If I had a laptop mistress, it just might be the Samsung Series 9. The company’s latest ultrabook is the World’s thinnest, measuring only 0.6 inches deep. Yes, it’s even thinner than the new MacBook Pro at a still slim 0.71 inches. It’s also lighter, weighing less than three pounds for the 13″ model and just over for the 15″ model. Everything about it other than the fact its manufactured by Samsung and runs on a Windows operating system is competitive and comparable to a Mac.
The ultrabooks feature a sandblasted single shell aluminum body with contrast diamond edgings, AKA raw aluminum. I confess it’s the first laptop to really make my insides warm that wasn’t patented by Apple. This very well might be the ultrabook to throw a few grenades at Apple’s marketshare – especially since it will retail for less.
The Series 9 features:
- Third-generation Intel Core processor (Core i7_3517UM and Core i5_3317UM)
- 4GB Ram
- 128GB SSD, with a built in SSD slot for additional memory
- Windows 7 operating system
- Battery lasts 10 hours with minimal operation at half the brightness. Otherwise, it averages eight hours. Less when running major programs like Photoshop
- Will retain 70 per cent of its battery power after three years
- Not a gaming system, but is powerful enough to run Diablo 3
- Seventy-five per cent of the laptop’s components are manufactured by Samsung
- LCD, HD+, 400 nit screen. Forty per cent brighter than the average laptop’s screen
- Boots up in 10 seconds, 3 seconds from sleep mode
- Features USB 3 and USB 2 ports
The 13” ultrabook weighs in at 2.5 pounds and will retail at $1,299. The 15′ ultrabook is an extended widescreen that sits in a 14” screen’s cassis. It weighs in at 3.6 pounds and will retail at $1,499.
The Series 9 won’t be released until later this summer, likely right before back to school time.
____
Sheena Lyonnais is Toronto Standard’s tech and business editor. You can follow her on Twitter at @SheenaLyonnais.
For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard or subscribe to our newsletter.
