Samsung Series 9 is top class - review
2012-09-03 08:26
Cape Town - Windows computer users have a legacy of functional, but not pretty devices; the new Samsung Series 9 is a looker like few before it, regardless of platform.
Samsung has gone above and beyond in the design of this ultrabook and it could easily double as an art piece in the living room when you tire of working.
The hardware is impressive with brushed accents and full sized keyboard. The design is evolved from the previous version, but there fewer sharp edges and the feel is elegant - but not in a Top Billing kind of way.
Under the skin is an Intel Core i5 processor with 4GB of RAM and 256GB SSD hard drive driving Windows and the effect is a smooth experience and the boots up from a cold start in 11.79 seconds, and almost instantly from sleep mode when the lid is opened.
The lack of traditional hard drive and optical drive results in a fast user experience but doesn't compromise battery life because there are fewer moving parts than in a regular PC.
Thin
Samsung has endeavoured to keep the Series 9 thin and it is 13mm at its thickest section and the built in card reader and speakers are neatly hidden.
The display on the 34cm screen is excellent and the device and one's eyes do not tire when watching movies on the device.
The keys are also well-spaced and even a user with clumsy, big fingers was easily able to hunt-and-peck his way to write this review. It dim light, the keyboard also automatically illuminates without adding glare to the screen.
The glass touch pad supports multiple gestures and though the device runs the Windows 7 operating system, the size of the touch pad should be an easy fit for the multiple gestures supported in Windows 8.
There are some compromises in such computer that some users might find annoying.
As is common with ultrabooks, there is no standard network port, but Samsung provides a USB adaptor in the box and the keyboard has no "End" button of the keyboard.
There was also a glitch on the review unit where the [@] and ["] keys appeared to be reversed when one uses the UK keyboard layout, but it is likely that Samsung will resolve this issue for users.
Launcher dock
The Series 9 supports USB 3.0 and hardware settings like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, fan control can be accessed directly from the keyboard.
Samsung has built in its own launcher dock that might look vaguely familiar to fruit company computer users, and it grants access to utility, customer support, entertainment and multimedia functionality.
Users who demand an optical drive will be disappointed as it consumes battery power. Battery life, though, is remarkable - it runs a full working day on one charge and one can access additional settings that extend battery life.
Price on this device at the top end for computers running Windows at a recommended retail of R15 999.
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