10 Coolest Business-Friendly Devices For Mobile Workers
Business-friendly smartphones, portable laptops, tablets and a variety of accessories make mobility a gamechanger in any business environment.
Mobile And On-The-Go
More and more work is being accomplished outside the office walls. In 2019, supporting a highly mobile workforce is no longer optional--it's a necessity. That doesn't mean it's easy to choose the right hardware solutions, though. To give a sense of some of the leading options for mobile workers, we've rounded up 10 of the latest cool devices in mobility that solution providers should know about—from business-friendly smartphones, to portable laptops and tablets, to accessories for getting the job done.
Apple Fast-Charging Adapter
With all three of the latest iPhones, Apple says getting a 50 percent charge is possible in just a half-hour. That requires getting two accessories and plugging them together—a USB-C power adapter and a cable (sold separately) that converts USB-C to Lightning (the connector on the iPhone).
Belkin Boost Charge Power Bank 5k With Lightning Connector
For power banks, one solid option is Belkin’s Boost Charge Power Bank 5K With Lightning Connector, which has the advantage over other power banks of being able to recharge itself using a Lightning cable. That means that mobile workers can use the same Lightning cable used to power their iPhone to recharge their power bank.
Dell Latitude 7400 2-In-1
Any professional who spends a lot of time on planes or trains, or giving presentations off their laptop, will appreciate the battery life on this convertible notebook, which can reach up to 24 hours on a charge, according to Dell. Meanwhile, a slim-bezel design goes a long way toward helping to boost the overall portability of the notebook. Also notable for highly mobile workers is that the Latitude 7400 2-in-1 offers an option for LTE connectivity.
iOttie Easy One Touch Connect
For mobile workers that are often behind the wheel, why isn’t Alexa available to help make car rides a little simpler (and safer)? Accessory maker iOttie recently unveiled its solution to the issue: the Easy One Touch Connect, a smartphone mount featuring the Alexa assistant built in. The mount includes two microphones and noise-canceling capabilities to reduce traffic noise.
The iOttie Easy One Touch Connect will be available later this year.
HP EliteBook X360 830 G1
HP recently unveiled the EliteBook x360 830, the first-ever convertible model in the EliteBook 800 series. Along with the ability to use the 13.3-inch display in multiple modes, key features that mobile workers will appreciate include an option for HP’s Sure View integrated privacy screen; an optional high-brightness display (up to 1,000 nits); and a highly portable form factor at about 3 pounds and 0.66 of an inch thick.
HP EliteDisplay S14
Salespeople and other business travelers giving presentations may not always need to put on a big PowerPoint production to win over potential customers. With the EliteDisplay S14, HP has the first-ever 14-inch USB-C portable display on the market. The display features FHD resolution and runs off USB-C, meaning that users only need to connect one end of a USB-C cable to a laptop and the other end into the display.
Lenovo USB-C Travel Hub
The Lenovo USB-C Travel Hub is a compact connectivity device for laptop docking. The hub can be connected via a single USB-C cable to provide access to HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, USB-C and two USB-A ports. And the hub weighs just a quarter of a pound as well.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6
The Surface Pro 6 moves up to eighth-gen Intel processors—either Core i5 or Core i7, both of which are quad core and offer up to a 67 percent improvement in performance for the tablet compared with the previous Surface Pro. The Surface Pro 6 will also keep pace with the previous version by offering 13.5 hours of battery life per charge and weighing 1.7 pounds.
Samsung Galaxy S10E
For the 5.8-inch Galaxy S10e, Samsung has included a fully flat screen, rather than the curved edges of the other new S10 models. The flat Galaxy S10e display was designed specifically for use with cases, which is a common need among businesses. Without the curved edges, it’s easier to put a case on the phone and use the device in a ruggedized environment.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
Samsung’s 2-in-1 Galaxy Tab S4 may just be the rare Android tablet worth considering for work purposes. The tablet includes DeX, Samsung’s Android desktop software—allowing users to flip-flop between the typical Android tablet view over to the DeX desktop with access to Microsoft Office, Google Apps and other productivity software. And at 1.1 pounds and 0.3 of an inch thick, the Tab S4 is practically negligible for toting around.