Samsung locked and loaded with new Ultrabook

30.10.2012
Samsung, which has steadily become the leader of the pack in the Android mobility space, is looking to get the same dominance in the PC space, and with its latest Series 9 laptop it has got one hell of a weapon on its hands.

Last year Samsung released an ultraportable laptop before Intel's Ultrabook specification was fully adopted. While it was a good starting point, the previous Series 9 laptop was sluggish and had a poor battery life, I recommended that readers hold off until the middle of this year for Samsung's Ultrabooks. Those who have will be rewarded handsomely by Samsung's latest offering.

The June 2012 model of the Series 9 has the same aerofoil shape as the old one, and in keeping with the aeronautics theme, is once again built with the lightweight duralumin aluminium. The size and shape of the Series 9 is roughly the same as an A4 sheet of paper, and while not quite paper thin, at only 13mm it is one of the thinnest laptops I've ever used.

The build quality of the shell is excellent, and the hinge between the screen lid and the main body has a smooth motion to it and feels sturdy.

The Series 9 is sparse when it comes to adapters and ports, but what it does have will be useful for most business users including two USB drives (one USB 3.0), micro HDMI, and a headphone jack. A clever little flap on the underside hides the SD card slot, which helps prevent dust from clogging up the connectors.

Missing is a dedicated Ethernet port to connect the laptop to your network by wire. For consumers wi-fi will most likely be the default gateway to the internet, but for those like myself who need to use Ethernet cables to access the internet at the office there is an Ethernet port accessory which comes in the box.