CES 2025 - What was relevant for PC Fleet Owners & Procurement Teams?
The Laptop Company Limited
The preferred hardware and deployment provider for IT fleets across NZ.
Along with a plethora of EVs and gadgets, some of our largest partner brands announced upcoming business laptops and PCs that will be on the radar for fleet buyers through 2025.
Intel & AMD
Both Intel and AMD polished off their own Copilot+PC CPUs - The Intel Core Ultra 200V (formerly Lunar Lake) and the AMD Ryzen AI 300. Both join Snapdragon X with their own 40+ TOPS AI NPU. Laptops and tablets with these processors are able to run the new Copilot+PC features in the latest release of Windows 11.
Other Intel and AMD processors launched with lower-performance AI NPUs for the rest of their business CPUs. For Intel this includes the mainstream Intel Core Ultra 200U, the high-performance Intel Core Ultra 200H and the workstation-class Intel Core Ultra 200HX (read here for how to tell them apart). AMD announced the Ryzen 200 series, which will eventually replace most AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors.
As the dust is setting following the initial AI hype, we are seeing NPUs being used to quietly enhance video calls, real-time translation, and run other background tasks without adding to CPU workloads. This is a net win even for teams not needing machine learning or generative tools.
Dell
Dell has a new branding scheme for upcoming new releases in their PC range. In place of sub-brands like Precision and Latitude, a simplified naming convention is being used:
The branding is used for desktops, workstations, and laptops. For laptops, the screen size in inches will be included.
New models announced from Dell:
These are this year's upcoming business and enterprise devices:
Dell Pro Plus - 14 or 16 inches in aluminium
The Dell Pro Plus is the newly announced corporate fleet range for enterprise teams. Teams currently using Dell Latitude 5000 series laptops will likely be migrating to Dell Pro Plus to retain robust aluminium durability, and enterprise-class security, management, and usability features.
Dell Pro Premium - 13 or 14 inches ultralight in magnesium
The Dell Pro Premium range focuses on premium usability for executive and leadership teams. Replacing the Dell Latitude 7000 and 9000 series, Dell Pro Premium is the choice for thin and light designs, and for class-leading display, audio, and camera technology.
Both families are powered by Intel Core Ultra 200V which includes a Copilot+PC capable AI NPU and more performance than mainstream Intel Core Ultra 200U series laptops.
Mobile workstation users will be moving to Dell Pro Max later this year for options like extra-high performance Intel Core Ultra 200 HX processors and the option of NVIDIA RTX graphics.
When cross-shopping or sourcing:
Lenovo
ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable
A pop-top laptop with an OLED screen that unfurls to twice its normal height, there were some insights into what to look out for in future business models. Beyond the tall-screen laptop, we would love to see them release a widescreen travel monitor that unfurls from a bag-friendly scroll - a pull-down OLED screen for the boardroom or home? With ThinkBook instead of ThinkPad branding, this is targeted to SMB buyers.
ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition:
These high-end premium Copilot+PC fleet laptops are available with 14 or 15.3 inch OLED displays and offer particularly fast on-device AI performance in a sleek aluminium design. As a ThinkPad branded model, this is targeted at fleet and enterprise buyers.
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Yoga Slim 9i:
A slim, glass backed prosumer laptop with webcam concealed under the surface of its OLED display - a welcome prospect for future laptop and monitor webcams. Hopefully in the future we will be able to effectively make eye contact in Teams calls when looking directly at the screen (instead of above), while seeing the size of screen borders reduce without the need for a camera cut-out.
Keep an eye out for ThinkPad releases
With the ThinkPad range being the mainstay for business users, new ThinkPad models powered by Intel Core Ultra 200 and AMD AI 300 should be on the radar for teams planning their procurement. There have been good savings to be made by choosing AMD processor options for Lenovo's enterprise models, with no performance penalty.
HP
HP has a new naming convention for business buyers
Like Dell and Lenovo, HP announced a number of new devices that will be entering the market during 2025. And like Dell, they have a new naming convention for their upcoming laptops.
For anyone planning this year's procurement, we have assembled information on how to decode HP's new branding to make sure you know what you are buying.: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/we-decode-hps-new-business-laptop-naming-scheme-sqr7c/
Like Dell and Lenovo, HP announced a number of new devices that will be entering the market during 2025. And like Dell, they have a new naming convention for their upcoming laptops.
This year's HP new EliteBook for enterprise and ZBook for professionals include Copilot+PC options powered by Intel, AMD, and Snapdragon, as well as mainstream, high performance and workstation-class models powered by Intel and AMD. We will be publishing information on the upcoming HP devices in a dedicated article soon.
Other laptop vendors
Microsoft Surface
With no major Surface announcements at CES 2025, Microsoft saved the launch of the upcoming Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC (Intel) and Surface Pro Copilot+ PC (Intel). These take last year's new chassis designs for the Snapdragon Powered Surface Laptop 7th Edition and Surface Pro 11th Edition, and add the new Intel Core Ultra 200V (Lunar Lake) for high-performance and a powerful new AI Neural Processing Unit.
Dynabook
With no major announcements at CES 2025, Dynabook has quietly launched some of their lightest and most powerful laptops to date. Each of these are powered by the full-flavour Intel Core Ultra H-class processors normally found in mobile workstations and high performance corporate laptops.
The Dynabook Portégé X30L-M weighs in at around 900 grams with 13 inch screen, the Portégé X30W-M weighs around 1kg with a 13" laptop-to-tablet convertible display, and the Portégé X40L-M weighs just over 1kg. Remarkable feats for corporate laptops with such high-performance internals. All feature standard AI NPUs, we expect to see a Copilot+PC later this year. Each of these is designed for enterprise fleet teams.
Find out more:
To find out more about new and upcoming models, release dates, recommendations, pricing, and newly-announced technologies, speak to our Account Management team for enterprise:
They can also provide guidance on opportunities for cost savings, sustainability, and fleet management strategies to help your team extract the most value from your spend this year.
Find out more about The Laptop Company
We equip many of New Zealand's largest and most successful enterprise and government organisations. Maximise your return on investment, and the satisfaction of every user in your workforce with TLC Modern Fleet Management.
An All-of-Government IT Hardware Contract Panel Supplier, and official Reseller for business brands including Apple, Dell, Dynabook, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Philips and Samsung.
Great roundup of key vendor updates helping businesses and government teams make informed laptop fleet decisions!