A laptop shell is simply a laptop with no internal computing power, this is provided by connecting a smartphone to the laptop, which is then 'driven' by the keyboard, mouse and screen of the laptop 'shell'.

This guideline looks at the variances in terms of specification, features and price between the laptop shells currently available for pre-order. It explores the capabilities that a connected premium smartphone must have, such as DisplayPort and an appropriate “desktop mode”. Finally recommendations are made for forces who wish to be early adopters of this still immature technology (see section 4. Recommendations, page 4).