Samsung 9 Series laptop (ZX310 / 900X3A) unveiled

Wow... this thing looks amazing!

Samsung 9 Series laptop unveiled, ready to slice some MacBook Air -- Engadget

 

It looks impressive, but the pricing is very "Apple-like" as well.

 

Wow, that is one of the most beautiful designs I've ever seen, even more interesting are the specs, could that be an IPS screen finally on a 13.3"?

Read the press release:

Ultra Vivid Display
The 13.3-inch 9 Series features a LED-backlit screen, offering users the highest quality visual experience expected from Samsung, thanks to SuperBright Plus display with 400- nit brightness. Digital images and multimedia are brought to life on the 9 Series, assisted by a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and true-to-life color reproduction (16 million colors), enriching the computing experience for end users.

Additionally, the wide 160-degree viewing angle allows users to appreciate breathtaking screen images from a variety of vantages points, making the 9 Series easy to use whether in a user's lap, on a desk or shared in a communal space. The laptop's ambient light sensor adjusts the display brightness based on surrounding lighting conditions and reduces user eye strain. This innovative feature is complemented by an automatically adjusting backlit keyboard that adapts to darker light conditions with greater illumination.

Samsung's 9 Series Laptop Takes the MacBook Air Head-On

 

Very nice indeed. Will give the Sony Z a run for its money.

 

It does look nice, but the Sony does have an optical drive which I still use. But, if this is priced fair with a screen that is to my liking(ie something with good viewing angles, and color) I am am sold, specially if they offer an external optical drive option.

 

That looks nice (although how long it runs on battery remains to be seen). Samsung, after a few years chasing quantity, are now showing renewed interest in their top end models. One can hope that some of the engineering can trickle down the range.

John

 

Do we know if the screen is glossy or is it going to be some kind of IPS, or mattish display?

 

If those specs are correct, it must be IPS, but the resolution is only 1368x768, that could be a dealbreaker for me, I need minimum 1440x900.

 

I think on 13.3 16:9 res would be 1600x900, as I don't think I have seen a 1440x900 res on a 16:9(at least I don't think I have).

 

Yeah, 16:9 is 1368x768 or 1600x900 on a 13.3".

The screen is matte, which is great news, check this hands on:

YouTube - Samsung Series 9 13.3-inch Subnotebook Hands On

 

Looks like about 6.5 hours. Here are some specs:

* CPU: Second Generation Intel® CoreTM i5 Processor 2537M (1.40 GHz, 3MB; turbo up to 2.3 GHz)
* Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 bit) / Windows® 7 Professional (64 bit)
* Memory: 4GB DDR3
* Storage (max): 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
* Screen: 13.3-inch HD LED-backlit SuperBright Plus display (400 nit)
* Resolution: 1366x768
* Graphics: Intel HD GT2 Integrated Graphics
* Speakers: 3 watt (1.5W x 2) stereo speakers and 1.5 watt sub-woofer
* Battery: Lithium Polymer; up to 6.5 hours
* Wireless: 802.11b/g/n; WiMaxi
* Weight: 2.89 lbs.

Looks good to me!

 

Hmm, looks like a great deal!

But what's up with these new Intel integrated graphics??
Do they do the job well? Will I be able to run some light games like WoW on this computer?

That's the only thing that prevents me from buying this computer when it comes out in February..

 

See the notebookcheck data on this GPU. There are various benchmark results plus some actual gaming performance data (at the bottom of the page).

John

 

Check out this trackpad!

 

I like it, but the price is a bit high for me, atm, and I would have preferred a standard HDMI instead of HDMI mini.

 

I know what you mean. And I agree about the HDMI. Plus I'd much prefer a regular SD cardslot, not a MiniSD. That kinda bugs me, to be honest.

 

A 13" MBA with 128gb SSD and 4gb RAM runs $1399, and this is $200 more, with a newer processor speed and backlit keyboard.
So there really isn't much of a price differential here, except that the Samsung will likely be competing with a whole host of similarly designed Windows based products - while OS X really won't. It's a matter of OS preference more than anything.
If Samsung really dropped the price on these things, it would be a different game.

 

Wait you sure mini and not micro? I can deal with micro as that is what my phone uses, and have a few micro to sd card adapters I can use on my camera.

 

Sorry, you're right, I meant Micro. My cameras all use regular SD so I'm not accustomed to MicroSD. Personally I'd rather not have to deal with adapters.

