LAS VEGAS -- As popular as the MacBook Air is, it's starting to look and feel a little dated. The new 13.3-inch Samsung Notebook 9 weighs just 1.85 pounds and is 0.5 inches thin, making it more than a pound lighter than the Air. The notebook also offers a full 1920 x 1080p display that leverages Samsung's TV know-how, as well as seamless integration with your Galaxy phone.
Samsung announced the new ultraportable here at CES 2016, also debuting a new 15.5-inch Notebook 9 with a super-slim bezel and fast-charging technology.
When we went hands-on with the Notebook 9 here at CES, we were impressed by how light both models felt, and we found that the 1.5mm travel on the keys was satisfying on first impression. The 13-inch model feels so light at first that you wonder if it's cheaply made, but the magnesium body feels fairly sturdy.
Both models pack Intel's 6th-generation Skylake processors and up to 8GB of RAM, with SSD storage options running up to 256GB. The 13-inch packs a 30Wh battery while the 15-inch boasts a 39Wh battery. The two laptops will be available in either silver or "modern pink" and feature 180-degree hinges so you can lie them flat for easy content sharing.
Both the 13-inch and 15-inch Notebook 9 models work with Samsung Link 2.0, allowing users to share files wirelessly between their laptops and Samsung Galaxy smartphones, tablets and Smart TVs. Additionally, Samsung SideSync will let you mirror Samsung Galaxy smartphones on either Notebook 9.
Samsung is touting the 15-inch model’s slim bezel, which fits a big, full 1920 x 1080p screen into a small laptop, a concept similar to the Infinity Display on the Dell XPS 13. It's also quite light at just 2.84 pounds. The company claims the battery will last all day, but did not release any numbers. It claims the battery can reach a full charge in just an hour and a half with Samsung's proprietary technology. This version will also include USB-C for data (a 5Gbps transfer rate) and output to monitors at 4K resolution.
We’re looking forward to giving both of these notebooks full reviews when they are released.
