Samsung Series 9 Review (15-inch, Mid-2023)

Before there have been Ultrabooks, there was the Samsung Series 9. When it arrived on the scene last yr, measuring .64 inches thick, weighing 2.8 pounds and packing a blazing SSD, it seemed to offer Windows customers the closest factor to a no-compromise experience -- offered, in fact, they were prepared to pony up the requisite $1,649. As it turns out, the Series 9 was nice -- memorable, even -- but not with out flaws. A 12 months later, Samsung is again with a second-technology laptop computer that guarantees to appropriate all of those shortcomings, and ushers in an even thinner, even lighter design. Make that two laptops: Sammy's selling a 15-inch Ultrabook, too. And truly, there's nothing quite like it: nothing fairly this skinny, with this massive a screen. As always, though, luxury would not come low-cost. The 15-inch Series 9 will value $1,500 when it ships at the top of this month (the 13-inch version is offered for an additionally-expensive $1,400, although we have not gotten to take that model for a spin yet.) Ultimately, then, are the Series 9's elegant aluminum design and 1600 x 900 matte show enough to justify the premium you'll pay over different Ultrabooks?

And does the 15-inch version provide lengthy enough battery life to match its bigger size? As rough as it is being an Engadget editor, watching scorching-headed readers run amok within the feedback part, it should be that much more agonizing to be a product manager, the man whose baby gets eviscerated by anonymous people on the web who actually cannot stand 1366 x 768 resolution, man. If not for the sake of politeness, you positive people within the peanut gallery would possibly need to decide on your phrases carefully: Samsung's product staff attracts some of its user suggestions from the comments left right here and on different tech websites. In truth, says Samsung's design team, Engadget's remark part was one of many locations it turned when it got down to retool the Series 9. Based on what it found there, a pair issues turned clear: customers weren't fond of the shiny plastic bits, and there wasn't much love misplaced for those launch buttons and port covers either. Post was c re ated by GS A Co​nt ent Genera᠎to᠎r ᠎DEMO !

That explains what we now have right here: a clean, minimalist machine usual out of unibody aluminum (sorry, no aircraft-grade duraluminum this time). The trackpad now blends in with the rest of the palm rest. Save for a small, discreet energy button above the keyboard, you won't find any hardware keys. Even the LED lights (all two of them) are tiny. All instructed, it is a refreshing technique: as an alternative of apparent tropes like brushed steel (or plastic painted to seem like brushed metallic), Samsung is relying nearly completely on build high quality to steer buyers this can be a luxury merchandise. This laptop's thin form, rock-strong construct, shiny show and clear design speak for themselves, and the consequence is just not only sexy, however eminently tasteful, too. What actually makes this notebook special, though, is how absurdly thin it is. We all know, we know: there's been a flood of svelte Ultrabooks introduced over the previous six months, and dozens extra are on the best way. But even the jaded amongst you can't say you've got seen something fairly like this: a 15-inch laptop computer weighing just 3.3 3.5 pounds and measuring .Fifty eight inches thick.

This is way and away the skinniest 15-inch laptop computer we will remember seeing. To put that it context, it's nearly as skinny because the 13-inch Series 9, which measures a wispy half an inch thick. It should go without saying, then, that it handily trumps all mainstream laptops, even the Dell XPS 15z, which at 5.54-pounds / .97 inches thick is in any other case thin for its class. The issue with being this lean, though, is that with none love handles there is not room for all of the ports you'd count on to seek out on a 15-inch laptop computer. You won't discover an Ethernet jack, and there is no full-sized HDMI port. You'll find a micro-HDMI socket and miniature VGA /LAN ports, together with an included Ethernet adapter, though that is not quite as handy, is it? On the plus facet, it comes bearing two USB 3.Zero ports, along with one of many 2.0 variety. There's additionally a combined headphone /mic jack and a 4-in-1 reminiscence card reader, located beneath a door hidden on the laptop computer's proper side.

Looks like Samsung's engineers additionally heard your complaints in regards to the final-gen model's absent SD slot. The power brick that ships with the Series 9 is notably skinny, although it isn't modular the best way the HP Envy 14 Spectre's is. You additionally will not discover as many luxury goodies within the field: while it comes with that Ethernet adapter, there is no case -- something you'll get with the $1,400 Spectre and even the $1,one hundred ASUS Zenbook UX31. No one ever mentioned a machine this skinny would come without compromises. One such commerce-off seems to be the keyboard, whose backlit keys are quite shallow, even for an Ultrabook. We suspect most of you'll have the ability to do with out that additional bit of tactile feedback, particularly for the reason that keys are nicely-spaced with a easy, pleasant end. The arrow buttons, too, are a bit bigger than what you may discover on smaller-screened Ultrabooks, and needs to be straightforward to tap with out looking away from the display screen.