 

Yeah I have a bunch of sd cards too, but most of them are the old 1gb and 2gb kind while I have a 4gb microsd hc card(w adapter) that I use on my camera, and hook it up to my pc.

 

Engadget has hands-on, it really looks good:

Samsung Series 9 hands-on preview (video) -- Engadget

 

Agreed, very impressive.

To be honest, I was seriously considering buying a new Macbook Air as my very first Apple computer... but this Samsung ZX310 is very tempting. Now I'm torn.

 

Only 2 problems for me:

1. Price is too high.
2. Screen resolution should 1440x900 or even better 1600x900.

Everything else is perfect.

 

1599 for a TOP model according to that guy from that youtube video.

not bad I was thinking of picking up the Z, but I might plunge for this.

 

Is this anything like the successor to the samsung x360-34P? Also, do you guys think there's any chance there will be massive discounts in a couple of months after it's released like the 34P (I was able to buy mine for ~$1000 while the retail price was ~$2000 I think).

 

I don't know about "massive" discounts... but I don't doubt that there will be discounts.

 

Ive heard good things about Samsung lately.

Im shopping and looking at models from Sony, Samsung, Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP. The other brands just aren't as good unless someone knows of another one Im missing from the list with good support.

Im looking for a Samsung model with DVD burner built in since I will be using it as my primary machine and generally these ultrathin are nice but will require a remote drive and I want it built in.

 

I am considering this instead of the MBA with 4gigs and the 1.8.

Personally I am interested in as light as possible while maintaining a 12-13inch display. The device must handle Power Point, Word Processing, HD video, and a little tuning software I use on the side for drag racing. This fits the build and I don't have to deal with a new OS and exchanging files between my desktop and this.

 

Effectively yes.

Not if Samsung's marketing get it right this time. The X360 was released when Samsung notebooks were new to the North American market and I don't think they managed to shift the quantities they were expecting. Two years later and Samsung now has much more market presence in North America.

Look at the QX310 and QX410.

John

 

If it is kind of the X360 replacement, would be interesting to see if they will include an optical drive(external) like some of the X360 models came with. That could sell me on it, once price go down a little of course.

 

This laptop is simply beautiful and almost perfectly positioned.

While the resolution is less than high, if the viewing angles are indeed 160deg then this is worth consideration over simply resolution alone. It seems that Samsung has included a very nice panel in this device.

Also, Samsung products often sell for less than the MSRP, so while it may be $1599 out of the gate, the price will most certainly drop.

If it lives up to battery life claims, or exceeds them (close to idle usage), then this will be a laptop to be feared.

I'm seriously considering this.

 

I've been very seriously considering buying a Macbook Air, which would be my first Mac. But this Samsung is tempting. Very tempting.

 

Unless something miraculous comes along it is a sealed deal for me. I can't stand spending money on products that don't meet my expectations and this fits the bill for everything. The MBA was almost there other than the fact it was a dated processor and being Mac OS.

 

I agree, this looks nice. A bit more aggressive pricing would be even better. If anyone can match the Apple trackpad that would be great.

 

I think that the price will drop. I'm most interested in the battery life. If I can get around 7-8 hours out of this laptop running close to idle (very light surfing or document editing), then I'd be extremely happy.

Oh, I also plan to install Ubuntu on this machine, completely forgoing windows. So I'd need 7-8 hours in Ubuntu.

Of course, if the battery life is only around 4 hours actual, then I'm most certainly going to pass. I have a netbook that does 4 hours and it's simply not enough to be comfortably used away from a plug -- one of the major drivers for an ultra-thin in the first place. Besides, for $1600 I would require this laptop to perform in all areas.

I'm not worried about the price. Unlike Apple, Samsung sells to retailers so the price is variable and will certainly drop. At around $1400, this becomes incredibly enticing machine.

The battery life is what determines if I give this laptop a recommend or a pass.

It's interesting, but the MBA and this 9series are quite different in specs. The MBA has a higher res, but it looks as if the 9series has a higher quality (matte, viewing angles, brightness). The MBA has a more SSD, but the 9series has more RAM (though you can upgrade the MBA). The 9series has a backlit keyboard (which is much nicer for a premium laptop). They both have a nice design, but in different ways -- the MBA is more conservative, but the 9series is more bold. They both have pros/cons in different areas.

