Samsung has unveiled a new line of 13.3- and 15-inch Notebook 9 laptops, upgrading the specs under the hood and making the models a whole deal lighter than their predecessors.
This announcement comes ahead of CES 2017, an event where manufacturers typically take the stage to showcase new devices.
Despite the fact that many competitors have yet to reveal their cards for this year, the South Korean manufacturer boldly claims that the 13.3-inch variant is the lightest notebook in the market.
Impressive Specs: Kaby Lake Processors, Vivid FHD Displays
As mentioned earlier, the Notebook 9 laptops come in two sizes: a 13.3-inch version and a 15-inch one.
They more or less share the same specs, including the seventh-generation Intel Kaby Lake Core i7, integrated graphics, an SSD up to 256 GB, 8 GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.1, and 2x2 802.11ac, to name a few. However, the 13.3-inch model can have up to 16 GB of RAM, and it's also available with a Core i5.
On top of that, they also have FHD displays, which amount to 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions. Needless to say, the 13.3-inch variant will be a tad sharper because of the smaller screen.
Other features worth noting are the built-in fingerprint reader for security, Windows Hello support, and a 720p webcam for video calls.
In terms of ports, they're both equipped with two USB 3.0, a USB-C, an HDMI, and a microSD card slot. If that's not enough, the 15-inch unit has an additional USB 2.0 port.
It should also be pointed out that the USB-C is also for charging, and Samsung says users can plug it in and juice it up using a phone charger and get 2.1 hours of battery life in just 20 minutes or fully recharge it in an hour and 20 minutes.
Lighter Than The 12-Inch MacBook
Arguably the most notable aspect of the new Notebook 9 laptops is their weight — 13.3-inch version at 1.8 pounds and the 15.5-inch one at 2.17 pounds.
To put those values into perspective, Apple's 12-inch MacBook weighs at 2 pounds, according to the specs sheet. In the case of the 13.3-inch variant, that's 0.2 pounds lighter, and for the 15.5-inch model, that's barely 0.2 pounds heavier.
Battery Bummer: Going Below The Standard
Considering that the Notebook 9 laptops have a pretty thin form factor, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Samsung had to cut corners somewhere, and it looks like the battery drew the short straw, so to speak.
Touting only seven hours of battery life, the devices are somewhat a bit disappointing in this department, but hey, they can charge right up quickly thanks to the USB-C technology.
Wrapping Up
Put simply, the updated Notebook 9 are packing in a lot of powerful components in a slim package, and the 13.3-inch model may just be the lightest in the market. However, likely because of that, it has a minor downside in terms of battery life.
Also, the price hasn't been announced just yet.
What do you think of Samsung's new offerings? Drop by our comments section below and let us know.
