The problem we've had with Intel's Ultrabook initiative is one of consistency. We've seen Ultrabooks we'd be happy to carry around, and others that bore more bulk than we expected. Because those more rotund models employed larger displays, though, they were still able to skate by with Ultrabook branding. That's watering down the concept, we think.
Samsung circumvents the controversy entirely with its 13.3" Series 9, updated for 2012, though. Nowhere on its product page does the company even mention Ultrabook. It boasts about half-inch thickness, of course, but also lets the SuperBright display, solid-state storage, and exceptional battery life enjoy time under the spotlight.

We put each of those highlights to the test and discovered that the new Series 9 excels in each case. It's both thinner and lighter than a MacBook Air, its screen is almost as vibrant as the vaunted third-gen iPad, its battery out-lasts competing compact notebooks, and its Ivy Bridge-based CPU and SATA 6Gb/s-capable SSD deliver snappy performance. By all accounts, this is what we were expecting when Intel first discussed Ultrabooks with us three generations ago. Finally, Samsung delivers with its 13.3" Series 9 (NP900X3C-A04US).
There's very little we don't like about this platform. Its keyboard and touchpad could use some refinement, we think, as they're both difficult to switch to from a desktop environment. But by far the hardest pill to swallow is this Ultrabook's price tag. This is no value-oriented contender. It's a flagship, and it sells for a hefty $1700 (yes, even without discrete graphics). That's $200 more than the most comparable MacBook Air. Fortunately, the fully decked-out SKU we're reviewing is but one option from the Series 9 family. If you're willing to step back to a 128 GB SSD and a Core i5-3317U, you shave a full $400 off the price tag and retain the 13.3" form factor, a great display, exceptional battery performance, and performance that does not disappoint.
Although it would have done bad things to pricing, it would have been nice to see Thunderbolt support from the Series 9. Maybe we're just amped up about the technology after hooking up a discrete graphics card via Thunderbolt in Echo Express Pro: Desktop Graphics In A Thunderbolt Chassis. Think about it though; the use of HD Graphics 4000 wouldn't matter all that much if you could hook up a desktop Radeon HD 7850 or GeForce GTX 660 whenever you were docked at home. We can dream, right?
Until then, Samsung's refreshed 13.3" Series 9 serves as a stellar example of what an Ultrabook should be, without being self-congratulatory about it. The company quietly refines its chassis, improves performance, and value-adds extras like a gigabit Ethernet dongle. We took notice, though, and we like what we see.
- Samsung 13.3" Series 9: Now With Ivy Bridge-Based CPUs
- Series 9 Processor Performance: Mobile Ivy Bridge Delivers
- Benchmark Results: PCMark 7 And Battlefield 3
- Transcoding Performance: Second-Gen Quick Sync
- Display Performance: SuperBright Plus, Indeed
- Battery Performance: Four Hours Of Real-World Use
- Samsung 13.3" Series 9: Better In 2012
Because this samsung notebook takes more time than other i7's in 'quality' setting, but lesser time in 'performance' settings.
What..? No. That's the dell's and I'm not even joking.
I was watching a demo and their Dell XPS ultrabooks with GT640's in them continuously overheated during the demos and lowered the FPS catastrophically low.
They have these ultrabooks at my local Jb HiFi (Well.. the i5 version at least) and it was cool to the touch and very solid (I've noticed even Acer's ultrabooks don't feel flimsy as sh*t like their notebooks).
1)Is the touchpad annoying? Compared to Apple's touchpads, for example.
2)Can you keep it in your lap, sitting or lying down slightly (you know, with the notebook against your knees)? Or does it get too warm?
These two are deal breakers for me, personally. So is the keyboard, but you've clearly stated what's wrong with that (touchpad too, but just wanted to know if it's a noticeable annoyance).
I haven't gone out to buy one yet
I have it here in the lab, and it'll be the next Ultrabook we look at (I have something special planned for it ;-)
I can't speak to the Samsung, but on the X1, the touchpad (which everyone seems to rave about) is sooo not good compared to the MBA's. It does not get too warm, though. Again, this is specific to the X1.
I haven't gone out to buy one of those, either
Usually, that's the case. I think Andrew highlighted all one column to indicate it's the Samsung. I just went back and made sure that the *winning* numbers are in bold!
I did not find the "right click" confusing at all. It's not that hard to keep in mind that to activate the right click I need to move to the lower end of the touchpad. All you need to do is dedicate 2 minutes to test, practice and familiarize yourself with the boundaries of the touchpad. I love Macbook touchpads, and this is the closest any Windows PC touchpad has ever come as far as I have tried. I loved it.
@ ojas.. No, it never got too warm while I used it for 48 hours. However, I did not use it to encode videos nor did I do something silly like play "Battlefield 3" on it. So I can't say it will remain cool while doing that. But during regular use (including many software installations), it stayed cool!
This is my favorite Ultrabook and my only recommendation to clients and friends.
Oh, and it really does feel incredibly light and it has a very high quality premium feel overall, justifying the price tag.
i thought Apple would have sent a review sample to you. A positive review from Toms is a big thing...
My office I use an HP EliteBook Mobile Workstation and some of us use others including ASUS, but for home, travel or even work it's still tough to ignore the MBA or MBP which is one of Samsung's major competitors in this category. None of these notebooks are really any good for gaming.
Now if all you're doing is smurfing the web, checking your email, Facebook, documents, and a slew of other typical tasks then any of the notebooks or tablets are 'good enough.'
Normally, I'd agree with you...but my two exceptions are 1600x900 (why wouldn't you take that over 1440x900) and 1920x1080 as a replacement for 1680x1050 (though it's bull$#!+ that manufacturers are using it in place of 1920x1200).