic DriveLock.

For display, the laptop can come with a 15.6-inch screen, which can be HD or FHD, with optional touch support, supporting a range of 250 to 1,000 nits and anti-glare. Other features include up to a 512-GB Intel PCIe NVMe SSD with a 32-GB Intel Optane Memory H10, a 720p HD camera and HD IR webcam, an optional fingerprint sensor, an optional smartcard reader and Intel Wi-Fi 6.

The laptop is expected to be available in November. While the specific pricing for the ProBook 650 G8 was not available, HP said the starting price for the ProBook 600 series, which also includes the ProBook 630 and 640, is $1,169.

Summit E15

The Summit E15 is an ultralight 15-inch laptop that is part of MSI’s new Summit business notebook lineup, weighing 3.7 pounds and promising up to 16 hours of battery life. The laptop has a sleek, lightweight aluminum chassis, which has military-grade durability.

The laptop comes with the 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics, providing up to 4.8GHz in dual-core turbo mode and graphical capabilities that are three times faster than the previous Intel processor generation. The laptop also has the option of including an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650Ti Max-Q discrete graphics card.

The Summit E15 comes with enterprise-grade security capabilities such as Trusted Platform Module technology, Windows Hello authentication and a dedicated LED light for the webcam for privacy protection. Other top features include PCIe 4.0 storage support for two times faster bandwidth speeds than PCIe 3.0, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and AI noise cancellation.

The laptop comes with options for a 4K UHD or full HD, IPS-level touch-screen display, which comes with multitouch support. It can also support two external monitors and one tablet as additional displays. For storage, it can support up to a 2-TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.

The laptop is expected to become available through retailers in October. Pricing is not available.

ZenBook Flip S

The ZenBook Flip S from Asus is a one of the “world’s thinnest” OLED convertible laptops, measuring at roughly half an inch and weighing only 2.6 pounds. The laptop’s exterior features a Jade Black finish, contrasted by Red Copper diamond-cut highlights and a “mirror-polished” deco bar.

The laptop comes with an 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. With a 67 watt-hour battery, Asus said the battery can last up to 15 hours and charge to 60 percent capacity within only 49 minutes.

Among the top features: support for up to a 4K UHD OLED NanoEdge touch screen that has 500 nits of brightness and DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification. The laptop also features an optional pressure-level Asus Pen stylus, a 360-degree ErgoLift hinge built with a durable metal multigear mechanism, the dual-function Asus NumberPad 2.0, a new edge-to-edge keyboard design that adds a new row of extra function keys and two Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Other features include up to 16 GB of LPDDR4x-4266 memory, up to a 1-TB NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD (with support for Intel Optane Memory H10 at a smaller storage size), an IR webcam with Windows Hello Support, a dual-speaker Harman Kardon-certified audio system and Intel Wi-Fi 6.

The laptop is expected to be available in October. Pricing is not available.

XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310 2n1)

The XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310 2n1) is the latest premium 13.4-inch convertible laptop from Dell that can come with a 16:10 InfinityEdge display for 4K UHD playback. The laptop comes in a CNC-machined aluminum chassis, measuring a little over half an inch thin and weighing at least 2.9 pounds, with color options for platinum silver with black carbon fiber composite palm rest or frost with arctic white woven glass fiber palm rest.

The laptop supports the Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 from Intel’s new Tiger Lake family, supporting up to 4.7 GHz in frequency. For the Core i5 and i7 models, the laptop comes with discrete-level Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics while the Core i3 model comes with the less-capable Intel UHD Graphics. With a 51-watt-hour battery, Dell promises a “long battery life to keep you powered on the go.”

The XPS 13 2-in-1’s top features include an advanced thermal design consisting of back venting, a vapor air chamber and dual fans to keep the Intel processor cool; Dell’s smaller camera yet, measuring at 2.25 millimeters; a larger display than previous generations; and an edge-to-edge MagLev keyboard. The laptop also supports the Dell Premium Active Pen.

Other features include up to 32 GB in LPDDR4x SDRAM running at 4267 MHz, up to a 1 TB PCie 3.0 SSD, an FHD+ touch display that is upgradeable to an UltraSharp InfinityEdge 4K Ultra HD+ touch display, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, dual-array digital microphones, a fingerprint reader and Killer Wi-Fi 6.

The starting price is $1,249.99. The platinum silver with black carbon fiber version will be available in the United States and Canada on Sept. 30. The frost version will launch at a later date.