Samsung’s New Series 9 Notebook Is the Best of the Big Boys

Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C-A01US (2012)

The 2012 edition of Samsung’s well-regarded Series 9 laptop invites you to play a game of numbers. Here are the relevant digits: 15-inch screen. 15 millimeters thick. 3.7 pounds.

he last figure is the showstopper. This isn’t just the lightest laptop in its size class, it’s lighter than every 14-inch laptop I’ve reviewed and even lighter than some 13.3-inch laptops I’ve seen, too. If ultrabooks had a 15-inch category, the Series 9 would be the leader of the pack.

But for now they don’t, and that puts the Series 9 in an interesting and unique market position. For users who desire broader screen real estate and a more spacious typing experience — yet aren’t willing to sacrifice portability — the 2012 Series 9 is a near-perfect pick.

What’s under the hood? A 1.7GHz 3rd generation Core i5, 128GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, and integrated graphics. The screen — an odd 15.0 inches — packs in 1600×900 pixels and is extremely bright. Altogether, it’s one of the most dazzling displays I’ve come across.

The Series 9 is also an impressive performer, turning in the best general application benchmark scores I’ve seen on an Ivy Bridge system to date while still pulling out 4.5 hours of battery life on a full-screen video loop at maximum brightness. Of course, it’s a no-show on graphics tests, a necessary sacrifice for a machine of this size and weight.

The Series 9 even goes above and beyond with its port selection considering its tiny size: two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0, and an SD card reader, plus micro connectors for HDMI, VGA, and wired Ethernet (dongle included). Even the power brick is small enough to add only a minimal additional burden to your travel bag.

Samsung has been dinged in the past for having wonky clickpads on its laptops, and the kinks finally seem to have been ironed out here. I had no trouble with tracking and taps being registered, and the depress-to-click action works well.

If I have only one complaint (and I do) about the Series 9, it’s the keyboard. 15mm doesn’t give you much depth to work with, and the shallow travel on these keys makes touch typing difficult. At $1,400, the price may be an additional concern for some buyers, but I’d happily argue that the design and power of this good-looking laptop merit the extra outlay.

WIRED Amazingly portable and powerful, with a screen to die for. Surprisingly sturdy, tough design. “Silent mode” kills fans.

TIRED Keyboard backlighting too dim to be useful, even at highest brightness setting. Thin profile means very shallow key travel.