I think you can't go wrong with either to be honest. It seems that the major point of difference is the OS, and in this regard it depends on preference. Not being a fan of either MacOSX or Windows, this gives the 9series a point for me as I have the option. For those that are more partial to one system or the other, the OS will likely be the determining factor.

 

The general claim reported by several websites is "up to three times longer than typical notebooks". So think of the worst battery time that you can find and multiply it by three. Six hours should not be difficult for the ZX310 to reach, 9 hours may be challenging and more than 9 will be impressive.

I've yet to see some good info about the power consumption of the Sandybridge hardware. Tom's Hardware has compared some desktop CPUs and there is not a lot of difference but, we hope, the mobile chips will be better. Or will the ZX310 use lower power versions of the i5 and i7 CPUs? Saving 2 or 3W through low power leakage when running on idle is one key to getting long battery run time.

John

 

I was so close to buying a Sony Z 3 months ago but I decided against it for several reasons. This machine is pretty much exactly what I am looking for, with the exception of missing security features like a fingerprint scanner and TPM (doesn't look like it will have them, but maybe this will change?). Also, Samsung's press release on its site seems to hint that the i7 and 256 SSD options may be a possibility.

http://samsungces2011.com/pdf/Samsung_Note_PC_9_Series_press_release_0103.pdf

If so, I'm sold.

 

wow, if true, I'm ditching the sony z and getting this+a desktop

 

Amazon sells Samsung laptops

If the touchpad is the new Synaptics 3.0 and is "Mac like", and this has USB 3.0 then this will be on its way to me for an unboxing.

This is the laptop I've been looking for, but which did not exist until now.
--

 

So who here thinks this will actually release in February and be for sale? I just sold my laptop last night and this is the number one contender for me.

 

Samsung's ultrathin 9 Series laptop coming in February -- Engadget

Says here that it's coming in Feb. No mention of 256gb ssd or core i7 tho

 

Samsung can't sell in the states right?

 

Let's hope Engadget is right on the release month. I can live without the i7.. but no 256 SSD option might be a deal breaker for me. But given that the 13" MBA offers a 256 option, I find it hard to believe that Samsung wouldn't do the same.

 

The i5-2537M is only being released February 20th ( source).

So, I would assume this laptop will launch late February or February 20th at the earliest.

 

I'm considering the Vaio Z and this laptop at the moment, and lots of you guys said you would be ditching the Vaio Z for this. Just wondering, why?

If Samsung claims the battery is 6.5 hours, then when wifi surfing it will probably only be 4-5 hours, since companies most of the time report idling battery life. Vaio Z will probably have the upper hand in battery life. I don't know how the processors will stack up, but I think the full fledged i-processors in the Vaio Z will be able to beat the 1.4ghz i5 in the Samsung. And from what I saw from notebookcheck's review of the Intel HD 3000 graphics, the GT 330m performs better. Vaio Z is definitely bulkier (although not bulky at all when compared to a normal laptop). And as other people have already said, the Samsung has some awkward ports (mini HDMi and micro SD).

PRO VAIO Z
- resolution
- battery life?
- processor?
- graphics?
- number of ports

PRO Samsung
- very slim and sleek
- USB 3.0
- great viewing angles + matte screen

Common Pros
- light, portable, and sleek
- backlit keyboards
- mini powerhouse (good graphics + processors with small form factor)
- Great advertised battery life (both are 6 hours+)

 

I honestly don't think I can make a final statement until there is official word that there will be an update to the z series, or if the vaio sa is the successor. I think one factor to take into consideration is the price. I think you'll be able to get the samsung for ~1.5k whereas the new z series will be priced ~2.5k. As I said, if I'm getting the samsung, I'll most likely get a desktop as well because although the 9 series probably a very capable light and portable laptop, I don't think it's meant to be an all in one.

 

I wonder if Best Buy will get a watered down version of this, missing some key feature that everyone would want.

 

Good post.

 

Just as a heads up to anyone who might be interested, the Vaio Z is only $1599 for an i5 model at the Microsoft store currently.

 

Yeah, the MSRP price is quite different and the Samsung is an ultraportable, whereas the Vaio Z is just portable. I'm waiting for it to come out and see the battery life specs and benchmarks. Also, does anybody know if the battery is removable on the Samsung, so you can physically switch batteries when running low on charge?