Samsung Series 9 Notebook (NP900X3C)

By Mike Wheeler

The past few months has seen the rise of the tablet PC, which has some pundits intimating that it might be at the expense of the laptop/netbook/notebook genre of PC. Then Samsung comes along and releases its latest Series 9 notebook, gviing you second thoughts as to which unit to buy.

Out of the box it feels small and light, and while it doesn’t have the designation of being an ultrabook, it does have an Intel processor, albeit an i5 3rd generation and not the more powerful i7. Connectivity is pretty standard with a micro HDMI slot, plus a USB 3.0 and a Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. You get 128GB of solid states storage as well as 4GB of RAM – not bad for a unit this size.

One thing we really liked was the 13.3-inch screen, which seems bigger than it is, and the resolution of 1700 x 900 is fantastic. It’s not designed primarily to show videos, but boy if that's what you're after, then you couldn’t get much better quality than this unit. It has nice deep blacks and its bright, clear colours are fantastic. It’s a pity that the speakers don’t come to the party, as the sound is average. Mind you, you can’t have everything and there is still plenty to like.

We had it connected wirelessly, and we were impressed by the speeds it produced. We loaded up a 250MB .mov file super quick while watching a video online. There was no interference or lag, which is ideal when you are multi-tasking or in a hurry.

As mentioned, it does have an i5 Intel processor and we certainly noticed that flicking from place to place it went super quick compared to my own HP laptop at home that we purchased 12 months ago. Loading and downloading files? Again super quick. There was no lag on YouTube videos, although in this day and age, unless you’re have dodgy wireless, this should be a thing of the past anyway. The keyboard is nice and simple to use, and you have your typical trackpad/mouse that is not overtly sensitive, which I personally like.

Overall, this is a nice number for many reasons – the look, the size, the weight and the oomph it gives when under pressure. We liked – a lot. My only other bugbear is the price. At just under $1600, it does seem a tad expensive, but we’re not too sure that would put me off buying one if I was in the market.

Pros: Super portable, excellent speed, reasonable battery life
Cons: Speakers are a let down, slightly expensive

4.3 Shacks Out Of 5

RRP
$1599
 

 

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