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.
Follow Duncan on Twitter
- News24Kenya