I wish I could buy this Japanese laptop with a DVD player and a VGA port, but not for the reason you’d expect

What you need to know

• The newly announced NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> is a business laptop that at first glance has an unassuming design.
• The laptop runs on a 13th Gen Intel Core processor, features expandable RAM starting at 4GB, and has other modern features like Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
• The NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> also has a DVD player, a VGA port, and a removable battery, making it stand out from other laptops launched in recent years.

If you only saw a photo of the front of the NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K>, you’d think it was a normal business laptop. In many ways, that is the case. The portable PC features a 13th Gen Intel Core processor, a 15.6-inch FHD display, and a design that would fit into the sea of black business laptops that are all too common. But the NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> also includes some features from decades ago that make it stand out.

The newly announced NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> comes with 4GB of RAM that can be expanded up to 32GB. It also features a 15-pin VGA port and a DVD player — take that modern PC manufacturers.

In addition to the legacy ports that would fit in during a business presentation in the year 2,000, the NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> also has modern ports and connectivity.

Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 handle the wireless side of things while the laptop’s five USB ports let you connect wired accessories. Specifically, the NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> has one USB-C port that’s Thunderbolt 4 compatible and four USB 3.2 Gen1 ports. It also has an HDMI port, an SD card slot, an Ethernet port, and an audio jack.

New isn’t always better

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The NEC VersaPro Type VD has a removable battery rarely seen in laptops in the west.(Image credit: NEC)

A VGA port and a DVD player also make the NEC VersaPro Type VD stand out.(Image credit: NEC)

Apart from its unique port selection, the NEC VersaPro Type VD looks like a standard business laptop.(Image credit: NEC)

While I appreciate that some business users may need a VGA port or a DVD player, that’s not what interests me about the NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K>. It’s the battery of the laptop that makes me jealous of those who can buy the PC. The NEC VersaPro Type VD has a removable battery that’s rarely seen on business laptops.

There are some rugged devices with removable batteries, but the feature is often reserved for PCs built for construction sites, like the Panasonic Toughbook 55 Mk3. The Framework Laptop also has a replaceable battery, but the feature is still uncommon. I shouldn’t need to get fully modular laptop or a PC built for worksites to get a replaceable battery in 2023.

Joking about VGA ports and DVD players aside, sometimes the old ways are best. Laptop makers raced to make things slim and streamlined over the last decade, resulting in beautiful machines that lack functionality seen in their predecessors. Some manufacturers have made it easier to repair laptops, but they haven’t gone far enough when it comes to swapping out basic components.

While the port selection is impressive and the removable battery of the NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> stands out, you seem to pay extra for all that connectivity. The NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> starts at ¥313,000/$2,130.28, for the Intel Core i5 model and ¥366,000/$2,491 for the Intel Core i7 model, as highlighted by TechRadar.

As far as I can tell, the NEC VersaPro Type VD <VD-K> is only available in Japan, but if I find a US listing I’ll add it here.