Customers looking for a laptop for business with a Kaby Lake CPU—the 7th generation of processors from Intel—will find several models with Windows 10 pre-installed. Let’s get right to work and compare Kaby Lake laptop specs and pricing. Here’s a close-up look at business-specific offerings from HP, ASUS, and Lenovo available now on Newegg.
Each of these laptop CPUs have a “U”-class processor, which stands for ultra-efficient use of the battery, unofficially. In seriousness, these processors consume very little power to conserve a laptop’s battery; on average, a Core U-series CPUs draws only 15 watts whereas a desktop processor can consume up to 140 watts.
Note that each of the laptops featured below are dual-core processors. This means for CPU-intensive, multi-threaded applications like SolidWorks, Maya, 3D Max, and other heavy-duty design programs of that ilk, you are better off shopping for a laptop with a quad-core from the previous generation (Skylake) for now. For tackling most office tasks, however, a Kaby Lake CPU is tops in its class.
Here are some early adopters from OEMs.
HP Laptop ProBook 400 Series
| 430 G4 | 470 G4 | 470 G4 | 440 G4 | 440 G4 | |
| CPU | i5 – 7200U (2.50 GHz) |
i5 – 7200U (2.50 GHz) | i7 – 7500U (2.70 GHz) | i7 – 7500U (2.70 GHz) | i5 – 7200U (2.50 GHz) |
| Display size | 13.3″ | 17.3″ | 17.3″ | 14″ | 14″ |
| Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 1600 x 900 | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 |
| Weight | 3.28 lbs | 5.79 lbs | 5.79 lbs | 3.61 lbs | 3.61 lbs |
| Storage | 500 GB HDD | 500 GB HDD | 1 TB | 256 GB SSD | 500 GB SSD |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR4 | 8 GB DDR4 | 8 GB DDR4 | 8 GB DDR4 | 4 GB DDR4 |
Traditionally, HP laptops have a reputation as cost-effective corporate fleet computers for business travelers. Low on frills, high on easy upgrades, remote management, and repair features. The company has fashioned the latest Kaby Lake HP ProBooks in this image. Straightforward clamshell build, standard definition display, HDMI ports and enough horsepower to crank out a sharp-looking presentation from the road, and light enough to (3-4 lbs.) to easily pass through airport security. Basic business models start at around $650, so they are easy on the bottom line as well.
ASUS Zenbook
| CPU | i7 – 7500U (2.70 GHz) |
| Display size | 12.5″ |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Weight | 2.10 lbs. |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR3 |
Perhaps the best traveler of the bunch is the 12.5-inch ASUS Zenbook, a featherweight laptop that registers a tick over 2 lbs. The thin, sleek build on the Zenbook is easily the most stylish of the new Kaby Lake PCs featured here. Its best angle is from the business end (the front) with a full-HD LED display, and comes with a roomy 512 GB SSD that combines snappy solid state drive performance with plenty of space for working offline. Pick up the new Zenbook on NeweggBusiness for under the manufacturer authorized price.
Lenovo ThinkPad 70-series
| E470 | E570 | |
| CPU | i3 – 7100U (2.40 GHz) |
i3 – 7100U (2.40 GHz) |
| Display size | 14″ | 15.6″ |
| Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 1366 x 768 |
| Weight | 4.12 lbs | 5.07 lbs |
| Storage | 500 GB HDD | 500 GB HDD |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR4 | 4 GB DDR4 |
The longstanding choice of IT pros discussing hardware online, the Lenovo ThinkPad gets an early Kaby Lake upgrade on two of its base models—both stripped down, no-nonsense machines designed for front line duty. Like the HP offerings, ThinkPads are built for efficiency—both in use and on the budget. If you’re purchasing on behalf of the IT department, chances are you know full well what you’re getting into with these machines.
Want to see more laptops with Windows 10 Professional pre-installed with older generation Intel CPUs? See the full roster of great laptops for work on NeweggBusiness.
