News
CES 2022 Best Enterprise Hardware
This year's annual Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas, has come to a close. Despite many big names pulling out due to the ongoing pandemic, including Microsoft, Google and Amazon, there was still much to show off in the world of tech at this year's show despite the pared-down feel.
Let's take a look at some of the hardware highlights that aim to increase your productivity, whether in the office or working from home:
Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 Laptops
Lenovo's enterprise-aimed laptop line continues to roll on, this time with beefed-up security for the growing remote workforce. This year's show gave us the first of what should be many Windows 11 devices running the security-focused Pluton chip. Pluton aims to keep sensitive info, like encryption data and passwords, stored at the hardware level, making it even harder for outsiders to access it (learn more in this article). The Z13 and Z16 also come with the latest AMD Ryzen processors and feature a 13.3-inch screen (Z13) or a 16.0-inch screen (Z16).
- Base Price: Z13 $1,549, Z16 $2,099
- Availability: March 2022
- More Information: Lenovo
Lenovo Thinkbook Plus Gen 3
It wouldn't be CES without an interesting, yet bizarre, laptop design. And Lenovo has delivered with this year's Thinkbook Plus Gen 3. This oversized 17.3-inch laptop features a second 8-inch full-color LCD display next to the keyboard that can function in many ways. Want a digital number pad, a second screen for e-mails, an e-ink writer or to mirror your smartphone onto your laptop? The tablet-designed screen can do these things and more. This device was made for productivity, featuring a 12th-gen Intel Core H-Series processor and up to 32GB LPDDR5 of ram.
- Base Price: $1,399
- Availability: May 2022
- More Information: Lenovo
HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook Enterprise
HP's latest Chrome OS-based device is aimed to facilitate video collaboration, no matter how spread-out a team is. The hybrid device can be used as a traditional laptop or a tablet, depending on the use case. Featuring a 12th-generation Alder Lake CPU, HP touts this as the "world's most advanced Chromebook for business," featuring the first Chromebook with a haptic trackpad, according to the company. Its total weight of 2.83 pounds and a 51-hour battery that can be charged in 90 minutes make it the perfect device to take wherever you go. Â
- Availability: April 2022
- More Information: HP
ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED
It wouldn't be CES without a company introducing a foldable-screen device. This year's honor goes to ASUS and its 17-inch touchscreen that can fold down to 12.5 inches. Deemed the world's first foldable laptop, this device allows for either one large OLED display or two 12.5-inch 1920x1280 displays. When folded, the bottom screen can be used as a continuation of the main screen, a second screen or configured into a digital touch keyboard. A traditional keyboard can also be used, with Bluetooth connectivity. The Zenbook 17 Fold comes with 12th-generation Intel Core i7 U-Series processors and 16GB LPDDR5 memory.
- Availability: After Q2 2022
- More Information: ASUS
Dell Concept Flow
While not an actual product that you can purchase anytime soon, Dell's Concept Flow looks to solve a growing problem for those of us working from home: constant docking and undocking. How Dell envisions its future docking solution aims to make plugging and unplugging into multiple input devices and monitors obsolete. Place your laptop or device down and sensors will automatically detect it, connect it to nearby displays, wirelessly charge it and carry your personalized settings from place to place. While a specific device is not quite ready to show off, Dell does have video of how all of this will work.
- Availability: No ETA
- More Information: Dell
TCL NXTWEAR AIR
This year's CES demonstrated that tech is going all-in on the metaverse. TCL's NXTWEAR AIR wearable display glasses is just one device that's ready for it. The wearable tech comes with dual 1080p Micro OLED displays, connects to any device and offers users the same experience as viewing a 140-inch screen, 12 feet away. It also features stereo audio for spatial effects and weighs in at a light 75 grams, allowing users to wear them for an extended amount of time without strain. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Availability: Q1 2022
- More Information: TCL
La Vitre Video Call Device
If interacting with three-inch versions of your colleagues over video chat has gotten a bit stale, the French-based La Vitre tech firm has the product for you: a seven-foot-tall device that will allow you to interact with others 1:1 (unless they are taller than seven feet). The display device provides full-body recording and playback and connects to your smartphone or PC wirelessly. It also includes the neat feature of allowing you to view and share your PCs on the device without interrupting the live video feed.
- Availability: Now
- More Information: La Vitre