Samsung to launch new ultra-thin 9 Series laptop in Korea and Europe
First revealed at CES this year, the 9 Series laptop from Samsung caught a lot of eyes with its extremely thin profile. At just 2.89 pounds and 0.64-inches thick, the 13.3-inch laptop is even thinner and beefier than the current 2.3 pounds and 0.68-inches MacBook Air. As such, the laptop will be competing directly against Apple in the ultra thin-and-light department. Unfortunately for Samsung, Apple has yet to announce its new MacBook Air refresh for the year, so there is still more to come from the competition.
Specifications of the 9 Series will include a 1.4GHz Core i5 2537M processor, 4GB of RAM, a 128GB solid-state drive and a 1366x768 resolution display with Intel HD Graphics. Connectivity options include USB 3.0 as well as 2.0, HDMI, microSD reader and the usual WiFI and Bluetooth. Battery life, according to the Samsung press release from CES, should last up to 6.5 hours.
Samsung, however, should take caution in the lucrative ultra thin-and-light laptop category. Earlier this month, Dell discontinued the Adamo series, its own thin-and-light notebook line, due to intense pressure and competition from the MacBook Air.
The Series 9 is now on sale in South Korea for around $2020 with an expected March release for European markets. The high price may be off-putting for some, but ultra thin-and-light laptops are usually sold at premiums on launch. Unfortunately, plans for a US release were not mentioned.