Samsung has not two, but three laptops to show off at CES 2018, with news of its Notebook 7 Spin for 2018 now out of the bag. The firm behind Galaxy plans to show off the revised 2-in-1 laptop during the show.
The most tangible change with this years model is it's now a 13-inch hyrbid, whereas in years past, the Samsung Notebook 7 was a 15-inch convertible. Admittedly, not much else has changed about the laptop’s design year over year. But, having already earned four stars and our Great Value award, perhaps not much really needed to.
Regardless, this new version most notably introduces Windows Hello secure login through an included fingerprint scanner embedded into its side-oriented power button.
Another major addition is support for a Samsung stylus called the Active Pen, which is sold separately and we’ll likely learn more about during the show.
What’s inside?
A new secure login method and stylus are fantastic, but naturally many folks want to know what’s powering this new version, and whether those parts are worth the asking price. Well, it all starts with a 13.3-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) PLS touchscreen – pared down from the 15.6-inch display of last year.
PLS is a screen technology produced by Samsung as an IPS competitor, with even wider viewing angles and more brightness.
Powering that display is an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor backed by 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive. With Intel’s new quad-core mobile architecture and UHD Graphics tech to consider, that’s quite a lot of laptop within a 3.37-pound (1.53kg) frame that’s 0.72-inches (18.5mm) thin.
As for connectivity, hard connections include one USB-C, one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, HDMI-out and a combination audio jack. Samsung hasn’t released specifics regarding the Notebook 7 Spin’s wireless connectivity.
Topping the whole package off are what should be sublime inputs in a backlit keyboard with 1.5mm of travel and curved keycaps – paired with a Microsoft Precision Touchpad.
Sadly, Samsung hasn’t released pricing information for the new Notebook 7 Spin. But, judging by the hardware inside and out, the prospects of it price-matching its predecessor are … dubious.
Expect to see this laptop on US shelves in the first quarter of 2018, before which we anticipate learning more about price, availability and capability in a hands-on review.
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