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However, just as Samsung is a tremendous competitor in the smartphone and tablet world to Apple and everyone else, so much so that Apple and Samsung are battling it out in courts worldwide, Samsung is also doing its utmost to give its own Ultrabook range as much of an edge over competitors as possible.
Promising to have invested 33,000 hours of R&D in the design and crafting of its 3rd-gen Core-powered Ultrabook models, its two new designs are in the 13-inch and 15-inch range, with both Core i5 and i7 processors on offer to those who wish to mix and match between size, performance and price.
Delivered within a “thin single shell body”, the “Samsung Notebook Series 9” has needed to have its “LCD panel, keyboard, motherboard, cables, fans and battery” all “crafted with absolute precision to fit”, and when you pick up either or both models, as I was able to do at the 3rd-Gen Core processor launch, it definitely shows.
Tony Ignatavicius, Director of Samsung Australia’s IT Division, effortlessly mixes a design and sales pitch together when he states that: “The Samsung Series 9 is part of an evolution in engineering and design, almost every piece both inside and out has a story. The Samsung Series 9 is one of the first Samsung notebook available with 3rd generation Intel Core i5/i7 processor making it easy for Australian’s to enjoy performance and usability.”
When it comes to “Design Aesthetics”, Samsung talks up its “compact chassis technology” which the company has dubbed MaxScreen.
As you might imagine, this tech allows Samsung to “minimise the bezel size and increase the screen by up to an inch more than its Samsung predecessors”.
Then, to differentiate the outer casing from a wide variety of ultrabook competitors, Samsung says that the “Mineral Ash Black colour of the main body has been sand-blasted to achieve a fingerprint resistant surface”.
Next up are stats that help to underline the ultra slim and ultra lightweight nature of the two Series 9 ultrabooks, with the 13-inch model measuring but 12.9mm while weighing only 1.16kg, and the 15-inch model upping things to a still trim 14.9mm and weighing 1.59kg.
After that comes an upgrade to boot-up speeds, with the new Series 9 “Fast Solutions” technology delivering the speed up, while the “HD+ SuperBright Plus” screen has a “reflective resistant display helps to provide a clear vision even outdoors”.
You’ll also find 8GB of memory within, along with a 128GB SSD that, if you were to open up the Ultrabook, would certainly surprise by being “no bigger than an Australian twenty cent coin”.
Finally, as seen on a range of the latest Ultrabooks, there’s a large multi-touch trackpad, although this one has a “stylish glass coating and image sensor”, while improvements to settings and included utility software are designed to make access to these areas simpler, easier and faster than before.
The only thing that isn’t ultra slim is the pricing, which for these premium products are a lot higher than your average $500 - $700 “cheap” notebook, while still being in the same range as most other premium Ultrabooks on the market, whichever major vendor they come from.
That means you can expect to pay AUD $1599 for the 13.3-inch Series 9 model, while the 15-incher will retail for AUD $1899.
Undoubtedly there’ll be price competition among the vendors both in Australia and price pressures from overseas, as well as sales and discounting for all computers in the lead-up to the Christmas/holiday shopping season, but for the earlier adopters of the next-gen of Ultrabook technology, sub $1000 pricing is an ultra benefit that’s clearly still to come.
All of that said, if you’re looking to upgrade to one of the many brand new Ultrabooks either now available or coming to retail over the next 30 days, it’s easy to suggest that, amongst the other major brands out there, many with unique and/or desirable features all their own, that Samsung’s Series 9 should definitely be on your list of Ultrabooks to consider – all while many wonder just what Apple and its own MacBook Airs will do next!
