Samsung 9 Series – a worthy competitor for the Macboook Air

Alam January 6, 2011 Samsung 1 Comment

Finally, a worthy competitor for the Macbook Air has arrived. Not many Windows laptops have come as near to in terms of dimensions and hardware as Samsung’s 9 Series laptop. It seems that Samsung is really trying to go above and beyond Apple’s thinnest laptop line.

Dimensionally, the 9 series is very similar to that of the Macbook Air. Samsung’s laptop weighs only 2.89 pounds and measures 0.68 inches thick. The Macbook Air weighs 2.9 ponds and varies from 0.11 to 0.68 inches thick.

Unlike the Macbook, the 9 series will have a HDMI-out port. The peripherals (USB, HDMI, Ethernet) seem to be protected with a cover in a similar manner like that of the first generation of Macbooks Airs. Even more special is the Intel Core i5 2537M processor – which is a part of the new Sandy Bridge generation of Intel Core processors – that Samsung has decide to throw in. A 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM that also come with laptop only makes the 9 series that much more of a competitor to the Macbook Air.

Thin, light and solid built – the new samsung 9 Series ultraportable

Samsung still didn’t stop there. Some over-the-top features include a backlit keyboard (with island chiclet keys), 13.3 inch LED-backlit display capable of 400-nit brightness, and two 1.5-watt speakers and a sub-woofer. These are definitely some welcomed features that will make the predicted $1600 price tag seem a little more worth it.

Chiclet illuminated keyboard and bright 13.3 inch display

Aside from the hardware, I find this laptop far more aesthetically appealing than the Macbook Air. Silver-colored accents partially outline the laptop’s contours, which decorate the black, chic duraluminum alloy casing.

No word yet on the battery life, but for sure more details will come with time. Surely, people would want to know more about this powerful and stylish laptop. So stay tuned, we’ll update on the Samsung 9 Series once we know more.

Update: Sascha at netbooknews.com also has a hands-on video for the 9 Series, live from CES. You can find it below.